Former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, whose running battle with his successor, Governor Hope Uzodimma, is well known has pointed accusing fingers at the Governor for the arrest of his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, while alleging that his wife and Nwosu’s wife, Uloma, were assaulted.
However, the State government, through the Commissioner of Information, Mr. Declan Emelumba, has lashed back at Okorocha saying his comments stem out of panic.
Nwosu, a contestant for seat of Governor with Uzodinma in the last gubernatorial election in the state, was arrested during a church service at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama Obieri in Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo state, earlier on Sunday, December 26.
Said Okorocha in reaction to the arrest, claimed by the Police, after it initially was reported that it was a kidnapped: “Uche Nwosu, my wife and daughter were at the church for an outing service, when a group of men in police uniform started shooting while the sermon was ongoing. In the course of their activities, they pushed down my wife and tore my daughter’s clothes. No warrant of arrest. No invitation. We suspected kidnapping at first. Many people were injured while running. Uche Nwosu was dragged into a bus carrying Imo State Government number plate.
“They were identified as policemen from Imo State Government House by their colleagues attached to Uche for the burial (of his mother). I got the CP who said that the IGP approved his arrest.
“The shock of such an arrest without warrant and humiliating members of my family is unfortunate. Most security operatives in Imo know nothing about the arrest. I don’t know what they framed up. The IGP could only do this on high-level misinformation from Hope Uzodinma. Over 100 gunshots to arrest Uche Nwosu. What kind of ruthless behaviour on an innocent citizen of Nigeria?
“Uzodinma wants to frame me up by all means. Uzodinma has to answer for most of the activities going on. Uzodinma must mention the names of those who are responsible for insecurity in Imo State or he should be held responsible for all the killings in the state. Uzodinma has framed up something against Uche Nwosu. Buhari should be informed about what is happening in Imo State. Hundreds of citizens are being killed in this state.”
The state government’s spokesman, Emelumba, however told journalists in Owerri, “The Imo State Government is aware of the many disgusting utterances made today from the former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha. It smacks of clear panic and frenzy, because it looks like the law is gradually closing in on him. It is expected he will panic because the guilty is always afraid.
“One is not surprised with the way he is talking incoherently, if you listened to him you’ll find a man who is in panic. First, he said the police came into the Church shooting and his wife approached the policemen who were shooting, yet she wasn’t hurt. This doesn’t make sense to anybody.
“Again, he said he saw Government House vehicles which confirms that Governor Hope Uzodinma was involved, yet he couldn’t tell us the numbers. If he was in the right State of mind, in the midst of the sporadic shooting he could see the Plate numbers, he could have at least quoted one Plate number so that people can verify.
“In the same breath, he said he called the Police Commissioner who told him the order came from Abuja, yet he is still accusing the State Government. Again, he said the Inspector-General of Police must have been misinformed, what is surprising is that if a man is innocent or feels no guilt, and the Police has said we are in custody of this man, the next thing is to allow for due process to follow.
“What is the haste in his press conference, trying to politicise an ordinary thing. Uche Nwosu is just an indigene of Imo State and a citizen of Nigeria and if he has run foul of the law, the Police has a right to arrest him and nobody should dictate to them how they do it.
“It depends on the gravity of the offence and the information at their disposal. You never can tell, maybe they heard that after there, he is leaving for the Airport going to Abuja, so they may decide to take necessary steps to make sure that they get him in their custody.
“But what is baffling is a former Governor of this State, Rochas Okorocha, is busy raining abuses on His Excellency, the Governor of Imo State and saying all manner of things about him. I don’t want to join issues with him and he claimed that he doesn’t know what he has done. He has not done anything except that he raped Imo State treasury, he raped Imo State resources, he raped Imo State people, and looted their common patrimony. If he is lacking evidence on that, the recently recovered K O Mbadiwe University built with over N40bn of Imo State resources should be enough evidence.
“He should actually bury himself and his face in shame, and then if he brings his family to you, then I say both himself and his family should bury their faces in shame because what they came to do in Imo State was to loot and steal the people’s common patrimony.
“And because this Government ably headed by His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma is a Government that believes in due process, that is why he has been taking his time to recover all these things. Rochas never believes in due process, he never respected the rule of law. He demolished the house of Captain Iheanacho without any recourse to due process, and without any apology and so many other ones he did.
“He took the laws into his hands but this Government is following due process that’s why he can still talk. A man who committed such atrocious crimes against Imo people, I am surprised, of course he has no shame, that’s why he can still talk otherwise the evidence is everywhere that he looted the State. He converted the lands of Imo People to his private estates, converted even properties belonging to people, desecrated the sanctity of Owerri Masterplan, so many things that can’t be named.
“All these things are within the public but because this Government believes in due process that’s why he is still walking about free and talking the way he is talking. However, I believe that no matter how slow the will of justice grinds, it will effectively and ultimately catch up with the guilty.
“What former Governor Okorocha has done today is only to confirm once again, that he is guilty, otherwise why the panic. First of all, they were the people who started spreading the rumour that it was an abduction, gunmen and then shortly after that, you are now accusing the State Government even when he confirmed that the Police Commissioner told him the order was from Abuja.
“What he wants to do is whip up sentiments because those days he could take Imo people for a ride are gone. Imo people now know him as a man who came here and looted them dry. Honestly, in a civilized society, this man should not be walking the streets free, talking the way he is talking. He should bury his face in shame because he was a total disaster in Imo State and that’s why he is in a panic.
“Because he doesn’t know what’s next. If I were him or if he is somebody who is sure of himself, what he should is to wait for the due process of the law to take its course. Thank God nobody is taking the law into his hands. If Uche Nwosu is guilty of anything, the Police have arrested him, the next thing is the next step, which is find out why he was arrested.
“If he committed any crime of course, he should face the wrath of the law because he is not above the law. So what is the point of whipping up sentiments that he is sure that this is the plan (of the Governor) to name he and his family as those behind the banditry in Imo State. He is already indicting himself, and that’s why I said he is guilty. He is in a panic and that is the first reaction anyone who is guilty. This will not stop the course of law to take its place, if Uche Nwosu is guilty of anything the law will take its course and if Okorocha is also guilty of anything, the law will also take its course.
“All these ones he is shouting is not going to save him. What he should do or what anyone who loves him should do is to say, let the rule of law takes its course and not to whip up sentiments.”