Former governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in Imo State, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, has opened up on his controversial arrest on Sunday by the police at a Church in his country home, Eziama Obaire, in Nkwere Local Government Area of Imo State.
Nwosu, son-in-law to the former governor of the State, Rochas Okorocha, alleged that the policemen who arrest him were security men attached to Imo State Government House, Owerri, supervised by a certain individual identified as Shafa.
Nwosu was whisked away by security operatives, while attending a church service at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama Obaire in the Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state on Sunday said he unduly harassed during gorilla-like arrest.
Briefing newsmen, on Monday after his release, Nwosu, said the invasion of the Church and his subsequent harassment was uncalled for as there was no prior invitation by the Police or any other security agency to him before the ugly incident.
Narrating the incident, Nwosu said that, “while the Service was still going on, some heavily armed security men invaded the Church from different doors, while some went straight to the altar; others were walking from one line of pew to the other.
“When they spotted me, they opened fire and started shooting inside the Church, some of them walked up to me and said I should get up and follow them or they will blow off my head. I demanded to know who they were and where they are taking me to, they started dragging me, all this while they were still shooting and everyone in the Church was scampering for safety.
“It was like a war, they kept shooting inside the Church and everybody was running in different directions. It was just an act of God that stray bullet didn’t hit any of the clergymen because they were firing straight at the altar where most of them were seated.
“After they dragged me from the Church into the car, they drove off, when we got to Owerri, three of the cars drove into the Government House and they drove me in one of the cars to Enugu”.
“On the way, they stopped after one of them answered phone call and said Shafa, who is the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the governor asked them to get my pictures, they tore my clothes and took my pictures with handcuff and sent to the CSO.
“After that they drove me straight to Enugu Airport, where a chartered private jet was waiting and they flew me straight to Abuja. It was at Abuja that it was discovered that the Police hierarchy was not aware of the operation. It was purely planned and hatched at the Imo Government House.
“I was not invited by the police or any other security agency before my abduction at the Church”, he declared.
Advertise In uchenwosu.com/thewitness: the most investigative and analytical online magazine nigeria can produce for now.
Contact: Hon uche nwosu – 08035766615Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
