Okorocha slams police over Uche Nwosu’s arrest, says ‘It was like a kidnap’

Former Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, has faulted the police over the arrest of his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu.

Reacting to the incident during a briefing in Owerri, the state capital, he described the arrest of his son-in-law by security operatives as one too many.

Okorocha, who spoke with reporters on Sunday not long after the arrest, believes the action of the security operatives is purely political.

“This is one arrest too many as it relates to me and my family members,” he said. “There was just no justifiable reason for the police to have gone into a church to carry out such shooting exercise.

“Even the security [operatives] attached to my family could not [do anything] because they identified the policemen. Why go to the church, why the shooting, why do you have to drag the innocent boy on the floor, why do you have to beat him up, why do you have to push my wife, why do you have to push my daughter?”

The former governor, who now represents Imo West senatorial district at the National Assembly, condemned the arrest of Nwosu.

He accused the Imo State government of conniving with security operatives to harass his family members without a just course.

According to Okorocha, resorting to arrest his son-in-law is uncalled for as Nwosu was never invited by the police before he was taken into custody.

“There was no single arrest warrant on Uche Nwosu; nothing at all. It was like a kidnap… if not for the fact that we have confirmed that it was the police, the initial fear was that these were gunmen that have come to kill Uche Nwosu,” he said.

Earlier, there was panic at Eziama-Obaire in Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo as security operatives stormed St. Peter’s Anglican Church and left with Nwosu.

The heavily armed operatives stormed the church with high-powered security vehicles, shooting sporadically into the air before arresting Okorocha’s son-in-law.

Amid reports that Nwosu might have been abducted by gunmen whose identity was unknown, police authorities in the state said he was in their custody.

“This is to inform the general public that Chief Uche Nwosu was not kidnapped but was arrested by the police and Imo State Police Command is aware of the arrest and presently he is in police custody,” said Michael Abattam who is the Police Public Relations Officer in Imo.

“This is to refute the earlier news that has been making rounds on social media that he was kidnapped by unknown persons/gunmen.”