”Policemen Attached To The Imo State Government House Are Unknown Gunmen And Silent Killers” – Okorocha

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By Lateef Adegbite

As a former governor of the south eastern geo-political region, of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, now a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria, may have known so much about the activities of the policemen attached to the government House that he could speak on them. The Imo state born Politician has made Nigerians to know that ‘’the policemen from the Government execute House unholy acts and when they run into trouble they quickly say it is the police’’.

Senator Okorocha, may have been forced to open up because of the frosty relationship between him and Hope Uzodinma, who incidentally was also a one-time Senator and now governor of the state and the arrest of Uche Nwosu, his son-In-Law, who had contested the 2019, governorship election in the state on the ticket of Action Alliance, AA, at St. Peter’s Anglican Church premises in Eziama Obieri, his home town, in Nkwerre Local government Area of the state.

The  Imo state  former governor may have taken advantage of the crisis perpetrated with the arrest of his son-in-Law, by the Policemen allegedly attached to the Government House in the state to drop the bombshell on their activities for Nigerians to know  what they have been   doing  in the secret.

He was initially waiting for Uzodinma, the governor of Imo state, to speak on the January 13, 2021, attack in the state and those who had sponsored it to see if he would Nwosu, his son-In-Law before opening up. Uzodinma had said that ‘’there are information available to the Police on why they had arrested Nwosu that may not be privy to the public. The Nigerian Senator had challenged his estranged political ally that if he could not be bold enough to summon up courage to speak out on the January 13, 2021, attack in the state, he should claim responsibility for it and stop pointing accusing fingers.

Appearing on Channels Television, Politics today, an aggrieved Okorocha, who is now ready to battle Uzodinma, had said that the so-called ‘’unknown gunmen who had arrested his son-In-Law, were a set of Policemen from the Imo state Government House’’.

 He had said that’’ the Policemen act without taking orders from Rabiu Hussain, the state Commissioner of Police, the Deputy Inspector Generals of Police, supervising the region or the Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector General f Police, IGP. He noted that  the Imo state Government House Policemen take  instructions from  one Shaba, the Chief Security Officer, CSO, of Uzodinma,  the Imo state governor. According to him , the CSO,  gives directives  to the  Government House Policemen  at all point in time  ‘’to arrest and lock up people  , stressing that sometimes  ‘’the whereabouts of those arrested  are unknown’’.  

Describing what is happening in Imo state under the nose of Uzodinma and the entire nation, as’’ unfortunate’’, Okorocha who could not hide his feelings   had said that Imo state is becoming a’’ banana republic’’ where there is complete lawlessness and where people live in fear like Thomas Hobbes,            state of nature, in his Book, Leviathian.  The Senator’s major worry is that ‘’there is no day   somebody is not being killed or harassed but Uzodinma had kept a closed lips.

He believes that the governor could do all that to avoid spilling the beans because he has ‘’the backing  of President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General.  He had told those that cares to listen that Abuja could throw  its weight on the Imo state governor  to do what he is doing to polarize the state because ‘’ there seems  to be  enmity  between the people  of the state  and the presumed federal government  of Nigeria just because of Communication gap’’.

Many believe at what is happening in the south east state of Imo, between Uzodinma and Okorocha, the two political Chieftains of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, have finally exposed who  the much talked about unknown gunmen  operating in different parts of the state are.

Political analysts  feared that Uzodinma  who has the backing of the Katsina  state born Nigerian President may hit back at Okorocha and Nwosu, his son-In-Law, which may further throw the state into political crisis and factionalise the APC in the state , ahead of the 2023 , general elections.

They may not be far from the truth as the governor had said that ‘’Nwosu’s arrest was part of an Independent Police Investigation on him’’, meaning that he was aware of the plan but kept a sealed lips, until the plot was carried out.  He had left no one in doubt that he was in the picture of the arrest of the former Action Alliance governorship Candidate in the 2019, general election, when he addressed the press, barely hours after the incident at Owerri, the state Capital, to justify the Police action.

In apparent reaction to the St. Peter’s Anglican Church invasion at Eziama Obieri Community, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Imo state Chapter, had said that’’ the ugly incident last Sunday could have been avoided if the policemen had carried out their duty in a Professional manner’’.  This may have informed why the umbrella body for the Christians in the state   have urged the security agencies personnel in the state ‘’to be mindful of their mode of operation to avoid offending the sensitivity of the people and unwillingly giving detractors the opportunity to rubbish their good work’’.

The Policemen who had gone for the Ezima-Obieri Community to effect the arrest of Nwosu,   were said to have jumped inside the St. Peter’s Anglican Church in a Gestapo style, typical of the Germany Nazis secret police at the height of Adolf Hitler  regime. The policemen, who may be acting out a script, were said invaded the Church when the Officiating Priest, had barely concluded the Celebration and Administration of the Holy Eucharist, ready for the end of year Thanksgiving.

  Most Reverend David Onuoha, Bishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Diocese of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, had alluded to the fact that the Policemen who had invaded the Eziama Obieri Community Anglican Church did  so while  in it was in session The Clergyman  had said’’ the security Operatives had thrown  cautions to the winds  as they completely  ignored  internationally acclaimed rules of engagement ‘’.  

Recall that the  Leadership of CAN, in the state may not have faulted  the Policemen invasion of the Eziama Obieri Community, St. Peter’s Anglican Church,  but  has vowed ‘’to support the efforts by security  operatives  to bring those fingered  of involvement  of any form of Criminality in the state to book’’.  The police had explained that they had stormed the Church for’’ the purpose of effecting the arrest of Nwosu but that was how far they could go’’.

The embattle Nwosu, may have Corroborated the views of Senator  Okorocha, his father-In-Law,  the IGP  was not properly  briefed about the Eziam Oberi operation  by his men , noting that that ‘’the Imo state government had instigated the arrest in his purported bid to malign his image.

Narrating his ordeal in custody after his release on Monday, December 27, 2021, Nwosu had said ‘’the initial intention and aim  of the perpetrators was to eliminate him completely, if not for the media uproar and intervention of well-meaning  Nigerians’’. He has urged the Police investigating his arrest and plot to kill him to do a thorough job by exposing the perpetrators of heinous act.  Nigerians are waiting for the report of the Police Investigation Team on Nwosu arrest.