‘It was like a kidnap’ — Okorocha speaks on Uche Nwosu’s arrest

Rochas Okorocha, senator representing Imo west, says the arrest of Uche Nwosu, former governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA), was “like a kidnap”.

Nwosu was arrested on Sunday during a church service in Imo.

Addressing journalists on Sunday, Okorocha said the security operatives had no warrant of arrest, adding that the arrest was like a kidnap.

Okorocha accused the state government of having a hand in the arrest of Nwosu, his son-in-law, and alleged that Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo, has “embarked on such an act of hate” against him and members of his family.

“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 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?

“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 unknown gunmen that have come to kill Uche Nwosu”.

Responding to the claims made by Okorocha, Declan Emelumba, commissioner for information and strategy in Imo, said the state government has no hand in the arrest of Nwosu.

Emelumba said security operatives have the right to arrest any person suspected to have committed a crime.

“What is painful is that a former governor of this state, Rochas Okorocha, is busy raining abuses on his excellency, governor of Imo state and saying all manner of things about him. I don’t want to join issues with him,” the commissioner said.