The Anglican Province of Owerri, Imo State, has said that it would engage the police to find out why it desecrated the church while enforcing the arrest of Uche Nwosu at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama Obieri in the Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state on Monday during a thanksgiving service, Punch Newspapers reports.
The church said that while it supports the arrest of individuals who committed crimes no matter how highly placed they are, the invasion of a church of worship by security operatives while a service was on going was unacceptable.
The Archbishop of the province, Most Rev Dr David O. C Onuoha, in a statement on Monday, said that the shooting of bullets and dispersing of worshippers had never been witnessed in the over 160 years of the existence of the church in the state.
In a related report captioned “Uche Nwosu: It’s shameful police now act like unknown gunmen – Lawyer”, the same media had reported that an Abuja-based lawyer and human rights activist, Pelumi Olajengbesi, on Monday, lambasted the Nigeria Police Force for conducting its operations like kidnappers and unknown gunmen.
The lawyer described as shameful, the arrest of Uche Nwosu, a son-in-law to an ex-governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, in a Gestapo style by the police.
He added that the action of the police threatened the ideals of democracy and the Force hierarchies should do all to bring the erring officers to book.
A recent update to this report however, comes with the caption “My arrest politically motivated, sanctioned by Uzodinma – Uche Nwosu”
The report states that a 2019 governorship candidate in Imo State, Uche Nwosu, on Tuesday, said that his arrest on Sunday at St Peter’s Anglican church Eziama Obaire in the Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state was sanctioned by the state governor, Hope Uzodinma.
Nwosu, a son-in-law to a former governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha, who spoke to journalists in Owerri, on Tuesday, claimed that the plan was to assassinate him, the report stated further, adding that
The politician who chronicled how he was arrested in church, taken to Enugu airport, and boarded a chartered aircraft to Abuja, alleged that the governor used his Chief Security Officer and other security operatives attached to the state government house to arrest, humiliate and possibly put him away.
Premium Times in its update on this situation reports that Police have released Okorocha's in-law.
In the report, the source submits that " Mr Nwosu, a former candidate of the Action Alliance in the 2019 governorship election in Imo, was arrested by masked police officers inside a church on Sunday during a thanksgiving service in the state.
A story by the Punch newspaper quoted a media aide to Mr Nwosu, Chikezie Nwadike, as saying that he (Mr Nwosu) did not spend a night in the police custody.
The media aide disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, according to the paper.
Mr Nwadike said Mr Nwosu was not invited by the police before his controversial arrest.
He said Mr Nwosu is fine and that he thanked Nigerians for their support during his ordeal.
The police are yet to disclose why Mr Nwosu was arrested.
“While we await a Police report on the reasons for the abduction and arrest, we call on everyone to remain calm and focused because God is in charge of the whole situation.
“Ugwumba Uche Nwosu is a perfect gentleman who has great deal of respect for constituted authorities and has never for once caught up in civil disobedience. There was never an invitation and if anyone says otherwise, let the person come forth with evidence,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, photos of Mr Nwosu in handcuffs have been trending on Facebook.
Mr Nwosu wore only a singlet in the photos, giving credence to the claim that he was assaulted and his clothes torn during his arrest.
He looked calm in the photo. An officer, whose face is not captured, sat beside him.
It is unclear, for now, who took the photos and why.
Mr Nwosu, a former candidate of the
Action Alliance in the 2019 governorship election in Imo, was arrested by
masked police officers inside a church on Sunday during a thanksgiving service
in the state.
A story by the Punch newspaper quoted a media aide to Mr Nwosu, Chikezie Nwadike, as saying that he (Mr Nwosu) did not spend a night in the police custody.
The media aide disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, according to the paper.
Mr Nwadike said Mr Nwosu was not invited by the police before his controversial arrest.
He said Mr Nwosu is fine and that he thanked Nigerians for their support during his ordeal.
The police are yet to disclose why Mr Nwosu was arrested.
“While we await a Police report on the reasons for the abduction and arrest, we call on everyone to remain calm and focused because God is in charge of the whole situation.
“Ugwumba Uche Nwosu is a perfect gentleman who has great deal of respect for constituted authorities and has never for once caught up in civil disobedience. There was never an invitation and if anyone says otherwise, let the person come forth with evidence,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, photos of Mr Nwosu in handcuffs have been trending on Facebook.
Mr Nwosu wore only a singlet in the photos, giving credence to the claim that he was assaulted and his clothes torn during his arrest.
He looked calm in the photo. An officer, whose face is not captured, sat beside him.
It is unclear, for now, who took the photos and why."
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