There was panic in Imo State on Sunday after Uche Nwosu, the son-in-law to a former governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha, was whisked away from a church service at his hometown, Eziama Obieri in the Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state.
Nwosu and his family were at St Peter’s Anglican church for a thanksgiving service when the gunmen, who operated in an Armoured Personnel Carrier and Hilux vans, stormed the area.
They shot indiscriminately before taking their target away, as his security operatives watched without resisting the gun-wielding persons.
While some of Nwosu’s associates alleged that he was kidnapped, others alleged that his arrest was masterminded by the state governor, Hope Uzodinma.
But in a swift reaction, the state commissioner for Information and strategy, Declan Emelumba, said the governor had no hand in what happened.
While Emelumba could not confirm if it was an arrest or a kidnap incident, he said that it was “ridiculous” to allege that the governor had a hand in the disappearance of Nwosu.
Nwosu was arrested on Sunday at St Peter’s Anglican church at Eziama Obieri in the Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state while he and his family members were on an outing service after the burial of their mother, Jemimah Nwosu.
A police source told The PUNCH that it was police officers from Abuja who arrested him.
The source allayed fears that Nwosu was kidnapped, saying, the “police arrested him”.
“Police from the IGP’s Special Force Unit arrested him. He was not kidnapped,” the source, who pleaded anonymity, said.
Imo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Michael Abattam, confirmed that Nwosu was in custody in a press statement titled, “Arrest of Chief Uche Nwosu’.
The statement read, “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.
“This is to refute the earlier news that has been making rounds on social media that he was kidnapped by unknown persons/gunmen.
“The Commissioner of Police while using this medium to assure Imolites of the command’s commitment in ensuring the safety of lives and prosperity this Yuletide season, advised the general public to always shun fake news.”
