The 2019 governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA) in Imo State, Uche Nwosu, on Tuesday said he was arrested by security operatives over an allegation that he was an arms supplier to militants and a sponsor of the insecurity in the state.
Nwosu, while speaking with reporters in Owerri, called on the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman, to investigate his arrest and the activities of the state Police command.
Nwosu had on Monday said the operatives threatened to blow off his head if he resisted arrest.
Nwosu was arrested during an outing service in honour of his late mother, Jemamah Nwosu, at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama-Obaire in Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State.
The incident led to a face-off between his father-in-law, the Senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and the Imo State Government.
The former governoship candidate said that at the Tactical Squad Office, Abuja where he was taken to, he was informed that someone alleged in a petition he was an arms supplier to militants.
He said: “They accused me of sponsoring insecurity in Imo state. I want to thank the IGP who intervened and ordered my release,
“I want to appeal to IGP to look into the activities of the police personnel in Imo State because what happened was because it is Uche Nwosu, what about those that are not Uche Nwosu. I am not talking about me what about other Imo youths who have nobody to speak for them.
“I am appealing to the IGP to look into this. The IGP is a good person because, without him, something else would have happened to me.
“I was taken to the Tactical Squad Office, Abuja where I was told that someone wrote a petition against me alleging that I supply arms to militants.”
Further narrating his ordeal, he said: “Over 15 masked security operatives jumped into the church. While some rushed to the altar, some came to where I was sitting and ordered me to move or move me. They started shooting and disrupted the sermon that was ongoing. I demanded to know what was going on but they said they had an instruction to bring me.
“They manhandled me and bundled me into one of the vehicles they came in. One of them ordered me to lie down and one of them placed his leg on my head.
“When they drove off, they started making calls in the Hausa Language, and unknown to them, I understand the Hausa Language. They were telling one Shaba who is the chief security officer that they have got me.
“At Umuaka, they stopped and ordered that I should get down. At that point, I thought they were to assassinate me. They bundled me into another vehicle and they drove off.
“When we got to Owerri, three other vehicles drove straight to the government house and the one carrying me drove towards Okigwe Road and I began to ask them where they were taking me to but they never responded to me. They drove towards Okigwe and stopped.
“At that point, I thought they wanted to assassinate me. They asked me to remove my clothes, handcuffed me, snapped me, made a video, and sent it to the CSO.
“We continued until we got to Enugu airport where we boarded a charted jet to Abuja. We moved to Force Headquarters and we did an interview. They accused me of sponsoring insecurity in Imo State.”
He however said that what happened cannot deter him from being who he is or cause him to run away from Imo State.
“I am not afraid and can never be afraid to enter my state. So what happened cannot stop me from entering my state, I am now more courageous because God has delivered me from their hands. If I want to die it is better to die in my state than outside the state. So I am not afraid,” Nwosu declared.
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