Frontline civil rights group, The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, Wednesday, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Department of State Services, and the Nigerian Army over the arrest of former Deputy Chief of Staff to ex- Imo state governor, Rochas Okorocha, Mr. Uche Nwosu a few weeks ago.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, national coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, gave the Police Service Commission, PSC, three working days to respond to its petition on the sporadic shooting and arrest of Uche Nwosu at an Anglican Church in Imo state.
He described as “brutal and primitive,” the invasion of the Nigerian Police Force at the Anglican Church and urged the army and the Department of State Services, DSS to disclose the identities of the invaders and charge them to court immediately.
According to him, their actions could have precipitated a civil strife but for the solemn ceremony of thanksgiving worship following the final rites that his family gave to their departed matriarch.
“We are sending this petition as one of the most credible civil Rights organizations in the country.
“This is occasioned by the fact that we watched with considerable trepidation, shock and disappointment, the invasion during a church service in Imo state by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force who clearly were masked and operated in the same way that the unknown gunmen and terrorists do operate.
“These set of armed police officers who wore no identification tags, uniforms nor can be seen because they were hooded entered the church and breached the sanctity of the altar of God in their primitive attempt to effect the arrest of Mr. Uche Nwosu who nevertheless is always guarded by some armed police but who was completely unarmed inside the church alongside his family members, friends and hundreds of worshippers who turned out for the Sunday service and to honour the memory of the late matriarch of Uche Nwosu’s family who was recently laid to rest.
“As shown by video evidence in circulation and much belated official confirmation by the Imo State police command, the former Imo State gubernatorial candidate and son-in-law to former Imo governor Rochas Okorocha, Uche Nwosu, was arrested by the police right inside the church after several rounds of live bullets were fired by the invading armed and hooded police operatives in the midst of hundreds of innocent worshippers.
“Mr Nwosu was taken in by gun-throttling police operatives on that specific Sunday (26th December 2021 )while attending his late mother’s thanksgiving service at St Peter’s Anglican Church Eziama-Obaire Nkwerre LGA of Imo state.”
He demanded that “the police operatives and their commanding officers who invaded the church and shot many rounds of live ammunition into the crowds of worshippers that could have resulted in collateral damage must be brought to face the appropriate investigative mechanism created by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Our single formulated prayer is for the Police Service Commission to identify the police operatives who did the unthinkable and terrorist act of invading a Church and shooting sporadically right inside a well populated Church.
“The Police officers including the Police commissioner of Imo State who confirmed the invasion which he termed ‘arrest’ of Uche Nwosu must be invited by the PSC to clear their names or be dismissed.”