After the bizarre invasion of the Anglican Church by some ‘’mad dogs’’ security agents that operated like the unknown gunmen that have been shattering the peace in Imo State, the Uzodimma administration set silly pride aside and apologized to the church for the rude action of the invaders.
Information and Strategy Commissioner, Declan Emelumba, in a statement, condemned the action of the police, pointing out that some people are hiding under the incident to whip up public sentiments. According to him, ‘’the plan is to de-emphasise the possible criminality behind his arrest by playing up the desecration of a church.
‘’For the avoidance of doubt, while the government believes that no stone should be spared in the effort to rid the state of criminality and banditry, it will not support any form of disrespect for a place of worship by security agencies.
‘’In this regard, the arrest of Uche Nwosu within the church premises could have been avoided and therefore stands condemned.’’ While the administration regrets the manner the arrest was made it wish to emphasize that since it was purely a security matter, the full reason why such an action was taken will eventually unfold and perhaps guide the public better, adding that government, therefore, wishes to appeal to those negatively affected by the action to bear with the security agencies.
There is no gainsaying the fact that last Sunday’s arrest of Senator Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, inside St Peter’s Anglican Church, Umunwokwe village, Eziama-Obaire Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state is condemnable. It clearly shows that in Imo, political power is like kai-kai. This native gin intoxicates just like political power.
Whatever may have been the offence of Nwosu, a 2019 governorship candidate of Action Alliance, the way he was kidnapped tends to suggest that the establishment may be behind the rampaging unknown gunmen. Those who whisked him away fired sporadically within the church premises. It was reported that they rode in an Armoured Personnel Carrier, a known security vehicle widely used in the country.
Undoubtedly, Imo has been confronted with many challenges since Uzodimma became the governor following a Supreme Court ruling which seemed to have defied all legal arguments and he has been battling to assume legitimacy which appears to be a herculean task.
