BY PRINCELY ONYENWE,IMO
CHUKWUDI OPARAKU & OTHERS DECLARED MISSING
Imo people are in a tense situation over the continued arrest of citizens by the law enforcement agents from various commands without leaving behind a proper documentation of police personnel and the reason cum location of arrest before whisking off the citizens.
We have to also note this fact that arrest of citizens could come in various ways, maybe through petition, suspected fellow, invitation or safety arrest pending the time and process of investigation.
But the worry of the Imolites is that people are been bundled away by security operatives to an unknown destination in the name of arrest without a traceable detail of the operatives.
Even when people would visit the nearby police stations to confirm the state of their wards, the signal department will communicate without giving a substantial assurance of the safety of the arrested persons and the police Division that came for the arrest.
Most times the will ask the affected to keep checking and this could take a longer period to confirm where the arrested individual was taken to.
A similar scenario played out in a Community called Umuezerokam Nekede in Owerri West local government area of Imo state, where our source told us that a middle aged son of Nekede, (CHUKWUDI OPARAKU) was said to have been arrested by police operatives about 3weeks ago without a trace of his whereabout.
A source told us that his arrest took place at his village residence at about 5:am on that fateful day and his family said that since then, they have gone to various police headquarters to look for him but all efforts till date had proved abortive.
This development has kept the people on serious tension while pleading on the Government to help rescue her subjects held unjustly and grant the arrested justice possibly after interogation.
Sam Onwuemedo demand reads as thus:
SUBJECT: THE SUSPICIOUS AND UNEXPLAINED ARREST OF MR. OJUKWU UKONU & MR. CASMIR UGBO.
WE APPEAL TO THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, TO LOOK CLOSELY INTO THE SUSPICIOUS ARREST OF THE TWO MEN AND ALLOW THEM TO GO & REJOIN THEIR RESPECTIVE FAMILIES.
(1) About two days ago, two men, Mr. Ojukwu Ukonu and Mr. Casmir Ugbo were arrested by Police men from the Anti-Kidnapping Department, Police Headquarters, Owerri, led by the O/C of that Department.
(2) The Police men had stormed the house of Mr. Ukonu and arrested him, after they had searched his house and nothing was found. They had also detained the man since then.
(3) The Squad also stormed the house of Mr. Casmir Ugbo, searched his house and nothing was found. He was not around when they came. They arrested the wife. The man came back and reported himself. They also arrested the man, detained both the man and the wife. With the children left alone at home.
(4) As we write, the two men have not been told the offence or the offences they had committed for which they were arrested and detained.
(5) The two men have been members of Okorocha’s larger political family. And that’s the crux of our concern with regard to the arrest .
(6) At the inception of the attacks in Imo, by both the unknown and known gunmen, there was concerted efforts to link Senator Rochas Okorocha to such unfortunate attacks, even when the whole world knew that it was not true.
(7) And since then, Okorocha and those working with him, have not been linked, directly or indirectly with the Owerri attacks. And for the two men in question, to now be arrested by the Anti-kidnapping Squad is what we have been finding difficult to reconcile. And that is the reason for this alarm.
(8) Our concern or suspicion has remained that, those desperate to link or associate Okorocha with the Owerri attacks, have not relented. They are still trying to justify their false claim. So, for us, the arrest of these two men was not unconnected with the heightened effort to link Okorocha and his people to the attacks in the State.
(9) The two men are highly responsible men with families. We have not been told what warranted their arrest. And we want the anti-kidnapping department that arrested them to tell the world why they arrested the two men. But we know and we are sure, that they never committed any offence.
(10) We therefore appeal to the Commissioner of Police in the State, to order for the release of the two men. We know that at a time like the one we are into today, some people would hide under it to undo others which is very unpatriotic and unadvisable.
(11) We believe strongly that the Commissioner of Police, would not allow innocent people to suffer or to be punished for an offence or offences they never committed.
This release was signed by Sam Onwuemeodo, Special Adviser (Media) to the former Imo State Governor and Senator Representing Imo West Senatorial District, Senator Rochas Okorocha.
9News Nigeria (Owerri)
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