Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma on Monday apologised for the manner in which the police arrested a former governorship candidate Uche Nwosu at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama Obaire in Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state.
Mr Nwosu, son-in-law of a former governor of the state Rochas Okorocha, was arrested during service on Sunday with gunshots fired in the air.
Commissioner for information and strategy Declan Emelumba in a statement said that the governor and the government of the state held the Anglican church and the church of God in general in high esteem.
According to him, the police acted in that manner due to the security threats posed by the development.
“The Imo State Government is aware of the futile efforts by some people to whip up public sentiments against it over the arrest in an Anglican Church of Mr Uche Nwosu. The plan is to de-emphasise the possible criminality behind his arrest by playing up the desecration of a church,” Emelumba said.
“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 Mr Nwosu within the church premises could have been avoided and therefore stands condemned.
“While government regrets the manner the arrest was made, we wish to emphasise 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.”
The commissioner appealed to those affected by the action of the police to bear with them.
Meanwhile, Nwosu was released by the police on Sunday. His alleged crime has not been made public.
