v Says police economical with truth
Relations of the proprietor of the burnt hotel in Okporo Orlu whose family house at Obor community was also burnt Mr. Chinonso Uba, have cried out to the public, human right groups and the Imo State government to come to their rescue and cause a thorough investigation into the arsons as their lives are being threatened, stating that their son/brother is not a member and has no link with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as being alleged by the police.
A family member and younger brother of the victim Mr. Chidiebere Uba while speaking to our correspondent revealed that before last Sunday’s attack, there was no invitation by the police to his brother who rather has a matter with the police in Abuja.
He narrated that in February this year his brother Chinonso Uba who is a major distributor of champion breweries in Calabar was about closing shop at his hotel in Okporo when some police operatives he suspected to be his friends but who turned out to be Abba Kyari’s men accosted him and took him to Intelligence Response Team,IRT Owerri where he spent 3 weeks before he was taken to Abuja.
He said,”After a thorough search, we finally found our brother, Chinonso Ubah at Imo State Police command where they claimed that our brother sent money to IPOB members, for which reason they arrested him.This claim is not true.Our brother is a successful business man and has never been involved in IPOB movement.Earlier, they had detained us for 3 days for coming to check on our brother”.
He further revealed that for some personal reasons Chinonso had left the hotel under the care and management of another staff and relocated and rented an apartment in Orlu town but only manages his drink business.
He added that since he was released from Abuja he has not been invited again nor any invitation extended to his staff and family members until the vicious attack and arson by security operatives said to be soldiers on Sunday.
He also confirmed that the inferno in Okporo burnt down the hotel at Okporo alongside the warehouse and all the trucks in the premises before they proceeded to Obor community where they also burnt his house and the house of his father Mr Damain.
A reliable source revealed that the victim parted with an undisclosed huge sum of money to secure his bail at Abuja where his personal driver and his car are still being held.
Meanwhile the police in Owerri has issued a statement regarding the incident in Orlu.
Meanwhile, the Imo State police command in a release signed by CSP Micheal Abattam as Imo State police Public relations officer,PPRO and made available to news men in Owerri likened the operation to fishing out IPOB members from their hideout.
The release reads in part,”sequel to the recent attack on Omuma Police station and Njaba Police Station respectively, where the bandits were swiftly repelled by the ever alert tactical teams of Imo State Police Command and the unfortunate loss of a Divisional Police Officer and the arrest of one of the bandits, Emmanuel Nnaji ‘M’ age 15 years, a native of Awala in Ideato South LGA of Imo State, with bullet wounds and brought to the station . On interrogation by the command’s tactical teams, the suspect gave a vivid discreption of a Hotel located in Orlu as where they, the bandits stayed , planned, before they executed their dastardly act on the police stations.
He further stated that, the owner of the Hotel has been accommodating and assisting them financially . He then volunteered and led security forces to the location of the hotel. On arrival, the hotel and house were cordoned and searched and exhibits were recovered from the arrested twenty six suspects including seven females in the hotel they includes”.
Also reacting to the police press statement, Ubah said the police is economical with the truth, adding that his family will seek justice since we are innocent of all they alleged.
