By Ruth Oginyi
The Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in Ebonyi state. Chika Nwoba has been arrested in a commando-style in Abakaliki, the state capital.
He was arrested on Sunday at about 1 pm around Afia-of along Enugu Abakaliki highway.
Consequently, the party and the state government are exchanging words over the said ‘abduction’ and detention of the Publicity Secretary of the party.
The report has it that he is currently at the state police headquarters where he is being detained.
It was gathered that the operatives of the state Ebubeagu Security Network were said to have forcefully taken Nwoba who was in a car with the state Deputy Chairman of the party, Ifeanyi Nworie.
The operatives reportedly forced him inside the car trunk, took him to the police headquarters where he was being detained by the police.
The party Chairman, Mr. Tochukwu Okorie while reacting to the development in Abakaliki, accused the state government of using Ebubeagu Security Network to hunt for members of the opposition in the state.
“At about 1300hrs this afternoon the state Publicity Secretary of PDP, Nwoba Chika Nwoba was abducted by a gang of criminals along Abakaliki/Enugu road and was thrown into the trunk of the sienna bus the abductors used.
“Mr. Nwoba was riding in the company of the party Deputy Chairman, Ifeanyi Nworie who courageously resisted the kidnappers from taking away Nwoba in their vehicle. Barr. Nworie now put a call across the O/C anti-kidnapping unit of Ebonyi police who promptly sent a team.
“The abductors were intercepted and Nwoba was subsequently rescued from the abductors by the anti-kidnapping unit of the Ebonyi police command. So far Mr. Nwoba has been taken into custody by the police. It is unfortunate that rather than arresting the abductors who they met on the ground they took Nwoba into their custody and allowed the abductors to go.
“We call on the Attorney General of the federation Mr. Abubakar Malami to take judicial notice of what is happening in Ebonyi state, we call on the National Security Adviser Mr. Mongono to take judicial notice of what is happening in Ebonyi state, we call on the Inspection General of Police to take judicial notice of what is happening in Ebonyi state. We want to warn that no individual has a monopoly of violence, we are being pushed to the wall, the PDP in Ebonyi state is a peace-loving Democratic organization, but we are being pushed to the point where we will have to resist the evil that is being perpetrated in the state”, he said.
Contacted, the state government said Nwoba has been on the fake news wanted list.
Security Consultant to the state government, Stanley Okoro Emegha stated this while reacting to the PDP allegations.
“It is really unfortunate. I don’t like joining issues. The law provides that Ebubeagu can arrest and hand over to the Police. They have been seen doing that on more than two occasions. This boy called Chika Nwoba has been on the list of those to come and answer for fake News.
“We all know that there’s a law on fake news in the State. Many others are facing similar charges in the State.
“Why would somebody say it is an abduction? Security operatives operate based on Intel. And when the information got to them, they said they have seen him. There was an uprising in the location he was. Some say it was an abduction and not abduction.
“While a team of Ebubeagu was on patrol, they saw them. Chika Nwoba was there and he was picked. Knowing that he was a member of an opposition political party, Ebubeagu did their job professionally by arresting him and handing him over to the Police. The investigation on the matter continues.
“If there was no petition against him, he wouldn’t have been arrested but there was a petition already against him and that was why he was arrested.
“Ebubeagu handed him over to the Police. He was not taken to the Government House or any other place. The people they handed over to were a Police team on patrol and not that they (Ebubeagu) took him to the Police Station. The law will take its due cause.
“He will defend himself as to whether he is guilty or not. If there’s enough evidence against him on fake news, he will face the law. This incident happened less than 12 hours and people are already adding to the incident.”
“So, there was nothing like an abduction. He was duly arrested and handed over to the Police. It didn’t even take up to three minutes. Ebubeagu was professional in their conduct as they operated within the ambit of the law”, he said.
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