Police arrest Enugu APC chairman, parade suspected ESN members

The crisis in the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took a fresh dimension, yesterday, as the police arrested Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye, over an alleged petition by a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.

The former Senate President had accused Nwoye of fraud, conspiracy and cybercrime. The petition followed a letter that allegedly emanated from the Secretary, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party, James Akpanudoedehe, over the congress of the party in the state.

Dated September 3, and addressed to Nwoye, it had denied “authorising a certain Deputy Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party to take over the swearing-in of the new executive of the party”, reaffirming Nwoye as Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Enugu State.

The letter, copied to Nnamani, had dismissed the purported authority of the deputy chairman as “mere figment of naysayers”.
Nnamani was said to have, on receipt of the letter, called Akpanudoedehe, who allegedly asked him to involve the police on the matter.

Yesterday evening, however, about 20 policemen stormed the secretariat of the party in the state, shortly after Nwoye held the swearing-in of the 17 local government council chairmen that emerged from last Saturday’s congress and arrested him.

Less than two hours after he was released, Nwoye told reporters: “I was arrested based on the petition from Ken Nnamani. Police officers, about 20, who stormed the secretariat, said that I was needed by the Commissioner of Police. They arrested me alongside my executive. Unfortunately, when we got to the police, the Commissioner of Police denied knowledge of the letter and said he never ordered my arrest.

“I was, however, quizzed over the letter from Nnamani. He accused me of fraud, conspiracy and cybercrime; that I must be aware of the letter being circulated, bearing Akpanudoedehe’s name. I know nothing about the letter. They have taken my statement. It is part of the plot going on in the state to wrest the soul of the APC, but they have failed.”

Contacted on the development, however, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, said he was not “aware of the arrest or detention” of Nwoye.

THIS came as the Ebonyi State Police Command, yesterday, paraded persons suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (ESN) over the alleged murder of seven people.

Briefing journalists in Abakaliki, Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba, said the arrested persons confessed to being members of the organisation that carried out the crime, adding that the suspects would soon be arraigned in court.