Stakeholders want police to arrest attackers of CUPP’s spokesperson

Imo govt denies involvement in attack

The Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Muhammed Alkali Baba Usman, has been urged to investigate and arrest attackers of spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.

Ugochinyere is also the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ideato Federal Constituency of Imo State. Last Saturday, suspected gunmen invaded Ugochinyere’s country-home at Akokwa in Ideato North, killing three of his relatives and setting ablaze over thirty campaign vehicles.

Leader of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, Goodluck Ibem described the incident as unfortunate and condemnable. He said: “We condemn in strongest terms the attack and assassination attempt on Ugochinyere and killing of these three persons who did nothing wrong to be sent to their early grave. We call on the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, the Department of State Security Service (DSS) and other security agencies to immediately move into action to arrest and prosecute who attempted to kill Ugochinyere, who ended up killing three innocent persons who did nothing wrong to deserve such barbaric act.

We also call on the CUPP Spokesperson to stand firm for our democracy and should not be discouraged because the youths are solidly behind him and his vision to defend our hard-earned democracy, which our founding fathers fought so hard to achieve.”

Also speaking, the former spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Imo State, Jones Onwuasoanya, urged the state governor, Mr. Hope Uzodinma to intensify efforts at addressing what he described as high level impunity playing out in the state.

He said: “Imolites deserve explanation about what happened in Akokwa. We need to hear from the government, we need to hear from the police and we need to hear from the Department of State Security Service. Ugochinyere might be the governor’s political opponents, but that does not diminish his right nor does it diminish the rights of the victims who were killed by these hoodlums.

“By allowing the level of impunity playing out in Imo State to continue unabated, the Nigeria Police Force may be creating a room for people to resort to self-help. A reluctance or delay in enforcing the law especially when it bothers on threat to life is gross irresponsibility that shouldn’t be condoned by any nation.”

REACTING, the Imo State Government, yesterday, denied any immediate or remote involvement in the burning of houses and vehicles belonging to opposition spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, the government noted that Ugochinyere does not pose any threat to the government, nor does he has any capacity to do so, to warrant any form of attention.

“Governor of Imo state has been in politics for more than 40 years and has never been linked to any kind of violence,” Emelumba said.