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The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA, has petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC) to reveal the identity of the police officers, who invaded a church in Imo State to arrest Uche Nwosu.
In the petition, signed by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, it also demanded that the Imo State Commissioner of Police (CP) should be invited to explain his role in the invasion.
“We are considering other measures, but we will first allow the PSC to exercise its powers to sanction the lawless and reckless police officers for their professional misconduct in Imo State and for allowing themselves to be used as political cannon folders in the party squabble within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State,” the petition reads.
HURIWA noted that their action was necessitated by the fact that it was disappointed by the invasion during a church service by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, who were masked and operated in the same manner of unknown gunmen and terrorists.
“The armed police officers, who wore no identification tags and uniforms entered the church and breached the sanctity of the altar of God in their attempt to arrest Nwosu, who is always guarded by armed policemen.
“But this time, his security officers, were completely unarmed in the church with his family members, friends and hundreds of worshippers who were in the church service to honour the late matriarch of the Nwosu’s family,” it said.
It said contrary to the video evidence and belated official confirmation of the Imo State Police Command, Nwosu was arrested by the police right in the church after shooting sporadically in the midst of worshippers.
“The official statement from the Imo State Police Command came several hours after the news had trended that those who invaded the church to arrest (abduct) Nwosu, were either kidnappers or unknown gunmen.
Since the official confirmation by the Imo State Police Command, reports had confirmed breach of professional ethics, code of conduct and violation of the Police Act 2020.
“Clearly, the terrorist conduct of armed and hooded police operatives offend several provisions of the extant Act of 2020 and this calls for an investigation by the PSC,” it added.
