Rochas accuses police as thugs in Imo Govt House attacked him

Former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, has accused the police in the state of watching on as thugs attacked his “boys” with machetes during a clash in the state.

Okorocha said he managed to escape the purported attack on Sunday after his orderlies ferried him “to a room and locked me up”.

The former governor was arrested on Sunday for unsealing a property seized by the state government on Friday.

The property which reportedly belongs to his wife is said to be under investigation by the state government.

Not long after Okorocha forcibly gained access into the property, masked police operatives arrived to escort him away.

As the scene unfolded, Okorocha’s supporters clashed with those of Hope Uzodinma, the state governor, whom he has been at loggerheads with for some time.

Speaking during a recorded audio interview played on Channels TV, the senator said he “can’t even imagine” what happened to him during the encounter.

Okorocha said, “I came back from an occasion and proceeded to Royal Palm Hotel to enquire what actually happened. On getting there, I saw a lot of thugs. They started molesting, cutting my boys, shooting. But the police were there too, and they did nothing and said nothing.

“They were macheting… my orderlies rushed me to a room and locked me up. Those boys had teargas, police also were throwing teargas. As they were advancing, the police were backing them up; and they were coming and were shooting.

“I enquired and they said it is the government house police. And I asked, is this with the directive of the IG or the CP? Can the governor actually use government house police to do what he is doing?

“They kept me in a room for some time and all my boys got injured. Right now, my in-law was shot and his legs have been scattered.”

Okorocha fell out with Uzodinma in the build-up to the 2019 governorship election in the state after he moved against the latter’s emergence as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress.