Alleged Police maltreatment: Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke opens up, says he was treated like a common criminal.

Alleged Police maltreatment: Hon Mba Nwoke opens up,says he was treated like a common criminal

…blames Deputy Governor for ordeals.
… COC condenms humiliation, demands apology from DeGov.

By : Sam Obinna Ibe/ Umuahia.

At long last,the Honourable member representing Ohafia South in the Abia House of Assembly,Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke has finally opened up, said that he was treated like a common criminal while narrating ordeals suffered in the hands of the police men attached to the office of Abia State Deputy Governor,Engr Ikechukwu Emetu.

He also blamed the Deputy Governor for given the directive to his security details to assault, arrest,torture and detained him over night during the November 2,2024 local government election conducted by Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, Absiec which occured at Ohafia Council premises

He traced the genesis of the ugly treatment meted out to him by the police men was a result of frosty relationship existing between him and his brother,who is the number two citizen of the state for a very long time before the fateful day.

Narrating his ordeals,Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke told newsmen in Umuahia after the news of the incident spread like a wild fire ,with a motion of Urgent Public importance raised at the floor of Abia House of Assembly,by Hon Godwin Adiele.

Nwoke further noted that the Deputy Governor, Engr Ikechukwu Emetu has been bearing grudges against him which he said,many people had told him, adding that what happened at the election day was akin to calling a dog a bad name in order to slaughter it.

The member representing Ohafia South state constituency also pointed out that there was no time he said that he made his kinsman,Engr Ikechukwu Emetu,the Deputy Governor because he does not have the power to do so ,rather what he said was that Deputy Governor was amongst one of the four persons he recommended to then Dr Alex Chioma Otti as his running mate upon ,the request made to him by the then Governorship candidate.

And therefore,did not see the basis why the Deputy Governor will continue to keep grudges against him, adding that when he was told that his brother Deputy Governor was annoyed with him on hearing that he was telling people that he made him,the Deputy Governor,I made an attempt to reach to him to explain out myself but the efforts yielded no positive fruits , saying that the number two citizen warned to stay off from him and maintain his position as a state law maker.

As if these were not enough,that the Deputy Governor stopped inviting him critical stakeholders meeting of Labour Party involving Ohafia people even when he is the Honourable member representing Ohafia South also doubling for Ohafia North of their party members since the member representing Ohafia North is a PDP member .
He added that even after the Governor called them to mend fences and work together but sadly that Governor’s directive was ignored.

Continuing,Hon Nwoke revealed that instead that the Deputy Governor boasted on how he will use his position to stop him and ensure that he did not secure second term ticket in 2027.

This was the turn of events in respect of our relationship leading to the time of the Local Government elections.

“As the Local Government elections was approaching,that the Governor had summoned a meeting of party’s stakeholders informing them the need to conduct primaries devoid of rancour ensuring that all critical stakeholders were carried along to ensure that the most credible candidates emerge from the Wards in the Seventeen local government areas of the state,and that each Honourable member should be collation officer in their respective state constituency.”

Hon Mba Nwoke sadly said that this directive was not obeyed to the letter and surprisingly enough,the person who emerged the winner of primaries from his own Ohafor Award ,Okam was substituted by the Deputy Governor for his own preferred candidate even though he is not from that ward .

He lamented efforts he made to reach their party hierarchy and other critical stakeholders to address the misnomer but said unfortunately fell on deft ears,since the genuine winner of the primaries was shortchanged and decided to try his luck in another party ,Apga,hence he supported him granted that by that time,the labour party did not have candidates and issue of Zenith Labour Party has not to focus .

Continuing,Kalu said however on the election day,he had gone to Ohafia Council headquarters and demanded to see the result sheet noting that that was the only offence he committed, before you knew what was happening,police men attached to the Deputy Governor’s office,started beating him up,overpowered him and pushed him to the bus and zoomed off.

And when they got to Nmuri hill before the river that the Deputy Governor met them and ordered the vehicle to stop ,by then he was making a call to his younger brother,the Deputy Governor who he said alighted from his vehicle,asked his security details to collect the phone from the fool and beat him ,and he started shouting,that he should remember that there is God, asking him if it was the way he wants to repay him by recommending him to the state governor.

But alas, on getting to Umuahia,they first took him to State Criminal Investigation Department,CID later told him that they were taking him to state Headquarters of Abia State Police

Command to have interview with the Commissioner of Police only to carry him to Anti- Kidnapping Unit of the Command where he was detained till the following day, Sunday afternoon,at about 2:45 pm when Speaker , Abia House of Assembly,Rt Hon Emmanuel Emeruwa came to take him on bail and promised to intervene in the matter with a view to settling it.

The Honourable member representing Ohafia South in the Abia House of Assembly spoke to our Reporter in Umuahia few days after recovering from what he described as emotional shock and excruciating pains suffered in the hands of police men attached to the office of the Deputy Governor of Abia State who were said to have allegedly assaulted,arrest and detained him during the just conducted November 2,2024 Local Government elections in the State.

Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke further said that what he went through in the hands of those security men could better be imagined than described, noting that the height of the humiliation,torture and arrest was detaining him over night at at Anti Kidnapping unit of Abia State Police Command Headquarters until Sunday afternoon at about 2:45 pm.

The Asaga Ohafia born state law maker said that what happened on the said day was just a mere smock screen of the long seated animosity harboured against him by the Deputy Governor,Engr Ikechukwu Emetu.

What were his offenses?.
Mba Kalu Nwoke popularly called ” Etiokwe” by his supporters and admirers alike said his offence stems from the fact that the number two citizen was not happy that he told his father, Sir Emetu that he (Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke) was said to have recommended his son,Engr Ikechukwu Emetu to the then Dr Alex Otti as his running mate just as he recommended other three persons from Ohafia such as: Obinna Odum, Kalu Emeghe and Ndukwe Uko upon the request of Otti when he made up his mind to choose his deputy from Ohafia

 

Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke was said to have been thoroughly beaten,arrested and said to have been treated like a common criminal before he was finally humiliated detaining him over by the Nigeria Police with the embattled state law maker blaming the Deputy Governor for being responsible for the inhuman treatment he was subjected to within the days under review.

When contacted,the Police Public Relations Officer,ACP Maureen Chinaka to find out the police version of the story,her phone rang out severally without picking as at the time of going to press.
Meanwhile,a group under the aiges of Concerned Ohafia Citizens,COC has condemned in it’s totality the ugly treatment meted out to their member representing Ohafia South in the Abia House of Assembly noting that it was not only Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke that was humiliated and slighted but also the good people of Ohafia land.

The spokesman of Concerned Ohafia Citizens,Hon Chief Chidiebere Uwagwu said the action is condemnable while commending Abia House of Assembly for standing boldly in defense of their colleagues in condemnation of such ugly treatment.

Uwagwu, thanked the lawmakers for standing boldly in condemnation of the assault against an Ohafia son and representative, he thanked IPAC for speaking up in condemnation of the action of the deputy governor and Ohafia Monarchs for weighing in on the matter with the intention of having it resolved.
Chief Uwagwu said they would bring the matter to the notice of the State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police to bring the policemen who allegedly assaulted, manhandled, and unjustly locked up a lawmaker.

Recall that Kalu Mba Nwoke, an LP lawmaker representing Ohafia South State Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly was reportedly beaten up, injured, and illegally detained by Policemen allegedly on the orders of the state Deputy Governor at the Ohafia Local government Secretariat on Saturday, 2nd of November 2024, during the local government elections conducted by ABSIEC for demanding that election result sheets be made available for voters to inspect before the elections to avoid manipulation of results.

Earlier ,arising from the petition brought before it, some members of House of Assembly were said to have condemned the assault, arrest, humiliation torture and detention of their member,Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke, member representing Ohafia South while describing the act as undemocratic and barbaric and violation of his foundamental human rights.

Hon Godwin Adiele,the member representing Ukwa West in the Abia House of Assembly was said to had raised the issue as a matter of Urgent Public importance and
,supported by Hon Barr Solomon Akpulonu,member representing Obingwa East in the Abia House of Assembly had wondered why such ugly treatment could be meted out to their colleagues, pointing out that today,it is Honourable Mba Kalu Nwoke, tomorrow ,it could be another person,the reason why the House should not treat the matter with levity.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the House of Assembly moved a motion as a matter of Urgent importance , some members of the house condemned the action in it’s entirety the attitude of police men attached to the office of the Deputy Governor, maltreating one of the members, which they say can be any person’s turn tomorrow if treated with levity.

In his reactions over the avalanche of criticisms leveled against his principal,the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Abia State,Mr Chukwudi Eke Mba said that it was not true that the number two citizen of Abia State sent his police men attached to his office to allegedly assault and humiliate the Honourable member representing Ohafia South,Hon Mba Kalu as he may want the public believe.

CPS to the Deputy Governor noted that it was wrong for the member representing Ohafia South in the Abia House of Assembly, Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke to have left his house to go to Local Government Secretariat ostensibly to hijack the sensitive materials when the Deputy Governor himself was at his home waiting for time to cast election for a candidate of his choice.

He pointed out it was gathered in some quarters that the intention of Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke was to have carted away the sensitive election materials adding that everyone within Ohafia is aware of notorious activities of the Hon member representing Ohafia South in the Abia House of Assembly.

“The Deputy Governor did not send his security details to beat up the Hon member contrary to what he wants the media to believe,that he was merely invited to the police to answer allegations levelled against concerning his unruly behaviour during the just conducted November 2,2024 elections in the State.” Cps said.

The CPS to the Deputy Governor also maintained that there was no time the House of Assembly summoned his boss to apologize either to Abia House of Assembly and the embattled Hon member stressing that even the Deputy Speaker came out openly to refute that as the House Committee Chairman on Information.

“The Honourable member representing Ukwa West,Hon Godwin Adiele was merely speaking for himself and not cannot speak to Abia House because he lacks the power to do so,the spokesman for the House remains the deputy speaker and cannot be Hon Godwin Adiele ” Mba told our Correspondent.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor,Mr Chukwudi Eke Mba called on the member representing Ohafia South in the Abia House of Assembly, Hon Nwoke to respect the constituted authority and that of the position of the Deputy Governor of Abia State,Engr Ikechukwu Emetu whom he said has no hands in his current travails.

In addition,the Acting State Chairman of the Labour Party,Sir Emmanuel Nwaeze Otti cannot also reached for his comments on the face off between two of his party chieftains from the same LGA.

Meanwhile,the member representing Ohafia South in the Abia House of Assembly, Hon Mba Kalu Nwoke has said that not minding the ugly treatment meted out to him ,that he has forgiven his brother,and for the peace of Ohafia land and development of Abia State, that he has decided to put bitter experiences behind him and forge ahead.

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