Amby Uneze
A former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha has faulted his immediate successor, Senator Hope Uzodinma for insinuating that he (Okorocha) ordered the killing of an 11-year-old lad, Somotochukwu in 2017.
Okorocha, in a statement by his media adviser, Sam Onwuemeodo yesterday, said the reference of the late little lad at this period of sufferings by Imo people showed the insensitivity of the present administration to gruesome murder of innocent youths, traditional rulers and other citizens of the state.
He therefore queried the comment by Uzodinma through his Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba that Okorocha ordered for the killing of the 11-year-old boy during the relocation of Ekeukwu market in Owerri.
He added that they failed “to tell their audience what was the co-relation between the relocation of Ekeukwu market and the death of the young lad.
“Using the death of the innocent boy to justify the carnage or massacre in lmo, under the Uzodinma administration only showed the pitiable level the government in lmo has degenerated,” he said.
Okorocha said he did not go after those strongly opposed “to his government for the 8 years he was governor. He did not go after the politicians behind the resistance to the relocation of Ekeukwu market. Then, he should not have gone against an innocent boy. A very tender and innocent boy.
“The operators of the government in lmo have become very insensitive. Otherwise, they would not have imagined using the boy to justify their wickedness to the people of lmo state.
“The government in lmo is just a counterfeit of what a state government should be. They have been trying to explain away or justify the mindless killing of lmo people under their government.
“Thousands of lmo people have lost their lives under the governorship of Uzodinma, including vibrant and potential youths, men, women and traditional rulers. lmo state and her people have not known peace since Chief Uzodinma became governor.
“They have only been hearing stories of killings, arson, kidnapping, invasion and rituals. What they never witnessed when the righteous ones were in power or on the throne,” the former governor said in a statement by his media adviser.
He explained that the government of Uzodinma “is not bothered that since 1976, when lmo was created, this is the only time lmo people would be slaughtered in their thousands like chickens.
“The governor and his government are not bothered about the ugly development. Rather, they have been trying to justify the killings. This is very unfortunate.
“This is also the first time in the history of our country and Imo state that security personnel from the government house would invade a church, shot sporadically, disrupting people’s right to worship and abducted a patriotic citizen of the state, just for political reasons and wickedness of the Government of the day.
“It is also on record that Uzodinma has become the most intolerant governor in the federation. Hence, his government sponsored the suspension of three House of Assembly members who attended the burial of the mother of a citizen of the state.”
