Between Okorocha And S. A Chinasa Nwaneri – Who Deserves Prosecution?

• Be The Judge!

Breaking the Covid-19 protocols on social gathering, Former Governor and the Imo West Senator Rochas Okorocha gathered his disinchanted supporters to a rally in Owerri where he briefed them on his latest travails with the government of Imo State.

Addressing the supporters, Sen. Okorocha was captured on camera appealing to ‘The Presidency’ to arrest agents of the state government – particularly the Special Adviser to the Governor on on Special duties Nze Chinasa Nwaneri and Hon. Eric Uwakwe who is the Governor’s SSA on Youth affairs.

Appealing to the so called Presidency (whatever that means), Sen. Okorocha pleaded with the presidency to arrest the duo of Nze Chinasa Nwaneri and Hon. Uwakwe Eric threatening that, it was invariably going to be the only condition he could guarantee peace in the state.

Now, talking about arrest: between the agents of the governor who are enforcing a legal directive of the state government and the man and his agents who are breaking a legally established orders of the state government, who should be prosecuted?

I will be as dispassionate and unbiased as possible in trying to answer this question or guiding my readers in answering the question.

Before answering the question, let us look at the genesis of the whole impasse.

A few days ago, the state government through the commissioner for lands, Hon. Barr. Enyinna Onuegbu sealed a property belonging to the former Governor Rochas Okorocha’s wife – Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha acting on an order of an official white paper of the state government gazetting the sealing of that property.

“A government gazette (also known as official gazette, official journal, official newspaper, official monitor or official bulletin) is a periodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually established by statute or official action and publication of notices within it, whether by the government or a private party, is usually considered sufficient to comply with legal requirements for public notice”

That is what wikepedia defined as a government gazette.

For those who may not be convinced on what government gazette really means, here is the words of the state legal adviser, Barr. Kissinger Ikeokwu of the PDP – the main opposition party in the state, although on a personal analysis, giving life to the meaning of what a gazette of the government really entail as it relates to Imo State government:

“In line with the Imo Law on Judicial Panels of Enquires the State Executive Council deliberated on the Report and adopted same. The Report was Gazzeted and became a Supplimental Legislation and has force of law to be executed and implemented by Government.

“All that an affected person can do is to 1. approach the Court for Judicial Review by way of An Order of Certiorari to quash the decision of the Panel. 2. Proceed to Court with your title to seek declaration restoring your title by enforcing your Allocation, Fees paid up to date, Building approvals and to seek damages against trespass or any excesses if government. Our Laws have a larger room for remedies.

“It is not the duty of any citizen to challenge or stop the government from implementing. Remember the land is first of all an Imo State Government land allegedly allocated.”

Okorocha, caught on camera was asking the security men on duty if the state government obtained any court order — such a loud advertisement of a pauperized ignorance.

For Okorocha, in his uniformed mind; the only way the state government could seal his looted property was only through a court order — and one is forced to ask – when did Rochas Okorocha start obeying court orders? Indeed, ike agwụla debia ụwa.

Okorocha ostensibly stormed the government sealed property with armed thugs and domestic hoodlums to unseal the government sealed property because, as according to him, the state government has not obtained any court order.

It is said that being ignorant of the law is never an excuse to evade prosecution and in the eyes of the impartial law, Okorocha resorted to self help and broke a properly instituted orders of the state government in sealing off a confiscated property.

It is therefore laughable for the main culprit who assaulted security agents, destroyed their vehicles (Okorocha personally forced himself into a security van barricading the entrance of the estate and drove the vehicle away) protecting the state government’s property to turn around to call for the arrest of state government’s agents whose only crime were leading reinforcement of security operatives to secure the state government’s property.

Nze Chinasa Nwaneri and Hon. Eric Uwakwe have been receiving accolades and commendation from Imo people for leading security reinforcement that retrieved their stolen property back to the people of Imo State.

If there is anybody that should be arrested, those should be Okorocha and his armed thugs who broke and invaded into a state government property and fair enough, that is exactly what the Imo State police command has rightly done.

Ambrose Nwaogwugwu.
February 22, 2021.