Former Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo has accused the police of abducting his son-in-law Uche Nwosu and assaulting his wife at a church service.

He said the police also assaulted his daughter.

Mr Okorocha who spoke to journalists in Owerri shortly after Mr Nwosu’s arrest, disclosed that the family had thought the policemen were gunmen who were on a mission to kill his son-in-law.

“There was no single arrest warrant on Uche Nwosu; nothing at all. It was like a kidnap… if not for the fact that we have confirmed that it was the police, the initial fear was that these were gunmen that have come to kill Uche Nwosu,” he said.

The cops had stormed St Peter’s Anglican Church Eziama-Obaire Nkwerre LGA, to arrest Mr Nwosu attending his late mother’s thanksgiving service.

The policemen were said to have shot sporadically into the air before arresting Mr Okorocha’s son-in-law.

Amidst widespread reports that Mr Nwosu had been kidnapped by unknown gunmen, Michael Abattam, the police spokesman in Imo, in a statement, confirmed that he was in the police custody.

But the ex-governor, representing the Imo West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, said there was no “justifiable reason” for the police to invade the church to arrest Mr Nwosu.

He also accused the policemen of physically assauting his wife and daughter during the church raid on Sunday.

“Even the security (operatives) attached to my family could not (do anything) because they identified the policemen. Why go to the church? Why the shooting? Why do you have to drag the innocent boy on the floor? Why do you have to beat him up? Why do you have to push my wife? Why do you have to push my daughter?” Mr Okorocha queried.