–
My name is GREG OKEY NWADIKE. I am from Uzoubi-Umuna in Orlu LGA of Imo state, Nigeria, but based in Abuja the FCT. I am a media practitioner and publisher of the magazine – Profile International.
On Monday, the 26th of January, 2015 at around 6.00pm, I was driving down from Nwangele Local Government Area to Owerri through the Okigwe Road having attended a rally of a senator of that zone which I covered for use in my publication. I was actually rushing to meet up with the Etisalat Office on Wetheral Road to fix my internet modem. Getting to the IMSU junction, and being conscious of the traffic situation usually on RockView/Government House Roundabout of that road, I then elected to pack my car somewhere around the Imo state Tax office. I chattered a tricycle to take me to Wetheral Road. But just before the Rochas Foundation Plaza opposite the Nigerian Prisons, we ran into angry and rampaging youths who I later realized were Imo students as they were obstructing traffic, destroying chandeliers and some street lighting equipment on the road. Others were chanting songs against the APC government in the state, others chanting for the governor while others against a student they described as the SA Students Affairs. Others were pelting on the billboard of the governor while others were throwing stones into the compound of the Rochas Foundation.
As a curious news hunter, I carefully positioned self and picked some clips with my handset with the sole intent a journalist usually has, and which is breaking news. I interviewed some of the youths and they spoke to me. I rounded off and left the scene. I came back later after the rioters had been dispersed to speak to the Okorocha’s camp so as to develop a balanced story in line with the ethics of the profession. But on getting just around the bus stop opposite the Rockview Hotel, I noticed a middle aged man with hoary hairs inside the Rochas Foundation plaza pointing at me and ordering some thugs to get me.
These men numbering over 25 men came after me and pounced all over me with blows and kicks. The beating became so intense and I fell down screaming to them that I was merely doing my work as a journalist. They later dragged me into the Rochas Foundation building on the orders of another young man whom I later understood was the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development and son in-law to the Governor, Mr. Uche Nwosu. This was even as the beatings continued in the building. One of the thugs went inside one of the rooms and came out with a weapon. He smashed the object on my head and gripped me round the neck from my back threatening to cut my artery and allowed me die through bleeding. At this point, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports came down to see who it was, but on recognizing me as his school mate in the secondary school simply enquired what was my offence. I narrated to him and he ordered the guy hitting me to stop that. He walked away and the beating continued.
Mr. Uche Nwosu slapped me on the face and told me that I would rot in jail for leading students to attack the government. Persistently, I informed them that I was not a student but a journalist on duty. They enquired of my ID card which I presented. They observed that my driver’s license had the address of the National Assembly Press Corps and the story quickly changed that it was Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, the PDP governorship candidate that paid me to mobilize infiltrators into the students group.
At this point, and while I was still bleeding from my mouth and nose, the Commissioner for Information walked in with team of journalists for my parading. When I was dragged up to face the team, many of them recognized me and screamed out my name. They quickly positioned their recorders to take my voice, but on realizing that the story may no longer favour them decided to prevent them from taking my side. They succeeded in driving them away even as the journalists protested and insisting they knew me. Their protest continued outside but later died down. Few minutes later, the Information Commissioner came back to me with two cameramen; a still photographer and a video man and simply said to them “This one is anti-Rochas. Look at him, he is from TAN” It was at this stage that it dawned on me that I was wearing a T-Shirt with the branded tag “TRANSFORMATION AMBASSADOR” on it. The cloth was given to me by a friend few weeks back and has been in my car ever since. I merely changed into the cloth as I was packing my car that evening because of the dirt on the one on me earlier that day. The crew recorded me and I told them that I was a journalist. I denied the Commissioner’s claim that I had a meeting that morning somewhere in Owerri with Prof. Viola Onwuliri, the Minister for Education and Chief Emeka Ihedioha where I was paid to mobilize students against a governor that has been given them free education. I also denied that I was brought into the state by TAN to be doing a hatchet job for the group against the Okorocha’s government. I accepted that as a true Nigerian I believe in the TRANSFORMATION ideology which is the same thing as the CHANGE ideology of the APC. At this stage, the Commissioner ordered them to stop the interview with me. He took them to a corner and granted them his own fabricated lies aimed at pleasing his master. There were so many other allegations leveled against me and the persons of Prof. Onwuliri and Chief Ihedioha which were all lies. I wondered where and how I got all the influences they were dressing me with. On my parents’ grave I swear that I had never met either by proxy or one-on-one with any of these respected Imo citizens. I don’t even consider myself fit even in the years ahead.
Few minutes before 10.00pm, the Police was brought in to take me along with a little boy who claimed he was a student of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education to the State’s CID, CP Monitoring Unit with the order “no one must see him” from Mr. Uche Nwosu. I was dumped into a windowless 12×13 room cell apartment with 67 occupants at that night in their worst dehumanized manner. The place would be better called an oven; a pigs’ haven. I was not allowed to contact anybody as my handsets were all confiscated by the Governor’s aides. I was equally not allowed to use any officer’s phone. Foods were not provided for the inmates and no charges were readily available against me till Friday, the 30th of January, 2015 at around 3.00pm that the Commander hurriedly came around and ordered them to bring out “the TAN boy” and let him go. I was called out and quickly asked to get someone to take me on bail after spending four days in a dungeon against my fundamental Human Rights.
I sustained some cuts on my body with a sprain on one of my arms. My head and face are swollen. My eyes have been painful and blood soaked with my lips cut. My dental set was seriously affected and the jaw bone behind my left ear persistently painful. I get sharp internal pinch on my right ribs a little under my breast. My urine has been reddish and I have been vomiting blood. I have just been placed on emergency treatment in a private hospital.
It is equally necessary to alert the public through this medium that I was given as the only condition for my being released and staying alive to accept to work for the APC and Governor Rochas Okorocha in the coming elections. This negotiation was ongoing with a private correspondent before the superior intervention to my release. From the stories of the inmates I met in the cell, I have no option at this stage also than to alert the public now that I am still breathing of where to direct my search should anything befall me in the near future.
My humble take is that no individual or group of individuals should be subjugated or subjected to any forceful association. To my humble pen-professionals, an injustice to one is an injustice to all. I pray you not to ignore this. Thuggery and violence must be stopped as part of weapons of winning elections.
Thank you.
REJOINDER
RE: HOW I WAS BRURALIZED BY OKOROCHA’S AIDE,IN-LAW, DETAINED FOR WEARING A TAN VEST…
The profession called journalism is more of properly getting the general public informed. Journalists are known to be the watch dog of the society and their reportage especially in civil matter is meant to be objective without biasness. But these days, it has been proved beyond any reasonable doubt that quacks have invaded the honourable profession and have sacrificed its founding principle and philosophy on the altar of quackery for some selfish gains. They end up misinforming the general public with concocted lies in other to serve the purpose of their pay masters. The harm these crop of people have done to the society is increasing on daily basis especially since the passage of FOI. This calls for the immediate attention of the security agencies to rise up to this challenge and clean up the sector.
Going through the submission of one Mr Greg Okey Nwadike who claims to be a journalist, one will not find it difficult to exactly identify the class he belongs in the pen profession. This is because he has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he is one of those who hide in the name of journalism to misinform the masses.
Investigation showed that Mr Greg Okey Nwadike who earlier that day had meeting with some top notch of the opposition party where he was well briefed on the assignment and mobolized to work. In company of other thugs pretending to be students, they infiltrated the rally and was closely monitoring the activities, looking for an opportunity to strike.
After the rally, the governor having seen how weary and thirsty the students were through their leaders made provision for their refreshment and to quench their thirst having been out for almost full day sensitizing the public why they should support the governor because according to the students, they are still interested in having their free education continued. Later on, the hired thugs which were part of Mr Okey Nwadike Team stormed the place, attacked the student leaders and made away with huge part of the money meant for the students’ refreshment. This got the students angry and they peaceful marched to go and report the matter to the governor. Having seen the opportunity, the thugs seized the opportunity and converted it to violent protest, destroying any government property on sight, shouting anti Rochas slogans etc.
In other not to waste time on reacting to your story that does not hold any water, i wish to throw some lights on some dark lies you peddled. Your known to be somebody that is very economical with truth but let me leave that between you and your God because maybe, you need that in other to keep your head above the economic wave especially as that has been the reason why you were hired.
THE DARKEST LIES EVER HEARD….
In your story, the points you stated including the way you presented the story showed that you are still a novice in propaganda. Let me clarify you and the reading public for record purposes.
Your first claim that you parked your car somewhere and used a KEKE because of traffic congestion does not add up. It sounds real funny because the keke will still ply the road, unless the keke is airborne. The truth about this is that you had no car with you and did not enter any keke. Rather, you were part of the team( sponsored thugs mobilised by the leading opposition party to discredit the overwhelming endorsement of the governor by the students of higher institutions in Imo State. Your work is specifically to record and video the unwanton destruction while the youths wreck the havoc and later uses it for propaganda against the good people of Imo State but unfortunately, the security agencies were on time to thwart the evil plan.
Talking about 25 thugs attacking you, it is not true. Eye witness account confirmed that. Your regular propaganda of linking APC to any violence including the assassination attempt on Gen. Mohammed Buhari does not hold water. APC is not known for violence and we all know that. APC is known for discipline and it was demonstrated on her choice of presidential candidate.
Hon. Uche Nwosu is a complete gentleman. He is somebody that does not believe in violence. H We hear of some politicians who fly off-tangent at little provocation like just what happened between Chief Ajumbe Vitalis and Chief Ikedi Ohakim, both of PDP as was reported in the media, hon. Uche Nwosu is not such a man. His friendship cut across Party and religious lines. He was not even around when the incident happened. Hon Uche Nwosu was far away attending to important issues aimed at making Imo State better. As a serving commissioner, he is always busy. I wondered how and why Mr Greg Okey Nwadike and his cohorts will not rest in all their efforts to always look for how to attack an impeccable reputation of hon. Uche Nwosu that has no blemish.
Again, your claim that you are a journalist is questionable. From your action, one will quickly understand that you do not know the difference between a journalist and a media attack dog. A journalist is neutral and objective in reportage even in political era. How can you claim to be a journalist covering a political event for the society while you have already identified yourself with a political party? TAN is a campaign structure of PDP. Putting two and two together, it is clear that you are a confirmed MEDIA ATTACK DOG for PDP and you were there based on the botched plan to cause havoc and blame it to be as a result of fall-out between the governor and the Imo Students but you ran out of luck. sorry!
You also claimed that you wore a cloth that you did not know what was written on it. I will not waste my time on this particular one before I am accused of insulting you. The only issue is that it has shown in no small amount how misleading you can be casting serious doubt on your credibility.
For your information, the secret behind the large acceptance of the party APC is nothing other than gaining PUBLIC TRUST via good governance. I am not holding brief for APC but i know very well that the people of Imo State are grateful to God for giving them chief Owelle Rochas Okorocha and his acceptance to run for another term in the office. IT IS BECAUSE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE and not DEAL. Already, the party can boost of sound and intelligent pen profession personal far better than you.
Advice: refrain from doing evil because every day is for the Thief, one day is for the owner…Igbo adage.
This man pictured above doesn’t look injured, the Bandages look new and no blood stain can be sited anywhere, for such claims one would expect a swollen face, blood stains and the bandages are even too heavy. His claims to me seem false.
Stupid PDP man who thinks He can use falsr information to reduce the support Imo people have for Rochas.
You and your Ihedioha is nothing but failure.
Greg, you looked so robust in that picture, However, your story from a personal perspective is incoherent. I am very convinced that you are an ardent PDP man, who cannot see anything good in God’s given administration of HE Owelle Rochas Okorocha. i was not there but your story looks like a fabricated one. Uche Nwosu, cannot do what you have just narrated. Or this is a means of cheap popularity. you suddenly changed your clothes, at 5.30pm, forgetting that since you were rushing as journalist to Etisalat, you needed not to change your TAN shirt at that time. where you going for a party? stop this nonsense. Take a good look at that picture again and tell what you saw.
“Already, the party can boost of sound and intelligent pen profession personal far better than you” Hmmmmm Chikezie! Is it with this grammar presented here?
Franklin Ezendiokwere, one thing that emotional writers or speakers don’t do is lying. Their major weakness is saying things the way it’s felt inside them. I am one of such persons and I am sure this has been seen severally in my articles. Popularity search is not necessary here because within my little level, I have gotten a manageable compared with my mates. I am even also happy that your group is rating me as one capable of mobilizing students against a man that has given them “free education”. I am happy that I am rated as meeting with the likes of Ihedioha and Onwuliri. All the same, I wish and pray that you shall one day fall a victim of this my kind of “drama” in Jesus’ name. Please add your AMEN!