By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Executive Director of the Rule of Law, Advocacy and Administrative Centre (RULAAC), Okechukwu Nwanguma, has said that a groom, Peter Chibuzo Agwu arrested inside a church during his wedding in Abia State, is still being held in custody even after the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the man is innocent.
Nwanguma made the disclosure in reaction to a query on the status of Agwu who was picked up in church on December 16 by a phalanx of soldiers.
Nwanguma said: “ He is yet to be released. Even though the Director of Army information has been quoted to have said investigation revealed he was not implicated in the alleged crime and promised ‘he would be released soon’.”
A member of Agwu’s family had reached out to RULAAC on his arrest, detailing what transpired.
“My brother is the groom to a bride from Umulolo in Okigwe. On Saturday 16 December 2023, I was at the reception venue (somewhere at Umuahia) when I got frantic calls from my people that persons said to be members of the Nigerian Army have whisked my brother away from the church wedding venue at Umuahia.
“We began to look for my brother. On Monday December 2023, we learnt that my brother was being kept at 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu. When we got there, we were informed that a person wanted by the Nigerian Army liked and shared wedding pictures and an invitation posted by my brother on Facebook. So, my brother is being held as bait for those wanted persons to come forward and not because my brother did anything wrong.
“I have asked that my brother be released, but it doesn’t seem that it will be done soon. I don’t see how persons who are unknown to us will come forward because my brother is in captivity.
“I have asked to be shown the person that they say shared or liked my brother’s wedding pictures and invitations on social media. I am told (but have not been shown) that one Sunny Okorie shared the post. I do not know Sunny Okorie and I doubt that my brother knows Sunny Okorie. The only thing my brother and I know about a person called Sunny Okorie is that when we went to pay the dowry of my brother’s bride, the community said that part of their custom is that a person from their community must be the marriage mediator. We didn’t know any person from their community except my brother’s bride and her parents and the community nominated a person who was asked to be the marriage mediator. That person was introduced as Sunny. After the ceremonies on that traditional marriage day, we parted ways. We had no other contact with this Sunny before and after the traditional marriage day and hadn’t known his full name, business or social media accounts.
“Many people reacted to the wedding invite posted by my brother on his social media platforms. We didn’t take note of those who liked or re-shared it in any way.
“We are confused as to what is really going on. Please help us in any way that you can. I don’t want anything to happen to my only brother. My old widowed mother cannot bear any hurt coming to him.pls I really need help. I don’t know where it will come from Thanks.”
