\n
\u00a0Even as the family of a staff of Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, named Casmir Uzomah are yet to secure his release,\u00a0Trumpeta<\/i>\u00a0can reveal that there are intricacies surrounding his\u00a0 continued detention by a government security agency in the state after the reported airing of a music by the state owned radio station considered to be highly offensive to the image of the state governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma.<\/p>\n
Uzomah has spent two months in detention and possibly of release unknown after he was reportedly picked on August 4th this year by security operatives.<\/p>\n
Rumpus erupted in the IBC, Owerri, when suddenly, a surprised recorded music believed to be offensive to the state governor found its way into the station’s studio and was aired to the listening public before it was cut off air.<\/p>\n
Authorities of the state who felt offended and acting on suspicion of sabotage swiftly moved into action to investigate how such unorthodox recorded material was not only brought into the studio but also given airtime to be heard by the public through the state media outfit under the governor.<\/p>\n
Heads were to roll in the government parastatal as top brass officials of the IBC were apprehended before Uzomah was spotted as the staff on duty when the music was aired.<\/p>\n
Trumpeta<\/i>\u00a0learnt that the suspect was invited by a security agency in the state where in-depth investigation is ongoing to unravel circumstances surrounding the whole matter. He is yet to be released based on alarm raised by the family members especially the wife who is in pains for the absence of the husband.<\/p>\n
However, this newspaper learnt that there is more than the eye can meet in the whole matter considering allegations trailing the development.<\/p>\n
Unconfirmed reports have it that money may have exchanged hands leading to the vexatious music getting attention in IBC. It was alleged that a suspected syndicate may have been responsible for the music as it was said to be reportedly pushed to one electronic media for a huge sum, but was rejected, before the suspect in IBC was accused to have\u00a0 allegedly parted with a token to have aired in the state outfit.<\/p>\n
This newspaper further gathered that these unconfirmed allegations and other stories connected to how the music was smuggled into the IBC; who brought it in and wanted it played as well as those behind the production for public consumption may be responsible for the continued detention of the suspected IBC Staff as the security agency intensifies investigation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Imo state government in a statement signed by the Information and Strategy Commissioner, Hon Declan Emelumba said that the purpose of the song is to incite the public against government.<\/p>\n
Explaining the position of the state government, the statement states<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past few days,\u00a0 the social media\u00a0 have been awash with demands for the release of one Casmir Chinonye Uzomah, a staff of the Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC),who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) for airing on the IBC radio station, Orient FM, a criminal, libellous and extremely subversive song against His Excellency, Sen Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo state, while on duty at the radio station. That was on August 04,2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of those ignorantly calling for his release have gone far enough to baselessly claim that he was detained on the orders of the state government.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the avoidance of doubt, neither Imo state government nor Imo Broadcasting Corporation is responsible for the arrest of the said Casmir Chinonye Uzomah. He was arrested by the DSS for airing subversive material capable of threatening national security.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe\u00a0 DSS has confirmed that upon his arrest he made a written confession that the said offensive and\u00a0 damaging song he aired was given to him by some collaborators,\u00a0 in a flash drive, and he duly smuggled same into IBC studio and willfully caused it to be aired, in violation of the terms of his employment and the ethics of the broadcast industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis seditious and highly subversive song described the governor of the state, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma as a murderer, a vampire and\u00a0 sucker of blood.\u00a0 It was as bad as that, and indeed worse.\u00a0 Yet an employee of the government had the\u00a0 audacity to air the song in a state owned radio station. If that does not\u00a0 qualify for the height of impudence and willful subversion then nothing else can.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a clear case of\u00a0 criminal libel against a man who has never been accused of a high crime nor convicted by a court of law. The aim, of course, was not just to disparage the governor but to maliciously damage his reputation and to incite the public against the government.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who glibly talk of freedom and\u00a0democracy in this matter are either ignorant of the potential crime of treason committed by Casmir Chinonye Uzomah or they are being hopelessly mischievous.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed it may not be far from the truth to conclude that those in the forefront of the clamour for his release may indeed know how he came about the offensive song. This may well explain why they want him out of the hook fast enough so that they can obstruct further chances of getting to the root of who did what and why<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is instructive to note that apart from sabotaging his employers, Casmir Chinonye Uzomah also incurred the wrath of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), which queried IBC for breaching its code.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the weighty issues at stake for which the DSS is carefully trying to get to its remote and immediate motives.<\/p>\n
And from the explanation given by the DSS, the co- coconspirators, indicated by Mr Uzomah,in his statement, have been on the run. The DSS insists that they have to be apprehended and questioned alongside Casmir Chinonye Uzomah to establish their sinister motive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is therefore important that while we exercise the right to call for the release of a detainee, we must not sweep under the carpet the\u00a0 need to first establish the motive for the suspect’s action, who his hasty released will most likely jeopardize\u00a0 investigations.<\/p>\n
\u201cA man who, acting in collaboration with some unscrupulous elements, could brazenly use a government\u2019s\u00a0station to incite the public against the Governor of the state, can as well plan\u00a0 to do something more dangerous using the same gang. This is why we think the\u00a0 DSS is right in insisting that it’s important and urgent that he should help them track down his collaborators so that the motive behind their action can be unraveled and judiciously rested\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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