The Joint Task Force sent by the Federal Government to the Eastern part of Nigeria which carried out a bloodletting campaign has taken their act to new heights. One of the outcomes of the invasion is that the Late Chief Arthur Onwumelu’s family has been declared wanted by the Nigerian Authorities.
Those affected by this arrest warrant according to a release by the JTF are: the wife of late Chief Onwumelu – Dr. Geraldine Onwumelu and her two sons; Dennis Arthur O. and Promise Arthur.
According to the allegations leveled against the family, it has been stated that they participated in events that has affected the public peace.
It is on record that no legal summon was given to the family to appear before the court to present their case. A kangaroo judgment was reached without allowing the family to shed light about what truly happened on the said date.
The dust has still not settled around the issues surrounding the members of Chief Arthur Onwumelu’s family. For the sake of posterity, it is important to recap a few salient points. Chief Arthur Onwumelu was the Owerri Zonal Co-ordinator of MASSOB. 2 weeks ago, Chief Arthur led a peaceful march on the streets of Aba in Abia State until he was shot in the stomach by the JTF which led to his death.
Following the ensuing fracas, the members of the military invaded the Onwumelu family house in Owerri, Imo State, to arrest anyone that was found there. Due to the confusion and the way in which the attack was carried out, a mob that was outside the family house burnt the vehicle used by the military to carry out the invasion. An arrest warrant was issued on all members of the Onwumelu family. The court ruled that the Onwumelu family has a case to answer in respect to the burning of the military vehicle.
As we await the outcome of this episode, we will keep following this incident and keep our readers updated.
