The Imo State Police Command has arrested Mr. Chinonso Uba, popularly known as Nonsonkwa, following a petition from an unnamed concerned citizen.
The petition stemmed from viral videos in which Uba was accused of cyberstalking, defamation, spreading misinformation, and making inflammatory statements about the burning of the National Open University (NOUN) Study Centre in Nsu, Ehime Mbano LGA, on September 30, 2024. His statements allegedly incited civil unrest.
In a statement issued by the police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, on Monday, it was clarified that Uba had not been abducted, as some reports claimed. He is currently in detention at the State Headquarters and will be arraigned in court with appropriate charges once a comprehensive investigation is concluded.
“The Command remains committed to upholding the rule of law and maintaining peace and order in the state, emphasizing that no individual involved in the tragic attack and burning of the NOUN Study Centre will escape full legal consequences,” the statement read.
Chinonso Uba had previously questioned a TVC broadcast that suggested Imo State should be used as an IDP camp, rather than addressing the insecurity in Ehime Mbano, where the NOUN Study Centre is located.
Earlier in October, suspected arsonists set the NOUN Study Centre on fire. The police statement condemned the attack, calling it a “disturbing trend of violence that undermines the safety and security of our communities.” The Command assured that it would work in collaboration with other security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The attacks followed a viral video alleging that the Federal Government planned to renovate the NOUN facility to serve as a training ground for an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. The state government had denied these reports.
The video surfaced after an inspection by the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Tijani Mohammed, to the national training facility located at the NOUN Study Centre.
