…He doesn’t know what he is talking about, says Gov
From Okey Sampson, Aba
HIGHLIFE music maestro and leader of the famous Oriental Brothers International Band of Owerri, Imo State, Ferdinand ‘Dansatch’ Chukwuemeka Opara has accused Governor Rochas Okoroacha of instigating the arrest of his first son, Chidi Opara.
Chidi was said to have been arrested on Tuesday inside a recording studio at Nekede, near Owerri, Imo State, where he had gone to put finishing touches to his forthcoming album, which was reportedly dedicated to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. He was released on Friday night after three days in detention.
In a swift reaction, however, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Okorocha, Sam Onwuemeodo, denied the allegation, saying the music maestro did not know what he was talking about.
“Gov. Okorocha is too busy and sophisticated to be interested in what music anybody is producing. He will in all honesty like to listen to such music if it’s worth his attention,” he said.
Onwuemeodo said those who knew Okorocha well would attest to the fact that he would never condescend to such level.
In a telephone chat from his Imerienwe country home, Dansatch, who co-founded Oriental Brothers band with late Sir Christophegus Obinna a.k.a ‘Warrior’ and Godwin Opara alias Kabaka, said his son had composed one of the songs in his new album with the name of the detained IPOB leader.
The senior Opara told Sunday Sun that a day before his son was arrested, he (the son) was rehearsing near his house when some men believed to be security operatives and who claimed to have been sent by the state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha attempted to stop him.
Dansatch said that moves by the suspected security operatives were resisted, because according to him, he saw nothing wrong in any musician singing about anybody.
“I told those who came to stop my son that in Oriental Brothers Band, we do not sing 419 music and that there was nothing wrong if my son who has taken over from where I stopped decides to sing about Biafra and its leader.
“We all are Biafrans including my son. In fact, during the war, I fought on the Biafra side and I’m still all out for Biafra. Therefore, it is silly for anybody to arrest Chidi for singing about Biafra and Nnamdi Kanu”.
According to Dansatch, “when I thought that everything was over, on Tuesday, when my son went to a recording studio at Nekede to put finishing touches to his new album, some policemen and members of the Network Security sent by Okorocha went there, arrested and detained him for three days. If my son had sung to praise President Muhammadu Buhari or Okorocha himself, they could have given him an award. But now that he sang to praise the IPOB leader, he has committed an offence,” Dansatch noted.