BY CHIJIOKE OKIKE
For Nwaokeke Michael Chinenye, a native of Umuopara Anyaro, Umuezeala Oweere Autonomous Community, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Saturday May 4,2025 broke like every other day.
As a Christian, he must have said his prayers and asked God for guidance and protection.
But unknown to him, the sword of Damocles was hovering over his head. Few weeks earlier, he had fled his community in Imo State where he was almost lynched by the youths in his community for opposing the agitation for the cessation of south east geo political zone from Nigeria.
Being an Igbo man, the youths in his community saw his political view as well as his rejection of the call for self- determination as not only an aberration but also against the political and developmental interest of his people.
He had run to Lagos thinking that he had escaped from his assailants.
But he did not know that he is like a golden fish that has no hiding place.
Speaking in an interview after his attack, he said that he was working out early in the morning along Volkswagen bus stop-Alaba international market road when some armed youths stopped him and asked him if he thought that he could run away from them.
He said that the youths had asked him if it is because he is educated and came from a wealthy background the reason why he is opposing their struggle for self- determination, which would give them better life.
According to him, before he could respond, they began to beat him with rods and sticks and telling him that he is a disgrace to Igbo people.
His words, “My name is Nwaokeke Michael Chinenye, a native of Umuopara Anyaro, Umuezeala Owerre Community in Ehime Mbano, Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. I am a graduate of University of Nigeria Nsukka in Enugu State. I also have a Master’s degree in Defence and Strategic Studies at University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria and one who strongly believes in oneness of the entity called Nigeria and that is the genesis of my current predicament.”
Nwaokeke said that as a vocal youth leader in his community and a patriotic citizen who believes in ‘united we stand and divided we fall’, he has always advocated for the continuity of Nigeria as against the more profound sentiment of separation from Nigeria being championed by a lot of the youths of South east Nigeria who are loyal to their leader Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),which has been declared a terrorist organization by the federal government of Nigeria.
According to him, he has been critical of the militant and violent method adopted by IPOB/ESN in their agitation for self- determination, more especially the compulsory Monday Sit-at –home, which the enforcement in his view has caused the death of thousands of Igbos and also caused several socio-economic disruptions with micro- businesses losing over 4.6 trillion naira annually.
He said that he had spoken publicly against that as a youth leader in his community and even in his local church.
His words, “My criticism of the activities of IPOB /ESN which I was doing in good fate turned out to be my albatross and Achilles heels. Since the federal government of Nigeria decided to curb the activities of IPOB by proscribing it and arresting and detaining their leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Some of their leaders and members in Ehime Mbano have labeled me a saboteur who deserved nothing but death by beheading. A lot of people who share my view have been beheaded. Even my young family have been threatened with extermination. I am being accused of being a government informant. Reliable information from known sources close to the top hierarchy of IPOB stipulated that the punishment for being a security or government informant is death by beheading. My informant even told me that the top hierarchy of IPOB has passed their judgment on me and decreed that I should be beheaded and my head displayed at our village market square as it is their practice to serve as deterrent to others who may wish to tow my path.”
Speaking further he said that when the information was leaked to him, he had to withdraw his children from school and went into hiding.
He said that those who went to intervene on his behalf were told that for him to live, he had to pay the sum of fifty million naira in support of the struggle for self- determination, renounce his support for the indissolubility of Nigeria and pledge allegiance to IPOB and their leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
According to him, the tough conditions were difficult for him to accept, adding that they did not even sit well with his conscience and because of that he decided to flee his community and out of the reach of the members of IPOB/ESN.
“The reason for this decision is not far-fetched. There is no police presence within the length and breadth of my local government Area. All the police stations in the entire local government have been sacked and burnt down. Whoever is doubting me can go and verify. There is a total breakdown of law and order with incessant kidnapping, robbery, rape, extortion. Even beheading of the people have become the order of the day. The truth is that what is happening in Imo state with regard to the criminal activities of ESN is grossly under reported. Even journalists are afraid of reporting them because of the fear for their lives. A lot of those who share the same view with me about one Nigeria have been abducted and killed without traces. Let me give some names to prove what I am saying is true -Eze Eric Uchegbu ,the traditional ruler of Agbaja community in Ehime Mbano local government Area was abducted from his house since November of 2024 and has not been found, so he is presumed dead. Nze Ben Uche, a community leader from umuezeala ogwara autonomous community, Ehime Mbano local government area was assassinated in the presence of his wife and children in February 2025. Chief(Dr)Pascal Agabake, the traditional Prime Minister of Ezeala Owerre/Ezike Autonomous community in Ehime Mbano local Government Area was abducted from his residence and has been missing since February 2024 and also presumed dead, so was Mr Kenneth Nwachukwu who was abducted the same night as Chief Sir Pascal Agbake, Chief John Ebo,a community leader from Umunakanu Owerre in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area was abducted from his family house over two years ago and was murdered for being vocal against the modus-operandi of IPOB/ESN. These are very high-profile people in Ehime Mbano. Government and security agencies have not really shown capacity to curb the activities of this group who frequently and audaciously attack security personnel posted to the area to restore and maintain peace. The control of the communities in the area is firmly in the hand of the group as they have loyal sympathizers and informants who are ever willing to expose any member of the community opposed to their ideology and modus-operandi. They even indiscriminately impose protection levies on the communities and enforce lock down and sitting at home as they wish.”
On how he was attacked in the early morning of Saturday, May 4,2025, he said that he was walking out along Volks-Iyana Oba road when about seven youths armed with dangerous weapons like jack knives, clubs and broken bottles ran up to him and stopped him.
According to him, they had asked him thus: Nigerian man how are you doing?
He said before he knew what was going on, they jumped on him and began to use the weapons on different parts of his body until he lost consciousness.
Reacting to the cruel attacks, Barrister Ifeanacho Amakiri, the president of Crusade for Equity and Justice, a human right organization in Nigeria described Nwaokeke Michael’s ordeal as a metaphor for what Nigeria has become.
According to him, if somebody expresses a political opinion that is contrary to that of other people he would become a target and subject of persecution.
He said that freedom of speech which is one of the fundamental human rights has become a crime in the country.
According to him, non- state actors are now taking laws into their hands and doing everything possible to silence all those who don’t share their views.
His words, “ Nwaokeke Michael is one of the many victims of gross human right violations that is going on in the country by non-state actors. I am appealing to the government to investigate what is going on in Nigeria. People are no longer free to express their political opinions. People are no longer free to exercise their freedom of speech.
Also reacting a community leader in Ehime Mbano, Mr Rufus Okeke said that as far as he was concerned, he was not in support of violence.
However, he said that they are not happy that some people would be holding political opinion that is contrary to that of the majority of the people in his community.
According to him, Michael’s father was highly respected in their community when he was alive and Michael himself is well behaved.
“I have known him since he was a child. He is very upright and never a bandwagon person. So I am not really surprised that he is holding a different political view from that of the rest of the youths in our community. He is educated, enlightened and very exposed.
Also holding the same line of thought with Okeke is a school teacher in the community, Paulinus Ugwu.
According to him, he knew Michael as a boy.
He said that Michael’s parents were devout Christians, adding that Michael himself is well behaved and very bright as a student
“His father is one of our illustrious sons, highly respected. Michael is also of good conduct but I wonder what has put such opinion into his head and why he should not be where his people are.”
When he was reminded that freedom of association and freedom to hold opinion are enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, he said that freedom of association does not mean when your people are going right, you would be going left.
According to him, no single individual no matter his level of education or exposure could be wiser than the whole people in his community.
“No right-thinking Igbo man is happy with the way the country is currently being run. The country is not working. That is why there is anger everywhere. A lot of Nigerians have become disenchanted and disillusioned. So, I don’t know the reason why we should continue in a system that is not working. Igbos are being discriminated by the Nigerian state. We are not being carried along and we are not being involved in the scheme of things in the country so why must we remain part of them?”
Michael Chinenye
