Tension and fears have taken over Oraifite community in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra state, following a reported siege on the country home of Mr Ifeanyi Ejiofor, attorney for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
News of the siege was broken in the wee hours of Sunday in a statement by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Interscoiety) signed by the group chairman, Emma Umeagbalasi and other principal officers, even as one person was shot dead.
The statement reads, “the group has received distress calls from lawyers working in the Law Firm of Barr Ifeanyi Ejiofor (I.C. Ejiofor and Co), Abuja, informing us that the combined team of armed soldiers, SSS and Police have surrounded the Oraifite nuclear and extended Family Houses of Barr ‘Onowu’ Ifeanyi Ejiofor and his siblings; and condoned off the entire exits and entries and placed the whole area under siege.
“The latest armed violence from the government of Nigeria started some minutes before 3am early morning of today being Sunday, 6th June 2021 and Intersociety was alerted around some minutes before 4am, leading to issuance of this urgent statement,” he said.
According to him, the rights group
called Ejiofor and received updates on the wee hour of this morning’s invasion of his family house at Oraifite by armed soldiers, joined by Police, DSS and Civil Defense operatives.
Umeagbalasi said that Ejiofor’s PA was shot dead, elder brother, driver, two others abducted and taken away with his Camry car after soldiers, police and civil defense invaded his house at 2.30am with 15 hilux vans and a native doctor.
Umeagbalasi said that Ejiofor’s PA was shot dead, elder brother, driver, two others abducted and taken away with his Camry car after soldiers, police and civil defense invaded his house at 2.30am with 15 hilux vans and a native doctor.
“They had invaded and laid siege on same at about 2.30am and left around past 4.am. The invading security operatives had jumped the perimeter fence of the compound after cutting its security cable and shot in different directions.
“The named security operatives had also in their jihadist Fulani Herdsmen-like invasion, stormed the scene with fifteen hilux vans and a native doctor whose body was dotted with charms.
“These were disclosed by Ifeanyi Ejiofor’s elder brother, Joel Ejiofor, who witnessed the attack.
“The respected Human Rights Lawyer who is also the principal attorney to the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Maazi Nnamdi Kanu and several other groups and individuals, was unable to be tracked and abducted or instantly shot dead because he was hiding somewhere in his house,” he said.
He, however, said the invading government security operatives did not spare the life of the Lawyer’s Personal Assistant, Samuel Uzo Okoro (Biggy) who was shot and killed inside the compound.
“The late Samuel Okoro had woken up as a result of noises and gunshots to find out what was going on when soldiers shot and killed him instantly.
“Unable to locate the Lawyer and having shot and killed his PA, Samuel Okoro, the soldiers and others carried his corpse and dumped same in the boot of a Camry car belonging to Barr Ifeanyi Ejiofor and ordered his chief driver (fondly called ‘Papa’ or ‘Elder’) to drive the car and follow them with the corpse.
“They invading government security operatives also abducted Barr Ejiofor’s elder brother, Joel Ejiofor and the Lawyer’s two domestic, named Ugochukwu and Chikezie and bundled them away.
“The Lawyer’s elder brother, Joel was later pushed out of one of the hilux vans at Ojoto en route Awka, Anambra state and he has since returned alive and unhurt.
“The invading soldiers and other security operatives were also discovered to have been mobilized from Abuja and Anambra state including soldiers of the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha and Police, DSS and Civil Defense operatives from Anambra state and their Abuja counterparts,” he said.
“The activist Lawyer also suspected that some members of his family including security and domestic aides might have been abducted and that he had returned home for weekend yesterday evening and only informed the Oraifite Area Commander (ACP Afolabi) and few others that he was around,” Umeagbalasi said.
It would be recalled that Ejiofor, his siblings and their family houses in Oraifite, Ekwusigo, Anambra State were ferociously attacked on Dec. 2, 2019.
His heavily pregnant wife narrowly escaped having miscarriage and later delivered miraculously. The attacks had taken place on the said Dec. 2, 2019 immediately after the family’s outing church service held for his late brother, a priest of the Anglican Church.
Ejiofor also narrowly escaped being killed by soldiers and police. In the end, five persons including his domestic aides were shot and killed and scores of others injured.
The irate youths of the community protested angrily near the Community’s Market Square leading to loss of two principal police officers. The Nigerian government swiftly deployed troops and burnt down 22 properties including a dozen family houses and ten sales stores.
Following the ferocious attacks, Ejiofor, went underground for months and shut down his law offices in Abuja, Nnewi, etc.
“We therefore call on Nigerian government and the country’s Muslim dominated and controlled security forces to stop this madness and crudity.
“By these crudities, the Nigerian government is setting the country on fire the more and this is what Intersociety, as an expert rights group, has kept telling the Nigerian government since 2016.
“The crude method by government of Nigeria including invasion of citizens’ homes at ungodly hours especially the dwelling homes of respected and legally recognizable persons and brazen violation of their rights to privacy and family is universally unheard of, despicable and condemnable.
“Ejiofor as a respected member of the Nigerian Bar Association and licensed legal practitioner is above board and beyond being treated as a duly investigated and indicted common criminal on the run,” he said.
Umeagbalasi affirmed that also under Nigeria’s extant laws, applicable globally, Ejiofor and other licensed legal practitioners have right and duty to represent and defend any citizen or citizens or national or nationals irrespective of gravity of crime(s) alleged to have been committed.
“The security forces of Nigeria are hereby called upon to withdraw and discontinue their siege and follow due process. If Ejiofor is legitimately wanted for any crime, due processes must be followed to the letter.
“This is more so when he called and informed the chief police officer in the area (ACP Afolabi) of his being around for a weekend rest. Therefore, if anything untoward happened to the lawyer and his family or properties including his family hose and law offices, the world is being put on notice to hold the Nigerian Government responsible,” he said. ,
