Some gunmen have attacked the board Chairman of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a human rights group, Emeka Umeagbalasi, while claiming that they were working for detained Finland-based Biafran agitator, Simon Ekpa.
The Bureau Newspaper learnt that the attackers swooped on Umeagbalasi and his family and friends and snatched his Mitsubishi Hilux car.
Umeagbalasi, who narrated his ordeal in a statement issued on Sunday sent to The Bureau Newspaper said the first attack was on November 27, when the gunmen who kept shouting “Biafra or Nothing” shot sporadically, attacked and snatched the car at gunpoint from his driver, Comrade Chike Umeh.
He said the driver was returning to Onitsha, Anambra State after dropping his (Umeagbalasi) family members and their luggage at Akaeme Ohia-Uchu in Arondizuogu, Imo State, for his late father-in-law, Edwin Ohia’s burial.
He said the car was snatched at about 4.30pm along a bush path close to the Umunze-Ihite Army checkpoint at Umunze in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Umeagbalasi said his driver was assisted by soldiers at the Ihite-Umunze Army checkpoint and the matter was reported at Ajali Police Division as efforts to report the matter to Umunze Police Division failed following the recent burning down of the Umunze Police Station by gunmen.
According to him, “It is also very important to point out that what saved the driver from being shot and killed was the “Human Rights Identity” of the vehicle.
“The vehicle was also saved from being burnt to ashes because of the above. The snatched vehicle was zoomed off toward Okigwe by the armed counterfeit Biafra agitators, during which it was rough-driven, forcing it to stop moving.”
He further explained that when the car could not move, one of the boys in Arondizuogu who had seen when the vehicle entered his father-in-law’s compound earlier in the day, alerted his father-in-law’s eldest son and his siblings who joined him in recovering the vehicle and towing it to safety.”
However, “Upon its recovery, the armed counterfeit Biafra agitators seized it again and insisted that they must be settled for the funeral to peacefully take place and for the vehicle to be released.”
He said his father-in-law’s children negotiated and paid the gunmen N250,000 to recover the vehicle and do their father’s funeral safely.
The Intersociety boss said the leader of the Umunze-Ihite Army checkpoint, Phibiger later granted him and his entourage numbering over 50, including two members of the Ezinifite Igwe-in-Council (Ndichie) a safe passage to use the blocked road for the funeral November 29.
“The Nigerian Army had said that they blocked the road to prevent fleeing armed counterfeit Biafra agitators being pursued by Nigerian security forces from Okigwe axis,” he said.
Unfortunately, the car which was recovered from the first attack was again snatched by the gunmen who attacked his driver the second time on December 5, between 7.30am and 8am at Ezinifite (Amaekwulu) Roundabout in Ezinifite-Aguata area of Anambra State, barely seven days after the first attack.
Umeagbalasi said that at the point of the second attack when the car was snatched, his wife Blessing, 44; his son Chimdiebube, 4; house-girl Somtochukwu Okafor, 13; and the driver Umeh, 55; were returning to Onitsha from Enuama-Ifite in Ezinifite, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
He said, “Domestic items in the snatched vehicle include two big travelling bags, a mattress, coolers for food, lady’s bags, necklaces, jewelries, an Infinix smartphone, children’s clothes and foot wears, lady’s wears, ear-rings, ATM cards, identity cards (including voters’ cards and national identity cards), teachers’ promotional exam materials, exam papers, 10 kegs of up-wine and raffia wine, cash of over N250,000 (belonging to the wife of the intersociety Leader) and cash of over N150,000 belonging to Chidinma Obioha (Emeka Umeagbalasi’s wife’s younger sister); all realized at their father’s funeral, as well as other valuable items.
“There was also a big electric generator inside the vehicle’s boot.”
He said the driver and all the occupants of the car, “were forced out of the vehicle at gunpoint and flattened, with their faces down on the sand amidst raining of bullets.
“As if that was not enough, the armed counterfeit Biafra agitators pointed corked AK-47s at Comrade Chike Umeh and forced him to drop the car keys, during which he told them that “the car is Human Rights vehicle”, with one of the gun-pointers telling him, “don’t worry, you will see the car soon”.
He said the gunmen also snatched other private vehicles on the spot including an SUV Prado Jeep, another jeep and abducted their occupants, after which they made a U-turn and sped off and headed toward Uga-Amesi-Umuchu axis amid war-grade shootings and shouting of “Biafra or Nothing.”
The Intersociety boss further said, “The armed counterfeit Biafra agitators also operated for more than eight hours – from about 7.30am-8am in the morning to about 4.pm in the evening; holding about nine communities of Aguata, Orumba South and Orumba North under siege including Ezinifite, Ekwulobia, Isuofia, Igboukwu, Uga, Amesi, Umuchu, Umunze and Ajali.
“Soldiers averred that the hoodlums later escaped with their abducted victims and vehicles toward Umunze-Owerre-Ezukala-Ogboji axis into Imo State.
“The matter was reported at the Ekwulobia Police Division by Comrade Chike Umeh about two hours after the attack on Thursday, December 5, 2024.”
Umeagbalasi in the statement added, “After about seven hours later, a call came from one of the Intersociety leader’s cousins’ wives living in Jos (Sister Ebere Umeagu) that a friend to friend of hers who travelled home to Umuchu and was heading back to Jos saw the snatched Mitsubishi Hilux parked and abandoned along Ezinifite-Uga-Amesi-Umuchu Road, Umuchu; prompting the Intersociety leader to immediately signal and dispatch his kid-brother, Ebuka and domestic assistant, Obinna to take a Keke drop to Umuchu in search of the car, during which they met the Commander of the Umuchu Vigilante Group who confirmed the abandonment of the Mitsubishi Hilux.
“The local VG Commander further informed that the vehicle was handed over to the Umuchu Police Divisional Officer (DPO), Adeyemi Lateef, who ordered the vehicle to be taken to the Division’s portion at the Uga Police Area Command Headquarters where it is presently parked since the evening of Thursday, December 5, 2024.
“The Intersociety leader also spoke with the Divisional Crime Officer of the Division, Superintendent of Police Samuel Okolo on Saturday, December 7, 2024, who assured him of the safety of the family items kept inside the vehicle.
“Both the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law and her Lawyers led by Prof Josephat Ubanyinowu of Prof C.J. Ubanyionwu and Co. of 68 Limca Road, Nkpor, Anambra State have written to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police (COMPOL Itam Nnaghe), seeking for the release of the snatched vehicle and domestic items in its custody prior to its snatching.
“The Intersociety had on Friday, December 13, 2024, submitted letters to the office of the State Commissioner of Police. The Intersociety lawyers’ letter, dated December 13, 2024; and the Intersociety’s letter (containing facts of the matter), bearing same date, were physically submitted by erudite Prof Josephat Ubanyionwu himself.
“Apart from demanding for the release of the recovered vehicle and its immediate and unconditional return to its owners (Intersociety and its boss), we also demanded for safety and intactness of all domestic items contained therein and as listed above.
“It is further recalled that the Anambra State Police Command had on Saturday, December 7, 2024, issued official statement over the issue; titled: “Anambra: Two Injured as Police, Hoodlums Engage in Gun Duel”. The statement quoted SUPOL Tochukwu Ikenga, the Command’s image maker (PPRO) as saying: “In the late hours of Thursday, December 5, 2024, the Anambra State Joint Security Team intercepted armed men on the Umuchu-Amesi-Uga Road and recovered a stolen blue Hilux vehicle, plate number GDD 440 TJ, believed to have been taken from an unsuspecting member of the public. During a search of the vehicle, coolers for food preservation were found”.