Imo community leader flees amid threat to life

By Olayinka Ajayi

A relative to the person of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr Gedion Okoye, has narrated however his relative, Mr Okwudiri Ndurue, was forced to fly Nigeria aft years of persecution, harassment, and threats to his life.

Okoye, a autochthonal of Nike, Enugu State, described Ndurue, who hails from Amachara clan successful Akokwa Town, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, arsenic a once-thriving businessman whose beingness took a tragic crook aft helium became profoundly progressive successful IPOB activities.

He explained that Ndurue, who ran some an ICT institution and a cosmetics store, joined IPOB successful 2015, motivated by concerns astir the governmental and economical marginalisation of the Igbo people. His concern frustrations, particularly the lack of a seaport successful the Southeast that forced importers to beryllium connected Lagos, further strengthened his activism.

Okoye said his relative rapidly roseate to prominence arsenic a assemblage leader, organising peaceful rallies and protests. However, this made him a people of information operatives.

According to him, connected May 19, 2020, information forces raided Ndurue’s ancestral location successful Akokwa during the night. The operation, helium alleged, was aimed astatine eliminating him, akin to the 2017 onslaught connected IPOB person Nnamdi Kanu’s residence. Ndurue narrowly escaped aft scaling a obstruction with the assistance of neighbors and sympathizers.

The raid, however, came astatine a dense outgo for his family. His aged uncle, successful his nineties, died the adjacent day, allegedly from torture oregon shock. His mother, traumatised by the uncertainty surrounding her son, slipped into a coma soon aft and died successful September 2020.

Ndurue’s father, near unsocial successful the village, present depends connected assemblage and religion support. Meanwhile, his concern collapsed. His cosmetics store successful Awomanma was razed by information forces, and his vehicles seized, wiping retired years of hard work.

Okoye further alleged that the crackdown connected his relative has not ceased. “Security forces proceed to show his home, and his sanction has been blacklisted astatine Nigerian borders and ports, making immoderate instrumentality highly dangerous,” helium said.

The worsening concern yet forced Ndurue to fly Nigeria successful February 2023. He near down his wife, who presently stays nether the attraction of a Reverend Sister successful a Catholic convent.

Okoye added that the wider Akokwa-Arondizuogu country has suffered greatly successful caller months. Since July 2025, helium said, information operatives person intensified operations successful the axis, abducting oregon sidesplitting much than 20 young men suspected of IPOB ties.

“The erstwhile vibrant communities person go shade towns, with galore youths fleeing to flight harassment and extrajudicial killings,” Okoye lamented.

The station Imo assemblage person flees amid menace to life appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.