By Chibuike Nwodo

In what seems as a twist of fate, a member of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) group in the southeast has a cause to leverage on divine mercy as he escaped being killed in the spate of melee going on in the country.

Francis Nwabueze Opara is a member of the IPOB; a group whose intent is for the actualisation of the State of Biafra and liberation of the Igbo people. Explaining his ordeal with the media, Opara who escaped from his home town as a result of hot pursuit by the security agents, tells a story of how he managed to save his life and ran from his home in Mbaise.

The series of agitations going on in the country by many groups which has been marred with series of killings and maiming allegedly said to be provoked by the unknown gunmen, herders, kidnappers and others has taken a dreaded turn, with wanton destruction of lives and properties, private and public investments including grounding normal business and academics activities within the axis.

The prolonged insecurity that saw the entire year, 2021 marred with sit-at-home order by the IPOB group within Igbo land resulted in serious pursuit of the agitators by the country’s combined security forces, destroying the agitator’s base of operation, killing some of the group’s leaders and members while many who were hounded escaped for safety.

Nwabueze is one out of many that could be said to be lucky who are alive to tell their ordeal in the hands of security agents. Although government on their own side claims that IPOB agitators are outlawed, therefore, making it a mandate to suppress or eliminate them but some who are discretely on ground are still mounting pressure for their cause.

According to Opara, his ordeal dated back to mid-year 2021 when the activities of the agitators were at its peak. He explained that his business was grounded and his life was also in danger as a result of that. He had no option after his business place at Awomama in Orlu Local Government area in Imo state was attacked by the unknown gunmen than to seek another means of survival. “As if that was not enough, I was also sought by the authority for arrest because of my alleged involvement with the IPOB group,” remarked Nwabueze.

“Moving forward, I had to source for funds to re-establish my business which eventually came under attack and my shop looted in January 2022. However, fate beckoned on me as I was not in my shop when the attackers came. On knowing what happened, I went into hiding. And when the attackers could not find me, they abducted my wife, Clementina Opara and my children in a bid to get hold of me.

“That made me to flee to my village Mbaise. They also came looking for me there, and eventually got my house and properties razed, and took away my parents to an unknown destination. All these happened as all the IPOB members were declared wanted by the authority.

Meanwhile, findings from the troubled area in the southeastern part of the country show that the situation is still tensed despite efforts by the security agents to quell the security situation. The most worrisome is the fact that the infiltration of biased security operations called unknown gunmen made situation gloomy. Certain attacks, arrests and abduction are claimed to be carried by the unknown gunmen while on the other hand, IPOB claims that the unknown gunmen are government agents in a masked formation.

Several attacks today have resulted in abduction of some traditional rulers who seem to be the most targeted, even some, killed in the process. The zone has lost many lives in the process culminating from the inexplicable attacks from either the IPOB or the unknown gunmen. Governors in the region have also stepped up effort to arrest the situation with minimal result but hopes the situation will be under control when the leader of the IPOB group Nnamdi Kanu is released from detention.

However, Opara on his part laments and pleads for assistance, stressing that his life is in danger as he solicits for help to restructure his life again.

Nwodo, a public affairs analyst writes from Owerri