Okey Samuel, Aba
Chimaobi Ohuonu, a former resident of Eziama, Aba North, Abia State, who fled after alleged Nigerian Army onslaught on his community in October 2003, has vowed never to return to the country.
Ohuonu recalled that he managed to flee Nigeria to Botswana, southern Africa, after raids by the Nigerian Army allegedly led to the killing of some undisclosed number of youths while some were whisked. He said the army claimed that the soldiers were hunting for members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
Ohuonu who claimed that he was still reeling from a chain of raids in that fateful month, said he doubted if he would ever return to the country and the South East in particular in the near future after he and some other youths in his community were framed as Biafra agitators; some of whom were allegedly either killed or thrown into detention in Abuja.
He added that he had earlier attempted to sneak into the country to see his siblings but was warned that the Nigerian Army and even the secret police, the Directorate of State Services (DSS) occasionally conducted raids in the whole of Eziama area, looking for some youths whom they regularly took away on sighting. He feared an ugly fate might await him if he touched base.
To buttress both his fears and claims, he informed that sometime in November 2005, thinking all had become calm, rumours that he was around probably triggered a detachment of armed soldiers disguised in plain clothes to storm Eziama again, making a stopover at his family house apparently to arrest him saying they were on orders. But he was fortunate not to be around.
In a to-whom-it may-concern letter currently circulating in Nigerian media, Ohuonu recounted the events that forced him to flee Aba to Lagos before finding his way to Botswana.
He also detailed how the Aba crackdown took its toll on the city leaving many young men some of whom were not associated with any form of Biafra agitation including his brother either dead or unaccounted for.
“Since the day that the Nigerian Army raided Aba following a crackdown on Biafra agitators, my life has not been the same again. Ever since, I have become a fugitive so to say, running for dear life.
“That attack in October 2003 happened while I was returning from Ariaria market Aba, early in the evening.
“On that fateful hour, the whole of Osisioma area was blocked by rampaging soldiers who might have been on orders to level that part of the city.
“When I managed to make it home, my elder sister warned me to disappear immediately as she feared for my safety. I was immediately informed of my brother’s arrest minutes ago. I tried to argue until I heard a loud bang on our house door. In horror, I first peered through the window to see uniformed men attempting to surround the house kicking and roaring. I quickly made for the back door, from where I scaled the wall behind.”
He further also noted that since his arrival in Botswana, the persecution had not stopped or so it seemed.
“I still have this feeling that there are still eyes on Biafra agitators even here in Botswana; I don’t feel safe,” he lamented,f adding that threats from the Nigerian government were real.