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• Don locked up for over three years on allegations of IPOB membership recounts ordeal • I lost my mum, job, military pension in DSS, military custody
From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Ndundu is by every measure, a sleepy and rustic village in the Northern fringes of Uturu in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State. Uturu could fairly pass as the “University City” of Abia State, being home to two universities, Abia State University and Gregory University.
Ndundu village in particular and the Uturu community at large on December 23, went agog following the return of their son, Dr. Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, 56, a senior lecturer at Abia State University, Uturu who was incarcerated for four years by both the Department of State Service (DSS) and the military, over allegations of being involved in the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The dust on the unpaved Ukwunwangwu/Ndundu Road, appeared to share in the ecstasy of the day, ceaselessly quantum-leaping into the sky as people joyously stamped their feet on the ground as they escorted their son home. It was a day people said had never been so witnessed in the area.
Dr Nwafor, according to information, is a senior lecturer with Abia State University, and said to be one of the best brains in Uturu. He was a student at the institution before reaching his academic pinnacle by obtaining a PhD in Town, Urban and Regional Planning. Before then, Nwafor had a stint in the Nigerian army, as a non-commissioned officer.
“When I finished my Bachelor’s degree programme, the institution offered me employment because I was the first person to make a first class in the Department Of Town, Urban And Regional Planning. Then, I left the army in 2004 to take up that appointment. I left the army as a Corporal, I was not commissioned despite my academic laurel.”
What actually led to Dr. Nwafor’s arrest that put him out of circulation for four solid years? He told the reporter he didn’t know his offence. In his words, all he knew was that on the night of July 28, some security personnel, in a military style, broke into his house and took him away.
Hear him: “On the night of July 28, 2022, I was in my house with my wife and children, all of a sudden, some people broke into my house and took me away. The people, comprising the army, police and the DSS came to my premises with eight Hilux vans and took me away. I asked what my offence was, nobody talked to me, but was instead tortured before they took me to the DSS headquarters in Umuahia.
“When I got to Umuahia, the DSS personnel were asking me when I joined IPOB and I told them I had never been a member of IPOB.”
He said he later realised that giving the operatives what he believed was a simple, straight and truthful answer that would take him off the hook was rather the beginning of his ordeal. “They stated beating me, pressuring me to accept that I was a member of IPOB, I said no, I won’t accept that.
“They increased the beating. It was so much on me that I nearly fainted but for the intervention of the State Director who came out and asked them to stop beating me.
“The torture was so much that they hit my leg with hammer and blood started coming out. They were out to kill me. It was when they raised their hand as they marched me on the ground, to hit my head, that their director came and asked them to stop beating me.
“After the beating, I was locked up in their guardroom and chained on the leg for five good days. Thereafter, I was transferred to Abuja.
“At Abuja, they said I should make statement. On several occasions, they brought me out, asking me about my relationship with IPOB. I told them plainly that I had nothing to do with IPOB.
“At the end of the day, they asked me what happened at Ndundu my village, I didn’t know they knew Ndundu. I told them that whatever was happening at Ndundu was all about kidnapping and that everybody in Uturu is fighting on how to stop that kidnapping.
Journey to hell
What may aptly be described as Nwafor’s journey to hell began shortly afterwards. After about two months and five days, he was flown to Abuja, from where he said he was again taken to a remote place known as Wawa village.
Wawa cantonment, according to him, is located at the border between Nigeria and Benin Republic at the Northern fringes and it serves as a facility for the incarceration of arrested terrorists and bandits.
“All these terrorists including Boko Haram, horrible people, people that Nigeria doesn’t need again, were dumped there, all of us were together. That’s where they were being kept and I found myself in their midst.
“At that particular place, people were dying in their numbers and so many things happened there which I would not be able to recount.So, it was in Wawa cantonment that I was kept for good three years and six months.
“So, finding myself in the midst of terrorists, I didn’t know what to do order than crying to my God on daily basis. Every day I kept crying to God that He should exonerate and vindicate me because He is the only one that knows if I committed the offence, let Him try me by Himself. That if I did not commit any offence, He should vindicate and set me free unconditionally.”
Nwafor said his freedom could be ascribed to divine intervention. He said he was miraculously brought out from Wawa cantonment back to Abuja.
“It was only by God’s grace that out of thousands of people at the place, I was singled out by their Commander. On September 2, the commander of Wawa cantonment called my number because we were given numbers and known by them, not names.
“The commander asked me whether I’m an old soldier and I said yes, I served in the army. I told him (because the place is being controlled by the military police), that if you go to the records at military police school, Zaria, you will see my name as the best all round soldier when I went there on course during my days in the military.
“I also told him that in course 2 of 1993, I was the person that won the Commander’s award, Lt. Col Oguniyi, he said that was true. He ordered the soldiers to prepare me for release. I thought it was releasing me to go home, I didn’t know it was to come to DSS in Abuja again.”
It dawned on Nwafor that freedom was yet to come his way following the “VIP” treatment he was given on the day he was to leave the Wawa cantonment.
“On the very day I was supposed to leave, I was handcuffed on the two hands and legs. My eyes were tied up and then the chain that was used to tie me, was also tied to the vehicle, I was in fact chained to the vehicle and they took me from there to Abuja.”
After staying in detention in Abuja for one month, hope unexpectedly came. He saw his elder brother and some lawyers from the Chambers of Femi Falana who came with mixed messages.
First, they said they came to file papers for his release which initially he said he never believed could happen.
“I was in Abuja for one month when the lawyer from Falana chamber, Femi Adedeji came. He told me I should not worry, that within sometime, I will come out of the problem.”
Then came the bad message from his elder brother who broke the news of their mother’s death to him. It was double tragedy for the senior lecturer as according to him, the news turned the world flat on him.
Nwafor recounted how he felt when the news of the mother’s death was broken to him.
“When the news was broken to me that my mother was dead, I couldn’t hold my tears, throughout that very week, I was thrown off balance because I always remembered my mother in my prayers everyday while in detention that God should keep her alive.
“Two days before they came to pick me, my mother called me and said I should come and see her, that she wanted to talk to me and I told her I was coming that weekend. The very Saturday I was supposed to go and see her, they came on the Friday night to arrest me.”
He expressed shock that throughout the four years that he was in incarceration, he was never taken to court.
Road to freedom
When Adedeji told him he would soon regain his freedom, Nwafor thought it was a joke.
“This was happening on October 8, and later in the month of November, I was called up again and the director of Investigation of DSS became so friendly to me, I was wondering what was actually happening. Before you knew what was happening, I was introduced to the Director General of the DSS, they were showing me love and they started counselling me and at the end of the day, I discovered that God was smiling on me. On November 25, they released me from that particular place and I regained my freedom,” Nwafor said.
After his release, he said, he stayed in Abuja with his brother where he received some medication because of the health challenges he had as a result of his prolonged detention. He later came down to Abia State to see his family and people.
When asked if he was aware his problem emanated from a petition written against him by someone from his community, Nwafor said, “The first time I heard anything about petition was when my brother visited me on September 8. Even when I was in detention they mentioned about petition, I told them I did not hear anything about petition, all I knew was that they came to my house, they kidnapped me, took me by force and started beating me. Nobody told me exactly what my offence was.”
Nwafor who said the truth remains that he was investigated and found not culpable and set free, has declared interest to return to the classroom
“All I know is that I’m still a lecturer there because even in this particular session we are, they have already allocated courses to me. The only thing was that my salary was stopped and that of my military pension was also stopped. All these things are calamities that befell me which I will not like to happen to another person.”
He appealed to his people to remain calm and avoid anything that will out them into trouble.
Some natives of the area, including Emmanuel Chukwujindu Orji, national youth president of Uturu/president, national youth council of Nigeria, Isuikwuato chapter; Ulukwu Chinedu aka Mattoga and Esiaga Oersted, all thanked God for the life of Dr Nwafor.
They said it was clear from the onset that their kinsman did not do anything and expressed joy he came back home alive.
