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Following his political opinion and criticism of his state government’s policies, demand for accountability, challenge to entrenched interests, and advocacy for marginalised groups, Imo State based political activist cum social justice crusader, Ndidi Akano has fled the state for fear of being killed.
Akano who was one of the protesters against the bad policies of Imo State government, had accused the government of turning the state into a one-man affairs, and alleged that the governors at various times had turned the state into a place where citizens now lack freedom of speech in the face of oppression by their administrations.
One of such protest which was tagged “Our Mumudondo”, and spearheaded by entertainment icon, Charles Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy or Area Fada, on Friday, July 21, 2017, saw the protesters, mainly youths, matching through the major streets in Owerri, the state capital, clutching various placards and singing songs which condemned what they described as spate of bad governance and corruption in the country.
Speaking from hiding place, Akano said, “As a political activist and social justice crusader in Imo State, and one of the leaders of the protest, my life is threatened; I narrowly escaped death. The peaceful protest resulted in the unfortunate deaths of four youths. I had to flee to Abia State for safety, but the government continued to pursue me. My family is also threatened.
“As a firm believer in the Biafran movement, demanding for the freedom of Igbo land and the sovereign Biafra State, the federal government through the military had been hard on us with the launch of the Operation Python Dance (Egwueke), invading the five South Eastern states including Abia where I had sought refuge. The military onslaught resulted in the death of 28 people. I was forced to flee the state and Nigeria to protect my life.
“It is on this note that I am requesting for urgent asylum consideration from the Romania government, due to severe persecution and threats to my life in Nigeria. My political opinions and activism have made me a great target of the government, particularly in Imo State, where I come from. My life is at risk and unsafe.”
Almost every part of Nigeria is faced with an unprecedented wave of different but overlapping security crises – from kidnapping to extremist insurgencies – almost every corner of the country has been hit by violence and crime, occasioned by Boko Haram in the north-east and the agitation for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, in the South-East.
