Imo Innocent Deaths: Human Rights Lawyer, Others Condemn Extrajudicial killing of Imo businessman, Others

Gibson Achonu and Uche Onwuchekwa, Owerri



While Imo State has had sad tales of blood and agony over the raging insecurity occasioned by game of death engaged by official gunmen and what we have come to know as ‘unknown Gunmen’, things have have fallen apart as fear and uncertainty pervade the land.

This unfortunate developing norm across the country, which its contagion has affected the South-East and Imo in particular is not without sad stories of killing of innocent people while some were hounded, humiliated and partially incacerated.

Imo woke to the realities of killing of two Imo varsity undergraduates, a driver and abduction of newspaper vendors to an undisclosed destination until the people raised alarm.

The most worrisome among these killing trend by those who are paid from the tax payers funds is the recent death of one Mr. Noel Chigbu by alleged unknown soldiers. This death has drawn the anger of the people against Nigerian security operatives in the state, with allegations that Federal Government may have sent dreaded killer Herders in military uniform against them.

The human rights lawyer, Mr. Chizoba Iheka has condemned in totality, the killing of one Mr. Noel Chigbu, who hailed from Umuocham, Ntu, Ngor Okpala in Ngor Okpala council area of Imo state, describing it as extra judicial.

Iheka however, petitioned to the relevant national security authorities for the identification and prosecution of the team of soldiers and detailed explanation of the incident leading to shooting to death of the said Youngman.

Chigbu, a father of two, whose wife is currently pregnant, before his untimely death was the owner / operator of a Shawarma/fish barbecue spot in Amakohia was penultimate Friday allegedly shot to death by a team of soldiers along Akwakuma axis in Owerri, capital of Imo state for allegedly violating the traffic rules.

“Where is it embedded in the constitution of this country, Nigeria that security operatives should shoot traffic law offenders?” Iheka asked.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the lawyer also questioned the way the soldiers shot the victim, adding that from what the soldiers claimed, they lied against Chigbu.

He argued, “How could have bullet shot at the victims from the back windscreen of a car kill somebody without touching or piercing through the back of the driver’s seat, where Chigbu was, as at the time of the incident, as claimed by the soldiers?”.

“What I am maintaining is that looking at the shot that shattered the back windscreen of the car as seen in the photograph that killed Chigbu by piercing into the back of his head, and upper back, one would automatically know that there is more to the story of the soldiers about the incident that led to the death of the young man”.

Iheka further added that the blood stain of Chigbu on the leather seat of his newly brought Toyota Camry without piercing through the back seat supported his claimed against what the soldiers submitted.

The human right lawyer vehemently maintained that the ugly act was an extrajudicial killing, adding that such killing should not be taken with kid gloves or condoned in the present 21st century world.

He also described the killing of the victim as absurd, insensible, inhuman and not within the confides of bringing to normalcy, security of lives and property.

While acknowledging that insecurity was a bane in the present Nigeria nation, Iheka sternly admonished security operatives to desist from using unlawful actions under the guise of insecurity to bring to normalcy, the laws of the state.

He said, “If the citizens are insecure and in the bid to curb insecurity, the law enforcement officers try to adopt the act of unlawlessness in the discharge of their duty, it will tantamount to complete breakdown of law and order in the nation”.

When contacted on phone for his reaction, the Army Public Relations Officer, Lieutenant Babatunde Zubairu said that a petition had been written by the family members and copied to the 34 Artillery Brigade Obinze and army headquarters.
He said, “I don’t know what you journalists want to achieve from this report. Your paper, Punch has done stories on this incident several times”.

Meanwhile, because of the cost of justice, the families of those who met their untimely deaths had buried their deads without any justiceable response from the government.

The family of Chiwueze Kingsley, a 300 level promising law student of Imo State University whose life was snuffed out for no known reason is another case, which presents Nigeria as system where the Leviathan has not only failed but all the institutions of government have all become mere structural decoration with mumus as drivers.

The people of Pray recently narrated their ordeal as they live like those at war with helicopters, bombs and clattering of different types of assault rifles and other deadly military equipment being tested in their soil. – Read The Sun edition of May 4, 2021. – “Lamentation of Orsu residents: How security operatives bombed our community, raped our girls, stole fish from ponds”.

There are unconfirmed reports of wanton arrests of anybody whose face appears unlikable to security Operatives.

While people have Condemned in its entirety the continual attacks on security formations in Imo State and other South-East States, they feel worried over a seeming vengeance on innocent and law abiding residents of Imo State.

It is expected this matter should be addressed to avoid an unconventional engagement, which can never yield any positive dividends but rather would cause further under Development of the state and other states in the zone