For many reasons from the era of Civil War in the amalgamated Nigeria, whereby the Igbo race of the country, attempted secession, naming themselves The Republic of Biafra, thereby pitching tent against the Federal Republic of Nigeria till 2017 when the long settled case of Biafra resurfaced in full blow with the revisit of self determination struggle and it backfired. The revisiting of the Biafra Republic struggle came on the background the Igbo people described as necessitated by their marginalization by the rest of the country and therefore felt it was necessary for them to secede once and for all and Ononuju Okere was one of the frontliners.
The Nigerian government would not take it lightly with any group or section of the government who attempt to toe the line of division and so the deployment of an army operation called, “Operation Python Dance”. The basic facts therefore were that any member of the newly formed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, who remember what the Igbo describe as the civil genocide and killing of over three million “Biafrans” during the civil war that started in 1967 and last until 1970 as well as their inability to exercise the rights to occupy the office of President of the country they earlier took arms against, Nigeria, would not wait until a repeat of 1967 was made on him, hence the need for many of the secessionists, this time, to flee. Those that fled included Ononuju Okere.
The operation python dance and military invasion into the house of the leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kalu on 14 September, 2017, did not leave out Okere who was one of the principal officers from Okigwe road Zone, Aba Province of Biafraland because, he was in attendance of zonal meeting at Afara Ukwu, Ibeku , Umuahia, Abia State during the invasion, it was learned, and the shooting by the Nigerian military which led to death of many IPOB members could have hit him but grace of God.
The shooting, it was also learned, led to the death of one of Okere’s principal officers in the name of Okwudiri Obika who was reportedly shot at his back which finally led to his death at Federal Medical Center Umuahia, in the South East State of Abia.
The military raid to his house on 23rd February, 2018, as one of the principal officers of IPOB which he was said to have escaped and his wife maltreated, with injuries on her body and further threats to locate him and to get him eliminated. As a result of those difficult situation in the life of a man, Ononuju Okere had no other option than to take the decision to leave Nigeria considering his life to be in great danger.
The DEFENDER eventually got in touch with the fleeing Okere through a source that delivered his message to us on strictly demanded condition of anonymity and he spoke glowingly as follows regarding why he fled Nigeria:
“I am Ononuju Ohajirimiuta Okere, 40 years old and a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a Geologist by profession, working in Stallon Drilling Co Ltd, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria before my sojourn to Canada in May 2018. I am a Principal Officer and forefront executive member of a secessionist group; Independent People of Biafra (IPOB); a peaceful, unarmed and non violent group agitating for the self determination and actualization of the sovereign state of Biafra. I occupy the position of Public Relation Officer (PRO) in Okigwe Zone in Aba Province of the Republic of Biafra,” he said.
Okere resorted to seeking protection in a foreign country sometimes around 19th May 2018 due to the fact that he began to feel unsafe in Nigeria and that his life was in danger because of his active involvement in the agitation for Biafra independence.
“Our Pro-Biafra Independent group led by Mazi Nnamdi Kalu has continued to ask the Federal Government of Nigeria, for a referendum and self actualization of the sovereign state of Biafra, in a series of unarmed, non violent and peaceful protest, wherein we der number of states in the South East Nigeria made up mainly of people from the Igbo ethnic group, to break away from Nigeria and form the independent nation of Biafra in a civilized and democratic manner. The killing of the Igbos in a series of massacres in the north and the marginalization of the southeast region dates back to 1966, this gave rise to secession of the eastern Nigeria region and the declaration of the Republic of Biafra by Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, in 1967,which consequently resulted in a Civil war, wherein over 1 million people lost their lives; one of the worst genocide in human history.
“For the past 3 years in Nigeria (2015-2018) over 500 Biafrans have been killed. An army massacre operation was carried out under the guise of September 2017 Nigerian Army Python Dance 11 in southeast Nigeria. Mr President who is the commander in chief of Nigerian Armed forces personally authorized the massacre operation; executed by the Chief of Army staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Burutai and backed by the defence headquarters. The Army massacre took place in three different locations in Biafra land: In Isiąla Ngwa (with not less than 25 deaths), In Aba with not less than 30 deaths) and in Afara-Ukwu in Umuahia (with not less than 105 deaths).
“The manner and pattern of killing of 28 unarmed Pro-Biafra activists whose lifeless bodies were found in one of the bushes in Umuahia after the Afara-ukwu army massacre of 14th September, 2017; clearly showed that some bodies of those killed at the massacre arena were forced to be buried in secret locations by their arrested colleagues who after burying their slain colleagues at gun point, got tied , blinded and shot dead within the secret locations where their slain comrades were forcefully buried,” Okere said.
He continued, “With the help of others, he was taken to the Federal Medical center FMC, Umuahia where he later died after an unsuccessful surgery to extricate some bullets that pierced and penetrated his sensitive body parts. Late Okwudili Obika was shot at his back two times and the bullets pieced and lodged at his heart region. Some of the other dead bodies were not all identified, while some were not and were dragged to a hidden place inside a nearly brick structure to prevent them, from being picked up by soldiers as was the case with dozens of others. Subsequently, they were covered with plantain leaves to preserve them till next morning and in early morning of 15th September, 2017, were arranged and their corpses taken to FMC mortuary in Umuahia, Abia State. I could not till date set my eyes on two others (Bontus Igwe and Prince Eziefula), whom I came with to the IPOB zonal meeting at Afara-ukwu, Umuahia. It is most likely that they were among those shot and killed by soldiers with their bodies taken away on 14th September, 2017.
“The fear of further military and other security reprisals including late night raids and arrests have also forced many of the families of the slain victims to refuse to publish their missing ones as “missing persons”. We demanded justice over these killings by the Nigerian Army for unarmed and defenceless members of IPOB in Umuahia, Isiala Ngwa, and Aba. We wrote to the United Nations, Amnesty International, African Commission On Human and Peoples Rights (ACOHPR), ECOWAS, etc asking for justice and to stop the Federal Government of Nigeria from further violations, harassment, and killings of IPOB members”, he submitted, consequent of which, according to what we gathered was the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organization which made it practically impossible for any active and recognized member of the group to continue to stay safe in Nigeria, hence, Ononuju Okere’s flee of Nigeria.
