December 2019

This was what happened: in Oraifite, they have two masquerade groups - Otuafor and Otueke. Ejiofor became the leader of Otueke. The two groups clash now and then.  According to our sources, who are indigenes of Oraifite and familiar with the actors and the incidents, in  every quarrel between Otuafor and Otueke, Ejiofor would use some young men as his private army to intimidate and scare his opponents. Through the use of such young men, he became feared and influential in the community. Then there was one big fight between the two groups. Otueke group abducted some members of the Otuafor group. Then Otuafor filed a petition with the police. The peition named Ejiofor as the person they petitioned against. The police invited Ejiofor. Ejiofor did not show up at the appointed time and did not take calls from ACP Abbey. ACP Abbey led some policemen which included the head of SARS and another DPO and a few others to go and meet Ejiofor and bring him in for interview, especially as people were said to be have been abducted and held. As the police were on their way to Ejiofor’s house, boys believed to be Ejiofor's boys decided to waylay the police. They attacked the police, killing two and wounding many. They then burnt their bodies  in the police vehicle. Who are these boys? We don't know. However, the Government of Anambra State and the police believed they were the same IPOB boys that Ejiofor has  been using in the community. The police went back, reinforced and came back to the house of the leader of Otueke. According to our sources, when they got to Ejiofor's house, they met armed resistance from the boys guarding Ejiofor. They opened fire, killing some and torching the houses. Ejiofor who was at home when they arrived manage to flee and escape arrest. How did the IPOB become involved in this matter? The involvement of IPOB was by inference and deduction.. It was known or believed that the private army of bodyguards and intimidation force that Ejiofor has been using were IPOB members. That was not a secret.  It was known that the easy access to IPOB resources was Ejiofor's source of power and it was believed that the boys Ejiofor allegedly used to waylay the police and to resist them at his house and prevent his arrest were IPOB members The police have been raiding IPOB members' locations even outside Anambra State, including those men who were charged along with Kanu as casemates - Bright, Ben, and Chidiebere. For instance, they arrested Bright in Imo State and have kept him in an unknown locatuon. Ben heard they were coming and fled. The 3rd one is Chidiebere who is in Enugu. No news on whether they arrested him But it is strange that the police are going after known IPOB members who have nothing to do with what happened in Oraifite. That suggests a crackdown on IPOB members outside what happened in Oraifite. As things are, this remains a very serious case. The death of two senior police officers means that the case cannot be pushed aside easily. Even if Ejiofor is ultimately cleared of murder charges, he remains exposed to other charges. It will take a long time to resolve. As things are, the fate of Ejiofor who remains on the run and is believed to be hiding in the house of someone in Oraifite, lies in the hands of the Governor and Sir Emeka Ofor. Even at that it will require almost a miracle to rescue him. It remains uncertain how Ejiofor intends to end the run and surrender himself. The critical thing now is to make sure there will be no more shooting or more casualties. We need to know the identity of all those arrested, where they are detained and to ensure that their due process rights are preserved.

Since the day 13th Dec 2018, EJIOFOR appeared in court for David Aiyedogbon and the Nigerian Police in the murder and armed robbery charges against Emeka Ugwuonye as a nominal lawyer, I concluded that either Ejiofor  did not know that an innocent person could be charged falsely by the Nigerian Police or he was there simply for the 'pay' I'm not happy writing this because i don't want to appear as if i'm writing because Ejiofor  is in trouble. No!  What happened to my namesake; Ifeanyi Ejiofor or Emeka Ugwuonye can happen to any person in Nigeria. Nigeria is a country built on injustice and corruption. Nigerian Police can wake up one morning and rope you into a crime and from there, you struggle to save your life. Look at Emeka Ugwuonye,  the Nigerian Police felt threatened by Ugwuonye's constant criticism of their approaches to Charity Aiyedogbon’s disappearance/murder case and his efforts in exposing the atrocities in abattoir, the police turn round and rope him into a murder case he has been working on since 2016 as a human rights activist. I am not only surprised but worried that EJIOFOR could play the role he played. If we are fighting to have a country where Police will not rope innocent people into crimes then we should have good conscience. If EJIOFOR appeared for David Aiyedogbon and the Police and left, that would have been a different issue, but he went ahead to address the press and explained why the Police were right to have charged Emeka Ugwuonye with murder and armed robbery and explained why  Ugwuonye may have committed the crime since in his Facebook posts, he explained in detail how the murder was carried out. I was in tears after listening to EJIOFOR justified what even a novice could see as a clear case of impunity. The people fighting Ugwuonye celebrated EJIOFOR's appearance in court and circulated the interview granted by EJIOFOR widely, where he convicted Ugwuonye even before the case commenced. The women praised EJIOFOR and even hugged him in turns. Now look at it, the police accused him of being a kidnapper etc just to get at him and the matter escalated, people got killed. Should people continue to die in Nigeria because the police want to rope one person into crime? This is what we should all join hands together to fight. We should be careful what we support because karma has a way of bringing such things back to us. No doubt, there is too much power in the hands of the Nigerian police. Our effort is to make sure they don't use the power wrongly.  Allowing them to use the power carelessly is like allowing a drunk with a gun. Either he injure others or he injure himself or both. The reason we are in this decay is because we placed money and material gratifications above morality.   Ifeanyi Calistus Director of Information DPA

Since the day 13th Dec 2018, EJIOFOR appeared in court for David Aiyedogbon and the Nigerian Police in the murder and armed robbery charges against Emeka Ugwuonye as a nominal lawyer, I concluded that either Ejiofor  did not know that an innocent person could be charged falsely by the Nigerian Police or he was there simply for the 'pay' I'm not happy writing this because i don't want to appear as if i'm writing because Ejiofor  is in trouble. No!  What happened to my namesake; Ifeanyi Ejiofor or Emeka Ugwuonye can happen to any person in Nigeria. Nigeria is a country built on injustice and corruption. Nigerian Police can wake up one morning and rope you into a crime and from there, you struggle to save your life. Look at Emeka Ugwuonye,  the Nigerian Police felt threatened by Ugwuonye's constant criticism of their approaches to Charity Aiyedogbon’s disappearance/murder case and his efforts in exposing the atrocities in abattoir, the police turn round and rope him into a murder case he has been working on since 2016 as a human rights activist. I am not only surprised but worried that EJIOFOR could play the role he played. If we are fighting to have a country where Police will not rope innocent people into crimes then we should have good conscience. If EJIOFOR appeared for David Aiyedogbon and the Police and left, that would have been a different issue, but he went ahead to address the press and explained why the Police were right to have charged Emeka Ugwuonye with murder and armed robbery and explained why  Ugwuonye may have committed the crime since in his Facebook posts, he explained in detail how the murder was carried out. I was in tears after listening to EJIOFOR justified what even a novice could see as a clear case of impunity. The people fighting Ugwuonye celebrated EJIOFOR's appearance in court and circulated the interview granted by EJIOFOR widely, where he convicted Ugwuonye even before the case commenced. The women praised EJIOFOR and even hugged him in turns. Now look at it, the police accused him of being a kidnapper etc just to get at him and the matter escalated, people got killed. Should people continue to die in Nigeria because the police want to rope one person into crime? This is what we should all join hands together to fight. We should be careful what we support because karma has a way of bringing such things back to us. No doubt, there is too much power in the hands of the Nigerian police. Our effort is to make sure they don't use the power wrongly.  Allowing them to use the power carelessly is like allowing a drunk with a gun. Either he injure others or he injure himself or both. The reason we are in this decay is because we placed money and material gratifications above morality.   Ifeanyi Calistus Director of Information DPA

DPA Administration is deeply concerned upon reading in the press the declaration by the police that Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, lawyer and member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is wanted in connection with murder, mayhem and other serious offences. Mr. Ejiofor, who is also representing Mr. David Aiyedegbon in relation to the disappearance death of Chacha, for which Mr. Aiyedegbon was suspected by this organization, has posted on the social media a video recorded statement made from his hideout. In his recorded statement, the obviously scared and agitated lawyer denied any involvement and professed his innocence as to the allegations the police have leveled against him. True to the discipline of our organization, we must presume Mr. Ejiofor innocent until proven otherwise. Beyond that, DPA demands that his due process rights be respected. Such rights include, but are not limited to, the right to know the nature of the evidence the police have against him and the opportunity to confront and controvert such evidence in a court of law. DPA has been on the receiving end of police abuse of power in Nigeria. It is noted that Mr. Ejiofor has self-confessed to being a friend and supporter of the Nigerian police. We defend his due process rights nonetheless. Even though he recently supported the police against DPA as gathered from his comments in the media, we derive no pleasure from his current predicament. In fact, in legal reasoning, there is something known as the doctrine of estoppel. When a person has been known to publicly hold a particular position, he is not allowed to suddenly change that position. Having held the view that the Nigerian police are to be trusted when they accuse others of serious crimes, Ejiofor should be estopped from suddenly turning around to suggest that the police are wrong when they accuse him of murder. But DPA shall refrain from holding Ejiofor to his cruel standards of justice. We shall instead remain committed to own standard of justice, equity and fairness, and apply that standard to Ejiofor. As we gathered from the video recording shared by Ejiofor, he seems to be on the run. We understand how dangerous and complicated his circumstances are right now. We therefore urge Commissioner of Police Abang to issue a public statement assuring the Nigerian public that Ejiofor will not be physically abused or maltreated if he surrenders himself to the police. And upon such assurance, we urge Ejiofor to turn himself in to the nearest police station. We fear that to continue on the run might create an excuse to harm him and to prevent the world from knowing the truth of what really happened. Before he turns himself in, though, we suggest he should hire an articulate lawyer who can better present his case intelligently to the public as well as defend his best interest in dealings with the authorities. His current practice of making video recordings of himself while on the run is an ill-advised and very distasteful tactic in dealing with an extremely combustible situation. Not only is he not in the right state of mind to argue his defenses, he lacks the full presence of the mind and he exposes all those who assist him now to serious legal jeopardy. Ejiofor may not quite understand it, given his limited exposure, but anyone that assists him or communicates with him as he runs or hides runs the risk of committing a crime. He may not be aware that the police can track, and must have been tracking, every call he makes now. Therefore, the best option is to turn himself in if he has not already done that. He should really consider what it is worth for him to expose more of his friends to legal risks. We further urge the police to resist the temptation to visit any prejudice and bias they may have against the Biafran project or IPOB on Ejiofor for wittingly and unwittingly holding himself out as the voice of that group. The allegations the police have leveled against him are exceptionally serious. Such allegations must never be leveled against a person except where the evidence is demonstrably clear and convincing, and capable of proof beyond all reasonable doubt. We end by extending our sympathies to the family of Ejiofor, particularly his wife and children. Every child suffers when such child is deprived of the presence of his or her parent. In this particular regard, we also extend our deepest sympathies and support to the families, particularly the children, of the police officers whose lives were cut short in this violent escalation, as well as to all others who lost their lives in this case. We call on all sides to eschew violence and seek peaceful means to resolve their differences. Resorting to violence never pays. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.   DPA Management

The Premium Times (PT), a Nigerian news site tries an old trick to rescue Sowore. The aim is to try to minimize the political damage Sowore may suffer due to his long detention despite court order. The way Premium Times seeks to achieve this is to spread false narrative or stories about how the President of Nigeria is trying to negotiate with Sowore. It is not impossible that the government may want to negotiate with Sowore. But when you look at the details of the story told by Premium Times, you will immediately understand that it doesn't make sense. Part of Premium Times story reads: "Rather than direct immediate compliance with a federal court order that freed Omoyele Sowore on bail, President Muhammadu Buhari has instead been sending emissaries to the activist to extract commitment from him to back down on the ‘revolution now’ protest as a precondition for his release. "In at least two attempts now confirmed by PREMIUM TIMES, the president’s emissaries visited Mr. Sowore where he is being illegally held at the State Security Service Headquarters to “negotiate for peace” in return for his freedom. "The Sahara Reporters’ publisher, however, rejected both attempts as extra-judicial and self-serving, saying he would not take part in any arrangement that would essentially lend legitimacy to unwarranted abuse of his fundamental rights and brazen disregard of judicial authority, people briefed on the matter told PREMIUM TIMES. "The development appeared the strongest indication yet that Mr. Buhari is aware of the continued detention of Mr. Sowore in defiance of multiple court orders. "Those who took part in the botched negotiation included Isa Funtua, a close political associate of the president; Sam Amuka, publisher of Vanguard Newspapers; Nduka Ogbaigbena, publisher of Thisday Newspapers and presidential spokespersons, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu." The above story CANNOT be true. That is not how they operate, even when they need to do it. First, when PT says it confirmed the story, how did it confirm it? Nobody in such meeting, other than Sowore, will speak about such a meeting and place the mission in such poor light. And Sowore's account cannot be a confirmation because it will be self serving. Second, when in DSS custody, you (particularly Sowore) will not be allowed to speak with even his lawyer without DSS officers listening. And they would not allow such topic to be discussed. Third, Sowore is represented by a very vocal and influential lawyer, Falana. That such discussion was held and concluded without Sowore inviting his lawyer or requesting for him to be present is evidence that such discussion did not occur. Fourth, there is an extra effort to place the President in the alleged negotiation. Normally, any such effort will take the DSS director putting the terms to Sowore directly there and then for him to consider. There would be no need for the large delegation. Fifth, anybody familiar with Buhari's team knows that Adesina and Garba don't team up on any mission. So, involving both of them in the meeting and negotiation is unusual. Sixth, if ever such a meeting were to occur, the delegation will not admit that they were sent by the president. They will suggest that they came on their own to broker peace. To drop the name of the President in such a fashion is too amateur  and it risks causing the president to lose face should Sowore turn it down. The normal procedure would have been for these men to offer to help Sowore on certain conditions, even if they are working on the prompting of the President. Seventh, Sowore does not have much of a bargaining chip now. Nobody believes he is capable of causing any revolution now. Indeed, even if released, his bail conditions forbid him from trying such and if released, he will be closely monitored by the DSS. So, there cannot be any fear that he would lead a revolution if released. Eighth, if Sowore was secretly offered his freedom on the condition that he not lead a revolution, something he already knows he cannot do, he will be foolish to turn it down. So, that negotiation did not happen. Ninth, it is possible that the publisher of ThisDay and Vanguard went to see Sowore. They would do this in their own interest to earn the bragging right to claim one day that they played some role. And if those men claim to be representing the President, they are joking. Tenth, there is no doubt that the government blundered in the manner they handled Sowore's case. Indeed, they harmed Nigeria and shot themselves on the foot. But they did it on purpose because they don't care about the international community or any pressures. There is actually no pressure on Sowore's case when compared with the cases of Dasuki and El-Zakzaki. So, releasing Sowore will not be significant enough measure to improve Nigeria's human rights record. PT is peddling this rumor because it has been in alliance with Sahara Reporters to help each other. It is clear that Sowore's detention makes it harder for him to operate Sahara Reporters as he used to. And the site will suffer a steady decline. There is need to change the narrative and make it look as if freedom was offered to Sowore, but he refused on principle. Why then would Premium Times be spreading this?