By Chuks Eke
Barely three days after a combined team of policemen from Imo state police command and other security forces allegedly carried out what could be termed as a deadly raid on the camp of some suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB in some parts of Imo state, which led to the arrests and escape of some of the members with bullet wounds, the police command had placed the escapees on a wanted list.
On the other hand, family of one of the victims, Mr. Okoro Chinemerem Emmanuel has declared him missing for his disappearance since 2022, three years after the raid was carried out, amidst confused atmosphere for what they described as a raid with no just course.
The security forces had three days after the raid, precisely on May 22, 2022 consequently placed the escapees on a wanted list, tagging them a clandestine group.
In a press statement issued at the weekend, Okoro’s blood brother, Chidi who spoke on behalf of their family members, confirmed to newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra state Thursday, disclosed tha was among those tagged IPoB members whose camp was raided by the said Okoro among those whose camp was raided by the joint security task force on the fateful day at Izombe community in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo state, during which some of them were shot dead, while others barely managed to escape with gun shot injuries, just like others were arrested.
According to Chidi, the then spokesman of Imo state police command, DSP Michael Abattam had shortly after three days of the raid, confirmed to journalists in a press briefing in his office at the command headquarters, Owerri, the state capital that the combined security forces had actually raided camp belonging to those suspected to be IPoB members, killed some of the members and arrested some, while others escaped with bullet injuries.
Abattam had while confirming the raid, disclosed that it was carried out by the special task force, based on an intelligence and credible information received by the police command about the clandestine activities of the group at Izombe and some other parts of the state.
The statement read in part: “The escaped IPoB members, whom we have already placed on our wanted list, including Mr. Johnson Chinedu, Mr. Okoro Chinemerem Emmanuel,. Mr. Kingsley Okoye, Mr. Izunna Chikodili, Mr. Ifediba Chijioke and others had on sighting the combined team of policemen and other security forces, took to their heels for safety but some of them were arrested, while others escaped with bullet wounds.
He added that those arrested would soon be sent to prison for possible death sentence or life imprisonment after discreet interrogations, while a manhunt would be launched against the eacapees.
Abattam also disclosed that ironically, when the security forces stormed the camp, the miscreants attempted to escape but were overpowered by the police who he said were on a shoot-at-sight mission, adding that it was on the process that the combatant security officers arrested some members of the clandestine group.
“Some of them, Abattam further stated, were killed by the combined team of gallant security forces who overwhelmed the IPoB members following their superior firing power, while some other hoodlums were apprehended, just like others barely managed to escape with bullet wounds”.
But in the press statement, Chidi insisted that his brother, Okoro Emmanuel who though might be an IPoB member but a decent personality in the society, has been missing since the deadly raid where he had gone to attend a monthly camp meetings with some other IPoB members on the fateful day to discuss modalities for the celebration of 2022 edition of Biafra hero day.
Chidi noted that the family got the wind of Okoro’s ordeal three days after raiding their camp when the police came up with the wanted list decalaration, even as he expressed disgust that the task force might have either killed him during the raid or after his arrest.
He insisted that since the family members only got to know about his ordeal three days after the raid through the police bulletin mentioning his name and others in their wanted list, the family do not know whether he was among those arrested or those who escaped with bullet wounds, insisting that as far as the family is concerned, they don’t know his whereabout since then till date.
He said: “as it stands now, we only heard from the police bulletin that he and others had been declared wanted but we don’t know whether the combined security forces arrested him on the spot and took him to prison custody or whether he was among those who escaped with bullet wounds and probably died somewhere in the bush or escaped to somewhere else within or outside the country for fear of falling into the hands of the security forces once again”.
While the aggrieved family members are declaring Okoro missing, the police called on anybody or group with useful information that could lead to fishing out his whereabout with his cohorts to please contact the State command headquarters or to the nearest police station, adding that such informantion would surely be treated with absolute confidentiality, while the informant or informants would be rewarded accordingly.
