Man Killed by IPOB/ESN Suspects in Owerri, Family Mourns
A man identified as Chinedu Okoro has been killed by suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), in Owerri, the capital of Imo state.
According to a post by his brother and classmate, who shared the tragic news on his X handle, Okoro was murdered on Friday, November 3, 2023, while he was at a petrol station. The assailants allegedly tried to snatch his Lexus 350 car and shot him dead when he resisted.
The brother, who did not disclose his name, said Okoro was buried over the weekend and expressed his grief and anger over the loss of his sibling. He also said the killers were later arrested and they were from Ebonyi state.
He blamed IPOB and ESN for the crime and cursed those who were supporting the secessionist group, which has been accused of unleashing violence and terror in the South-East region of Nigeria.
“Those supporting this evil in Igbo land shall never go unpunished,” he wrote, accompanied by crying emojis.
IPOB and ESN are led by Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based Biafra agitator, who has allegedly used social media to incite violence and call for a boycott of the upcoming Nigerian elections in 2023. He has also claimed to be the successor of Nnamdi Kanu, the original leader of IPOB, who was arrested in Kenya and extradited to Nigeria in 2021, where he is facing charges of treason.
Ekpa has denied any links to the killings and violence in the region, saying they were carried out by the Nigerian government. He has also declared that his group was “in a revolution and visible state of war”.
The Nigerian government has declared IPOB and ESN as terrorist organizations and has launched a crackdown on their members and supporters. The security forces have also been accused of human rights violations and extrajudicial killings in the process.
The conflict between IPOB and the Nigerian state has caused instability and insecurity in the South-East, where many people have been killed, injured or displaced. The region has also witnessed attacks on public infrastructure, security personnel and political candidates.
The family and friends of Okoro have called for justice and peace in the region and urged the government to protect the lives and property of the citizens. They have also appealed to the public to shun violence and embrace dialogue as a means of resolving the issues.
