He was practicing law in the city of Abuja and by every average standard, he was doing perfectly well. Then the lure to fight for the freedom of his people took over him, a lure he couldn’t resist, a lure that took him across the nation to everywhere the protest for struggle was being organized, be it in Aba, Onitsha or Port Harcourt, a lure that once landed him in detection after the February IPOB protest in Enyimba City-Aba. Where he ended up being raped by a man named “Hamed” and he was equally molested alongside other detainees. The feeling was traumatic just to say the least.
Yes! No struggle is sweet. Just like late Nelson Mandela passed through untold tribulations. In these struggle to free his people, like several others in the struggle, agents of the state have harassed several pro Biafra agitators. Their houses burnt, families murdered in cold bold, some were even locked up and burnt inside their homes, the only lucky ones are people like Barr. Obiora Chinwike who one way or the other happened to have escaped. Whose life is still in danger if he dare to step foot back to Nigeria.
His first hellish baptism of fire was to come when IPOB members organized a peaceful demonstration at Onitsha in Anambra State and in Aba, Abia State, on December 2, 2015 and February 9, 2016 respectively, in conjunction with the coalition of some human rights organisations from the East, agitating from the Nigerian government, “the restoration of the Sovereign State of the Republic of Biafra.” Chinwike abandoned his highly flourishing law practice in Abuja, the northern part of Nigeria and flew down to Aba, the eastern part to join the street protest. Something some of his family and friends advised him against, but something his natural flair to fight for freedom couldn’t resists. As one of the legal representatives of IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, how can he sit back and push others to the street. Barr. Obiora who has appeared at the court on several occasions with his leader of the struggle-Nnamdi Kanu isn’t the type that will sit back and watch others do it. He always want to lead by the examples of what he preach, an example that has led him to trouble and endangered his life and that of his entire family. I am witness to this reality.
As the Aba peaceful protest was going on, the protesters were attacked by heavily armed Nigerian military alongside the police, who threw tear gas canisters on them. Hell was let lose on them as they arrested and shot a lot of these innocent peaceful protesters and all these happened because of their tribe. Under the then new Buhari regime, the Igbos and especially, those agitating for freedom has become an endangered species.
That was how the life of this young and dynamite young legal attorney was demolished from up to near zero, as he was among those arrested and detained unjustly inside a military van for two days without food and abandoned to die inside. They were later taken to the Osisioma Police station, a station that is on the remote side of town in Aba, where it will be difficult to trace them. Flogged on daily basis to denounce their beliefs, zeal and passion for the movement of the actualisation of the Republic of Biafra and also to say detestable things against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, their leader in the movement.
One Nnadozie, and Barr. Obiora were forced to sign an undertaking that they will not associate again in any way with any group or persons who in any way want or is already championing any secession group in Nigeria. Though they were later released, but those who knew what happened to some others considered them lucky, for till date, in a nation that waste it’s best, most of the other protesters are yet to be found.
This is in a peaceful protest where they military abandoned the violent terrorists in the north but, almost all the Nigerian security apparatuses were unleashed on IPOB members. Some people lost their lives to sporadic gunshots and the dehumanisation from the Nigerian security, especially the military. They point gun on peaceful people and shot them. At Aba, those arrested were subjected to abuse, intimidation by the Nigerian security operatives.
They refused to take the injured protesters to the hospital, as a result many people bleed to death. All these happened in 21st Century Nigeria and all these are possible because these people are Igbos.
