63 Abducted Obigbo Residents (All
Males) Regained Freedom After Four
Months In The Nigerian Army Captivity
Written by Intersociety, Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria
18th February 2021
The International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law-INTERSOCIETY is happily announcing
another major breakthrough in its campaigns to expose and end a booklet of atrocity crimes that
have ravaged the Nigerian Army particularly under the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt
Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai. This time, the major breakthrough recorded was the release on Monday,
15th Feb 2021 of 63 abducted Obigbo residents-all males. They were abducted by the Nigerian
Army at Obigbo in Rivers State and held incommunicado for four months or since Oct 2020 in
Mogadishu Barracks and other security dungeons in Abuja. Their abduction and confinement
clearly amount to unspeakable illegality and unconstitutionality.
Their release followed the landmark
consideration of their bail application
filed on Wednesday, 10th Feb 2021
before an Abuja Grade 11 Magistrate
Court sitting in Wuse. They were freed
from four different Army, DSS and
Police dungeons in Abuja and
environs; namely: Mogadishu Army
Barracks, Annex B at Asokoro, DSS
Training Center at Central Business
District and its abandoned facility at
Zuba and the Nigeria Police College at Suleja in Niger State. The freed victims were part of over
400 innocent and defenseless Obigbo residents including over 60 girls and young women
abducted between Oct and Nov 2020 at their work places or on their way home from work or
while engaging in other lawful social activities.
Commendable Efforts Of Barr E.R. Okoroafor
The release of the 63 abductees was made possible through the lawyerly and activist doggedness
of Barr E.R. Okoroafor. Barr E.R. Okoroafor is a British citizen of Igbo nativity and international
human rights lawyer. The efforts of the leadership of IPOB in this respect are also worthily
recognized and appreciated. While it is hopeful that the newly located 53 young women in the
DSS dungeons will soon regain their freedom, bringing the total number of the located or freed to
261; searches are still on to locate the remaining abductees numbering over 140. This is owing
to the fact that the Nigerian Army and DSS have refused to speak publicly on the whereabouts of
the abductees, the freed ones and why the over 400 residents were abducted at the first place
and kept out of public knowledge till date.
Nigerian Army’s Booklet Of Illegalities Source Of Our Anger
It must be boldly stated that Intersociety does not hate the Nigerian Army or the Nigerian Armed
Forces or the Nigeria Police or DSS/NIA or the country’s Paramilitaries, but hates and frowns
seriously at their current operational methodologies, clearly cloaked in booklet of illegalities.
These methodologies are shockingly crude, unprofessional, hateful, unconstitutional, locally and
internationally illegal, non human rights compliant, un-secular and ethnically and religiously
discriminatory and motivated. Owing to our versatility and deep knowledge of criminal and civil
versions of the local and the international human rights and humanitarian laws particularly those
acceded to by Nigeria; Intersociety will continue to monitor and speak out authoritatively and
knowledgeably against such grisly atrocity crimes and their perpetrators-ensuring that they are
ended and their perpetrators get severely punished locally, regionally or internationally.
Army Lacks Power To Arrest, Detain & Investigate Citizens Not Subject To Military Matters
In arresting citizens wrongly or rightly suspected to have offended punishable laws bordering on
Crimes against Persons or Crimes against the State or Crimes against Properties-all categorized
globally into “mala inse” and “mala prohibita”; the soldiering and policing authorities in any
democratic Member-State of UN including Nigeria are inexcusably prohibited and barred from
abducting citizens outside public knowledge and records, hatefully labeling them and taking them
into custody, torturing, shooting and raping them to death and disappearing their corpses and
detaining them ad infinitum and beyond the limits prescribed in written laws. Such prohibitions
also include stripping the abductees half naked and exposing their body systems to unfriendly
weathers and other hostile circumstances including insect bites and infections; in addition to
totally blocking them from their families, physicians and lawyers.
In Nigeria, apart from the country’s written laws restricting the activities of the military
particularly the Nigerian Army to issues of defense of territory in situation of interstate or intra
state armed conflict and barring them from trespassing beyond their defined duties including
usurping the key duties of the Nigeria Police Force such as arrest, detention, investigation and
prosecution of suspected civilian offenders and their offenses; there have also been several
Decided Cases barring the Army/Military from “arresting, detaining and investigating citizens who
are not subject to the Armed Forces Act or any other Military law”. As a matter of fact, a Federal
High Court sitting in Abuja had in a landmark judgment delivered on Wednesday, 17th Feb 2021
held that “the Nigerian Army lacks the power to arrest, investigate and hold in custody anyone
who is not subject to the Armed Forces Act or any other military law”. For more details, see the
link here: https://thenigerialawyer.com/nigerian-army-lacks-power-to-investigate-crime-arrest-
or-detain-suspects-court-
rules/?fbclid=IwAR3mSxZyofU1wLgovP1VpO3P0AjTFd88kdD6y2yHnCq4Gln3Dtp6kTIeF_w
Names Of The 63 Freed Abductees
Their names are: Paul Uche, Anozie Obinna, Ebubechukwu Kaima, Andrew Ekpere, Uka Obinna,
Uche Emmanuel, Ekene Anayo, Bright Emma, Ikenna Uzoma, Olisa Chukwudi, Somtochukwu Ibe,
David Joe, David Chukwu, Chikadibia Paul, Blessed Friday, Nwaogu Ekene, Charles Ikeogwu, Igwe
Samuel, Gozie Samuel, Simeon Mbanefo, Eze Chike, Godwin Umeh, Tochukwu Umeh, Desmond
Alphonsus, Ukauwa Irim, Sabinus Ula, Riguma Friday, Ekpan Sunday, Kezie Kelechi, Ifeanyi
Otutu, Ambrose Anyanwu, Paul Chike, Tochukwu Obiekwe, Elochukwu Moses, Mike Anya,
Echefuna Chukwu, Echefuna Uche, Gift Onyenkachi, Alozie Chukwunonso, Chukwuma Ibeano,
Friday Nonso, Nebechi Kennedy, Imma Ochi, Stanley Igwe, Okoro Benson, Emeka Nwaogugu,
Uchechi Emmanuel, Joe Boniface, Gregory Amokachi, Daniel Erinne, Samson Chinda, Victor
Enrinne, Christopher Kachi, Uzoma Philip, Kainene Ernest, Ikechukwu Isaiah, Isaac Oriaku,
Ekpere Mmadu, Uchenna Chris, Ebuka Silas, Honesty Gift, Osita Ifeanyi and Chibuike Robinson.
Attached below are their photos taken after their release in Abuja.
Signed
For: International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair, Chinwe Umeche, Esq., Head, Democracy & Good Governance,
Obianuju Igboeli, Esq., Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law and Chidimma Udegbunam, Esq.,
Head, Campaign & Publicity
Contacts:
Phone/WhatsApp: +2348174090052
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org
Website: www.intersociety-ng.org
63 Abducted Obigbo
Residents (All Males)
Regained Freedom
After Four Months In
The Nigerian Army
Captivity
Written by Intersociety,
Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria
18th February 2021
The International Society for Civil Liberties
& Rule of Law-INTERSOCIETY is happily
announcing another major breakthrough in
its campaigns to expose and end a booklet
of atrocity crimes that have ravaged the
Nigerian Army particularly under the
immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen
Tukur Yusuf Buratai. This time, the major
breakthrough recorded was the release on
Monday, 15th Feb 2021 of 63 abducted
Obigbo residents-all males. They were
abducted by the Nigerian Army at Obigbo in
Rivers State and held incommunicado for
four months or since Oct 2020 in
Mogadishu Barracks and other security
dungeons in Abuja. Their abduction and
confinement clearly amount to unspeakable
illegality and unconstitutionality.
Their release followed the landmark
consideration of their bail application filed
on Wednesday, 10th Feb 2021 before an
Abuja Grade 11 Magistrate Court sitting in
Wuse. They were freed from four different
Army, DSS and Police dungeons in Abuja
and environs; namely: Mogadishu Army
Barracks, Annex B at Asokoro, DSS Training
Center at Central Business District and its
abandoned facility at Zuba and the Nigeria
Police College at Suleja in Niger State. The
freed victims were part of over 400
innocent and defenseless Obigbo residents
including over 60 girls and young women
abducted between Oct and Nov 2020 at
their work places or on their way home
from work or while engaging in other lawful
social activities.
Commendable Efforts Of Barr E.R.
Okoroafor
The release of the 63 abductees was made
possible through the lawyerly and activist
doggedness of Barr E.R. Okoroafor. Barr
E.R. Okoroafor is a British citizen of Igbo
nativity and international human rights
lawyer. The efforts of the leadership of
IPOB in this respect are also worthily
recognized and appreciated. While it is
hopeful that the newly located 53 young
women in the DSS dungeons will soon
regain their freedom, bringing the total
number of the located or freed to 261;
searches are still on to locate the remaining
abductees numbering over 140. This is
owing to the fact that the Nigerian Army
and DSS have refused to speak publicly on
the whereabouts of the abductees, the
freed ones and why the over 400 residents
were abducted at the first place and kept
out of public knowledge till date.
Nigerian Army’s Booklet Of Illegalities
Source Of Our Anger
It must be boldly stated that Intersociety
does not hate the Nigerian Army or the
Nigerian Armed Forces or the Nigeria Police
or DSS/NIA or the country’s Paramilitaries,
but hates and frowns seriously at their
current operational methodologies, clearly
cloaked in booklet of illegalities. These
methodologies are shockingly crude,
unprofessional, hateful, unconstitutional,
locally and internationally illegal, non
human rights compliant, un-secular and
ethnically and religiously discriminatory and
motivated. Owing to our versatility and
deep knowledge of criminal and civil
versions of the local and the international
human rights and humanitarian laws
particularly those acceded to by Nigeria;
Intersociety will continue to monitor and
speak out authoritatively and
knowledgeably against such grisly atrocity
crimes and their perpetrators-ensuring that
they are ended and their perpetrators get
severely punished locally, regionally or
internationally.
Army Lacks Power To Arrest, Detain &
Investigate Citizens Not Subject To Military
Matters
In arresting citizens wrongly or rightly
suspected to have offended punishable laws
bordering on Crimes against Persons or
Crimes against the State or Crimes against
Properties-all categorized globally into
“mala inse” and “mala prohibita”; the
soldiering and policing authorities in any
democratic Member-State of UN including
Nigeria are inexcusably prohibited and
barred from abducting citizens outside
public knowledge and records, hatefully
labeling them and taking them into
custody, torturing, shooting and raping
them to death and disappearing their
corpses and detaining them ad infinitum
and beyond the limits prescribed in written
laws. Such prohibitions also include
stripping the abductees half naked and
exposing their body systems to unfriendly
weathers and other hostile circumstances
including insect bites and infections; in
addition to totally blocking them from their
families, physicians and lawyers.
In Nigeria, apart from the country’s written
laws restricting the activities of the military
particularly the Nigerian Army to issues of
defense of territory in situation of interstate
or intra state armed conflict and barring
them from trespassing beyond their defined
duties including usurping the key duties of
the Nigeria Police Force such as arrest,
detention, investigation and prosecution of
suspected civilian offenders and their
offenses; there have also been several
Decided Cases barring the Army/Military
from “arresting, detaining and investigating
citizens who are not subject to the Armed
Forces Act or any other Military law”. As a
matter of fact, a Federal High Court sitting
in Abuja had in a landmark judgment
delivered on Wednesday, 17th Feb 2021
held that “the Nigerian Army lacks the
power to arrest, investigate and hold in
custody anyone who is not subject to the
Armed Forces Act or any other military
law”. For more details, see the link here:
https://thenigerialawyer.com/nigerian-
army-lacks-power-to-investigate-crime-
arrest-or-detain-suspects-court-
rules/?fbclid=IwAR3mSxZyofU1wLgovP1Vp
O3P0AjTFd88kdD6y2yHnCq4Gln3Dtp6kTIeF
_w
Names Of The 63 Freed Abductees
Their names are: Paul Uche, Anozie
Obinna, Ebubechukwu Kaima, Andrew
Ekpere, Uka Obinna, Uche Emmanuel,
Ekene Anayo, Bright Emma, Ikenna Uzoma,
Olisa Chukwudi, Somtochukwu Ibe, David
Joe, David Chukwu, Chikadibia Paul,
Blessed Friday, Nwaogu Ekene, Charles
Ikeogwu, Igwe Samuel, Gozie Samuel,
Simeon Mbanefo, Eze Chike, Godwin Umeh,
Tochukwu Umeh, Desmond Alphonsus,
Ukauwa Irim, Sabinus Ula, Riguma Friday,
Ekpan Sunday, Kezie Kelechi, Ifeanyi Otutu,
Ambrose Anyanwu, Paul Chike, Tochukwu
Obiekwe, Elochukwu Moses, Mike Anya,
Echefuna Chukwu, Echefuna Uche, Gift
Onyenkachi, Alozie Chukwunonso,
Chukwuma Ibeano, Friday Nonso, Nebechi
Kennedy, Imma Ochi, Stanley Igwe, Okoro
Benson, Emeka Nwaogugu, Uchechi
Emmanuel, Joe Boniface, Gregory
Amokachi, Daniel Erinne, Samson Chinda,
Victor Enrinne, Christopher Kachi, Uzoma
Philip, Kainene Ernest, Ikechukwu Isaiah,
Isaac Oriaku, Ekpere Mmadu, Uchenna
Chris, Ebuka Silas, Honesty Gift, Osita
Ifeanyi and Chibuike Robinson. Attached
below are their photos taken after their
release in Abuja.
Signed
For: International Society for Civil Liberties
& Rule of Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair, Chinwe
Umeche, Esq., Head, Democracy & Good
Governance, Obianuju Igboeli, Esq., Head,
Civil Liberties & Rule of Law and Chidimma
Udegbunam, Esq., Head, Campaign &
Publicity
Contacts:
Phone/WhatsApp: +2348174090052
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org
Website: www.intersociety-ng.org