An Aba-based businesswoman, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Udeagwu, has alleged police brutality and abuse following her participation in a peaceful Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) demonstration in Aba, Abia State.
Mrs. Udeagwu who hails from Awka-Etiti in Anambra State in a telephone conversation with our Reporter, said she has been a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) since 2019. Alongside fellow members of the Aba branch, she took part in a peaceful protest on March 31, 2023, calling for the release of detained IPOB leader; Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Protesters reportedly dressed in white attire to symbolize peace, however, what began as a non-violent demonstration turned deadly when Nigerian police allegedly stormed the protest scene.
“They opened fire on us,” Mrs. Udeagwu said. “Many were injured, and some lost their lives. It was chaos.”
Two weeks after the protest, on April 16, 2023, specifically during the Easter period, Udeagwu said her resident at 166D Faulks Road, Aba, was raided in the middle of the night by armed police officers. Her husband, Mr. Jude Udeagwu, also a businessman, and their three sons had traveled to the village for the holidays, leaving her alone at home due to illness.
“I woke up to gunshots. The police broke into our house, arrested me in my nightwear, and took me to an unknown location,” she recounted.
According to her, by the second day of her detention, while still blindfolded, she was sexually assaulted by three different officers.
“I asked to use the restroom, and one officer led me out. He then pushed me down and raped me. Two others followed,” she said, visibly emotional.
Her ordeal ended on the third day, when members of IPOB from Owerri, Imo state reportedly staged a daring rescue operation and freed her and other detainees. They were taken to a location believed to be outside Abia State, where they finally had access to food and water and were able to bathe after three days in captivity.
Information gathered revealed that Mrs. Udeagwu has been on the security agents watchlist for possible re-arrest and prosecution with other detained IPOB members.
Since then, Mrs. Udeagwu has been on the run, her husband and three sons are said to be at an unknown destination.
The Nigerian Police had yet to respond to the allegations as of the time of filing this report, as messages sent to them on the matter remained unanswered.
Recall that the Federal Government (FG) had in September 2017, in a Case: Attorney‑General of the Federation vs. Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/871/2017, had proscribed IPOB as terrorist organization.
