Lawyer Condemns Abduction, Torture of Social Critic Okwuluora, Warns of Rising Internal Terror in South-East Nigeria
Human rights lawyer, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has condemned the abduction and torture of prominent social critic Emmanuel Onyeka Okoh, popularly known as Okwuluora, describing the incident as a grim reflection of the growing insecurity and internal decay in South-East Nigeria.
Okwuluora, who hails from Enugu State, was reportedly kidnapped in Umuaka, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State. In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday titled “Ala Igbo Is Bleeding, and Its Wounds Are Largely Self-Inflicted – Kidnap of Okwuluora in Focus,” Ejiofor decried the act as a betrayal from within.
“This was no random abduction,” he said. “Okwuluora was taken, tortured, and nearly executed by fellow Igbos—people who shared his language, roots, and homeland.”
The lawyer expressed outrage that the incident took place just meters away from a military and police checkpoint, suggesting possible state complicity or gross negligence. “And perhaps the most horrifying part?” he added. “It happened under the passive gaze—or worse, the silent nod—of those entrusted with public safety.”
Ejiofor warned that the abduction is symbolic of a deeper crisis plaguing the region: a shift from a resilient and united Igbo society to one plagued by fear, betrayal, and internal conflict. He likened the South-East to a “hunting ground,” where communities live in constant fear, markets have gone silent, and traditional leaders have been driven underground.
Reflecting on Igbo history, including the Biafran struggle, Ejiofor urged Ndigbo to confront the moral collapse within their society. “What war failed to destroy, internal rot now threatens to finish,” he lamented. “Our silence may soon be judged as betrayal.”
He described the attack on Okwuluora as a “prophecy in real time” and a wake-up call to address the internal threats destabilizing the region. Calling for divine intervention, Ejiofor concluded, “May the God of our ancestors arise for Ala Igbo. May every agent of destruction be exposed and uprooted.”
The incident adds to growing concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Imo State and the broader South-East, where allegations of lawlessness, internal violence, and ineffective security responses continue to mount.
