Fear of persecution and/or serious harm by state actors for being a notorious member of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has made Imeri Daniel Mong and others disappear or run to an unknown destination without the knowledge of his family members.
Saturday 21, October 2017, will remain fresh in the memory of the family of Mr. IMERI DANIEL MONG, who was falsely accused of masterminding the rally that led to the clashes between the Army and the Indigenous People of Biafra.
On that fateful day, There was palpable tension in the ancient town of Arochukwu, Abia State, as soldiers and members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) clashed in the area.
Unconfirmed reports had it that five people suspected to be IPOB members were feared killed in the imbroglio.
According to reports from some quarters, Mr. Imeri Daniel Mong, a notorious strong member of IPOB had since traveled out of the town when the incident happened but because of his past involvement and strong belief in the activities of the proscribed group, he was suspected to had participated in the rally and declared wanted by the police.
He wasn’t even in town at that time but because he was a full member of IPOB.
Although the incident that led to the shooting was not made official at some quarters, a local source said immediately after news got to the area that Nnamdi Kanu was brought to court in Abuja to face trial, some members of IPOB in the area took to the streets to jubilate.
The source said the IPOB members were jubilating that, contrary to reports they had been getting about the safety of their leader, Kanu was still alive.
It was gathered that the jubilants had, as early as 9am, converged at the First Bank axis of the town, the IPOB members were confronted by soldiers who attempted to disperse them.
Unconfirmed reports said while the soldiers were engaging the IPOB members who were in a procession, trouble ensued, and in the process, five members of the pro-Biafragroup were shot dead.
This was said to have caused pandemonium in Arochukwu, as residents scampered for safety.
Some residents were said to have taken refuge inside the bush to avoid being victims of the onslaught.
Many other freedom fighters were injured.
As a result, Mr. Daniel never returned to the village until March 2018, but out of fear of facing trial and execution, he left again for an unknown destination to resurface in 2023.
In 2023, when Daniel heard that the Joint troops of the 82 Division Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police had neutralized three combatants of the Indigenous People of Biafra and its affiliate, Eastern Security Network in a fierce encounter that ensued during a clearance operation in the early hours of Monday 18 September 2023 at Igboro Forest, between Arochukwu and Ohafia Local Government Areas of Abia state, he relocated to Abuja to escape arrest or possibly executions.
According to a family source, in August this year (2024), Daniel complained to the family members that the threat to his life had become unbearable; hence, he decided to seek greener pastures from a different location.
He also claimed that the security forces have used excessive force, including killing their members, hence his decision to relocate.
Since then, the whereabouts of the young man have remained unknown to everybody. Nobody knows whether he is alive or not, he escapes out of the country for safety purposes.
As the situation heightened, The entire members of his family were living in perpetual fear that their son must have been killed by the authorities in spite of the fact that there was some evidence to show that he was alive.
An IPOB official who spoke on the condition of anonymity believes that if found would be made to face the wrath of the Nigeria law.
He’s advising him to remain where he is if he’s still alive to avoid being imprisoned or executed.
