Police declare Okoro Chinemerem Emmanuel, suspected IPOB member wanted

Confusion and tension have continued to trail a deadly security raid allegedly carried out in May 2022 by a combined team of police and other security operatives on a suspected Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) camp in Izombe, Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

Three days after the operation, on May 22, 2022, the Imo State Police Command declared several individuals wanted — a move that is now being questioned following reports of missing persons and alleged human rights concerns.

Among those declared wanted is Mr. Okoro Chinemerem Emmanuel, whom his family says has not been seen or heard from since the day of the raid. In a press statement issued in Onitsha on Thursday, Okoro’s brother, Mr. Chidi Okoro, raised alarm over his disappearance, noting that his brother may have been either killed or detained incommunicado by the security operatives.

According to Chidi, the family only learned about Okoro’s link to the raid through a police bulletin published three days after the incident, which listed him and others as escapees. Chidi insisted that no official confirmation has been given regarding whether Okoro was arrested, escaped with bullet wounds, or died during or after the raid.

“We have not seen him since that day. All we know is that his name appeared on a police wanted list after the raid. We don’t know if he was killed, arrested, or if he escaped and is hiding somewhere for fear of re-arrest,” Chidi said.

The former spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, DSP Michael Abattam, had confirmed during a press briefing shortly after the raid that it was based on credible intelligence about alleged “clandestine activities” by suspected IPOB members. He stated that several individuals were killed during the operation, some were arrested, while others escaped with gunshot injuries.

Abattam further disclosed that those arrested would face prosecution and possibly life imprisonment or the death penalty after interrogation, while a manhunt would continue for those declared wanted.

In his statement at the time, Abattam described the escapees as “miscreants” and claimed the operation was conducted by a special task force on a “shoot-at-sight mission.”

However, the Okoro family maintains that their son, though believed to be an IPOB sympathizer, was a law-abiding citizen. Chidi said Okoro had attended a monthly IPOB meeting on the day of the raid to plan for the 2022 Biafra Heroes Day when the security forces struck.

The police have since urged members of the public with any information regarding the whereabouts of Okoro and others to report to the nearest police station, assuring that all information would be treated with strict confidentiality and rewarded accordingly.

Meanwhile, civil society groups and rights advocates are beginning to raise concerns over the legality and transparency of such raids, warning that the continued lack of accountability could deepen mistrust between security forces and communities in the Southeast.

As the Okoro family continues to seek answers more than two years after the incident, the case adds to growing calls for transparency and due process in Nigeria’s internal security operations, particularly in relation to proscribed groups and their perceived members.