By Pascal Ibe
On Sunday evening, a horrifying alert was sent to the journalists-police WhatsApp platform that a well-known journalist and activist, Chinonso Uba (NonsNkwa), had been abducted in Owerri.
Mr Uba was a former broadcaster at Oziza FM Owerri. He’s the Convener of Protect The Weak Foundation, a nongovernmental organization.
Everyone in that WhatsApp group feared that Mr Uba may have been taken by non-State actors. This could be kidnappers or gunmen currently rampaging Nigeria’s Southeast.
A source said, “Somebody just alerted me that Nonso Nkwa was abducted in front of Teachers House in Owerri. I don’t have all the facts, but can anybody confirm this or state to the contrary?”
The Activist-Jounalist’s phone number was switched off when this reporter called him several times on Sunday night.
At first, on Sunday night, a source who preferred anonymity told CrimeFacts news that Mr. Uba was picked by the operatives of the Tiger Base Unit of Imo police command on Sunday evening. But CrimeFacts news is yet to independently verify this at the moment. But the police authorities said they were not aware.
When the tension and anxiety from the social media users grew to a breaking point on Monday morning, the Imo police spokesperson succumbed to pressure and confirmed that Mr Uba was in their custody.
In a statement by the Imo PPRO, ASP Henry Okoye said Mr Uba is currently being detained at the Imo police command headquarters, following a written petition from a concerned citizen regarding viral videos, where he engaged in alleged Cyberstalking, Character Defamation, spreading misinformation, and inflammatory statements related to the burning of the National Open University Study Center in Nsu, Ehime Mbano LGA, on September 30, 2024, inciting civil unrest.
The Command clarifies that he was not abducted.
He said Mr Uba will be arraigned in court with appropriate charges once a comprehensive investigation is completed.
The Imo PPRO noted that the Command remains committed to upholding the rule of law and maintaining peace and order in the state, emphasizing that no individual involved in the tragic attack and burning of the NOUN study center will escape full legal consequences.
The TVC Story
On 19 September, TVC reported that the National Commission for Refugees, migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons concluded plans for the training of Refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons on skills acquisition.
According to the TVC report, Tijani Ahmed, the National Commissioner for Refugees, migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, and his team embarked on an inspection of a facility located inside the National Open University of Nigeria study center at Nsu Ehime Mbano Council area, Imo State.
The Federal Commissioner and his team are satisfied with the facilities as they believe the training will add value to vulnerable persons in lifting them out of poverty.
TVC stated that according to the UN refugee agency, Nigeria is home to over 85,000 refugees and asylum-seekers.
The report by TVC noted that about 3.3 million people are living in internally displaced camps as a result of conflict and violence at the end of 2023. (Gfx)
The country is still rated among the ten countries with the largest number of IDPs globally.
Worried by this increasing trend, the federal government is making an effort to begin training these vulnerable people to acquire skills to reduce unemployment.
TVC aired the report Here.
Mr Uba Responds To TVC News Report
Responding to the report by TVC on 28 September via his Facebook page, Mr Uba claimed that the coming of the skill acquisition center to Ehime Mbano is an invitation to more insecurity in Imo State.
He said that the federal government’s plans to allegedly relocate Internally Displaced Persons from the North to Imo State makes no sense.
In that video, he called on the government to shelve its plans.
This video went viral.
You can watch the viral video Here.
No IDP Camp In The State— Imo Govt
Reacting to this video, on 30 September, the Imo state government debunked speculations that the federal government has established an Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camp in Ehime Mbano Council Area of the state.
The government was worried that those they described as enemies of Nigeria decided to distort harmless Information from the National Refugees Commission to pitch Igbos against other parts of the country.
It further explained that what was being built at Nsu was a training facility for skills acquisition programmes for the people of the South East and not for Nigerians from other parts of the country.
According to Emelumba, “The purveyor of the disinformation, is a notorious propagandist who had severally dished out seditious materials, from his infamous hate speech gospel ministry” to set the nation on fire. The latest mischief by Uba was intended to incite Ndigbo against Northerners as a means of making the country ungovernable for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“This is a man who is notorious for churning out hate speeches, founded on stark ignorance of public politics and current affairs, against Northerners. He deliberated and twisted the news from the Refugees Commission to incite Ndigbo against other Nigerians. We wondered why the security agencies had not arrested Uba, who in a widely circulated video called on Ndi Imo to rise against other Nigerians. By feeding the people with biased information, Uba was laying the ground for a large-scale insurrection against the federal government.
“The training center at Ehime Mbano was the Southeast slot as other geo-political zones got their slots and would train their people accordingly. At no time was it contemplated that refugees would be brought from either the North or the West to be trained in the Imo state?
“The people of Ehime Mbano, Okigwe zone, and Imo state should ignore the warmongering calls by Uba to rise against the federal government.”
Hoodlums Set Skill Acquisition Center On Fire
Also, on 30 September ( Monday night), some hoodlums razed the residence of a former senator, Frank Ibezim, in Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Monday night in Nsu, a community in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state.
Mr Ibezim represented Imo North District under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform between 2021 and 2023.
Apart from Mr Ibezim’s residence, the hoodlums also attacked a study centre of the National Open University in the Nsu Community the same night.
Residents said the two separate attacks were carried out by the same assailants. Another video clip showed the university complex in flames.
The latest attacks occurred days after Mr Ibezim was accused of facilitating the establishment of an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp within the National Open University campus in the Nsu Community for people from northern Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Mr Ibezim has since denied the allegation.
In a statement, the former senator said the claim that he brought the federal government into the community to settle IDPs and refugees from Northern Nigeria was “entirely false.”
He explained that the university had existed since October 2023 and that he only led a delegation of the federal government to assess whether the facilities could be used for skills acquisition.
FG Condemns This Act
The Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Tijani Aliyu Ahmed, has said that the commission will continue to stand on its established mandate.
Ahmed said this against backdrop of the recent attack on the National Open University (NOUN) Centre in Nsu Ehime, Imo State.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the commissioner expressed deep dismay over the attack on NOUN facility and strongly condemned the violent actions that resulted in the burning of the university premises and several homes in the area.
“The National Commission remains committed to its mandate of supporting returnee migrants, refugees, displaced persons and will continue working towards establishing centres that offer hope and empowerment to affected individuals,” Ahmed said.
Zahra Ahmed Rufai, Head Press and Public Relation Unit of the commission, in a press statement, stated that the commissioner had visited the National Open University Centre in Nsu Ehime Mbano to assess its potential as a skills acquisition centre for training Persons of Concern (POCs) and six youths from the five South-eastern states.
The statement noted that the visit was solely intended to explore the possibility of utilizing the centre for vocational training and rehabilitation, benefiting the most vulnerable in society, including displaced persons and at-risk youth.
The centre was intended to support returnee migrants, refugees, displaced persons, and victims of floods or communal clashes.
“Unfortunately, misinformation spread by certain unscrupulous individuals regarding the purpose of the visit and the facility’s intended use sparked tension in the community.
“This tension ultimately culminated in the attack on the university premises,” the commissioner added
Ahmed emphasized that the media played a significant role in misrepresenting the purpose of his visit after a press briefing in Imo.
The Commissioner strongly condemned the attack, reiterating that such misinformation-driven violence jeopardizes efforts to provide essential support to vulnerable communities.
He further urged the media and the public to rely on accurate, verified information and called for calm in the wake of the incident.
Main Duty Of The National Commission For Refugees, Migrants And Internally Displaced Persons
Citing its official website, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) stated that its mandate was expanded by the Federal Government to cover issues relating to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the coordination of Migration and Development in 2002 and 2009 respectively. NCFRMI is mandated to coordinate the national action for the protection and assistance of Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Returnees, Stateless Persons, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Migrants.
The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) as an Agency is also mandated to Provide Durable Solutions, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, Care and Maintenance for Person of Concern (POC’s) in Nigeria.
The agency, formerly known as the National Commission for Refugees (NCFR), is an agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, established by Decree 52 of 1989 now Cap. N21, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 (NCFRMI Act) to manage the affairs of refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons in Nigeria. The agency is one of the six agencies under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
Editor’s Note: Please note that hyperlinks in this publication are proofs that corroborate this explainer.
