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…Scores missing, many kidnapped, killed
…Hoodlums destroy private CCTVs, enforce 500k fine on owners
…Impose wedding, burial levies, other taxes on communities
Fear is fast becoming the currency of survival in Ezioha and its neighboring communities in Imo State, as gunmen, operating with chilling impunity, continue to unleash a reign of terror – abducting, killing, and imposing illegal taxes on helpless residents.
The government’s indecisive responses have left locals questioning whether they have been abandoned to their fate.
Ezioha is a small community in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State, just about 15 minutes drive to the state capital, Owerri.
Beside inner link roads, the major highways to the community are through Onitsha-Owerri Road by Ukwuorji and through the Orlu-Owerri road by Umuaka (Njaba).
Ezioha community is separated from Awomamma community in Oru West by the Njaba River and borders Njaba LGA at Amazano. The thick forest, rough and steep topography leading to the terror camp is apparently why Ezioha became the choice location for a hideout for the group.
After months of investigating the harrowing reality of residents of Ezioha and its immediate environs, Crimefacts can report that residents of the area need urgent and effective intervention to put an end to the nightmare going on in that axis.
The horror stories are endless, each more gruesome than the last.
Community leaders, police officers, businessmen, and even retirees have fallen victim to the marauding gunmen who now govern vast swathes of this area with an iron fist.
Persistent Threat
The terrorists at Ezioha forest has shown that they are not entirely pushovers; they are easily the most organized terror camp in Imo state, defying series of invasions by security forces and still actively operating from a camp that is less than 15 minutes to the Imo State Government House.
This is considered a slap on the state government and an assault on the territorial sovereignty of Imo state.
From testimonies of locals, these gunmen have well structured organogram and operational modality. They have shown an appreciable level of expertise in weaponry, production and deployment of Improvised Explosive Device (IED), while still keeping their arms supply network secret from the prying eyes of security forces.
They are also adept at using technology. Just like CCTV cameras were recovered from the Mother Valley of Orsu, security forces have also at different occasions recovered some solar-powered CCTVs mounted in the forest camp by the gunmen, which helps them monitor the movement of troops during any operation.
These gunmen were the same terror elements that ambushed and killed four vigilante operatives in Umuaka last year. They are the same band of gunmen who had attacked the Njaba Police Division in Umuaka on four separate occasions with heavy fire power.
It all points to the fact that overrunning the Police Division in Umuaka is vital to their overall sinister plan for the area. Except for the unusual resilience of the operatives of the Division, the Njaba Police Division would have fallen long ago with the waves of attacks on it by these criminals.
The implications would have been terrible and far-reaching for residents and road-users as the Orlu-Owerri road axis would have become a deadly flashpoint where gunmen would operate freely unchallenged.
The negative impact it would have had on the Afor Umuaka market would have been unspeakable. This is why everything and anything that can be done to root out these killers from Ezioha and surrounding communities must be done expeditiously.
Extortion, Destruction, and Fear
The gunmen have turned entire communities into their personal fiefdoms, imposing illegal taxes and levies on weddings, burials, and businesses. Private CCTV cameras meant to provide security are destroyed, and owners fined ₦500,000 for daring to install them.
All the farmlands along the Njaba River bank have been taken over by these gunmen; with community markets deserted, churches and schools abandoned.
Traditional rulers have fled their palaces, leaving their people rudderless.
Worse still, young girls are forced into marriages or sexual slavery, with those who resist paying the ultimate price. Parents, in desperation, have sent their family especially their daughters away to safety.
Victims Abound
– Sam White, President General of Umuele community, was abducted since last year and is feared dead.
– Uchenna Eguzozie (Mobutu) from Amakor was abducted on June 10, 2024, and remains missing.
– Anayo Aguocha, a leader in Uba community, was dragged from his home on May 15, 2023, and has not been seen since.
– Kelechi Iwunnakwe (Agbarusia) was abducted and later executed.
– The former manager of Imo Travels Motor Company in Umuaka was murdered for daring to speak against armed criminals. He was quoted as saying, “We shouldn’t tolerate hoodlums wielding AK-47 at our backyard”.
– Chief Akuwara, an elderly community leader in Umuele, was killed for advising against the ills of banditry in a village meeting.
– A police constabulary from Isiozi, Umuaka, was kidnapped at Ukwuorji and slaughtered.
– A police officer and his wife, traveling from Ideato to Egbema, were seized just about three weeks ago – vanished without a trace.
– Police officer Nwachukwu, attached to Umuaka Division, was abducted in May 2023 while returning from duty. Nwachukwu is feared dead as nothing has been heard of him.
– Abah James Sunny, driver to a traditional ruler, was taken on May 31, 2024, while on an errand for his boss. He is still missing.
– Charley Igwebuike of Obeakpu was shot dead, his vehicle stolen after gunmen attacked Njaba Police Division.
– Ifeanyi Samuel Ogbonnaya (Feel At Home) from Ibele Umuaka was abducted and executed.
– Ifeanyi Agwudire from Amakor was abducted, his fate unknown.
– DJ Sharp from Umuele was kidnapped and is feared dead.
Needless to add that 63-year old Mr. Marcel Nwawuba, a retired Police officer was also shot and killed by these hoodlums. He was buried on the 11th of April, 2025.
In March, these gunmen stormed the burial of an aged woman, Mrs. Eunice Mgbengasha Okoro and opened fire on mourners. The burial was disrupted, as mourners fled in different directions. In that attack, three persons were shot dead including two grandchildren of the deceased.
The list of atrocities visited on the people living in this area is almost endless.
Security Forces Overwhelmed or Outgunned?
Despite repeated military operations, the gunmen boast that their fortress in Ezioha Forest, bounded by the Njaba River, is impregnable, mocking security agencies for lacking the tactical capacity to root them out.
Locals whisper in terror, afraid to speak openly, as the gunmen have spies everywhere. Those suspected, rightly or falsely, of aiding security forces face brutal reprisals – like Mr. Awilo and about 10 other young men, abducted for allegedly being informants and never seen again.
Even non-indigenes are not spared. Three Northerners, delivering a cow in a truck through the now notorious Ukwuorji-Ezioha-Amazano-Umuaka road, were seized, and locals speculate that they were beheaded and their cattle stolen.
Despair and Urgency
The people of Ezioha, Umuaka, Amakor, and surrounding communities are living under siege, their once-thriving towns now ghostly shadows of themselves. The gunmen have replaced the government, enforcing their own laws while security agencies appear helpless.
The questions most locals ask are: Where is the government?
Where is the intervention?
How many more must die before Ezioha is reclaimed from these terrorists?
The people are no longer just asking, they are begging, crying and praying for the government to wake up and decisively respond to this threat before there is no one left to save.
Time is Running Out
If the government does not move decisively and immediately, Ezioha and its neighboring communities may slip entirely into the hands of criminals, becoming another no-go area in Nigeria’s growing map of ungoverned spaces.
In the course of this investigation, it was only right and professional to protect the identity of local sources who were already enduring horrible times, living under the weight of terror. Touching also was the case of two of the locals who offered to speak to our reporter but ended up crying all through.
There was nothing more to write; the people have spoken through their tears.
Will the government listen?
