Human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has condemned the abduction and brutal murder of Ifesinachi Onyekwelu, popularly known as “Fish Magnet,” in Awka, Anambra State.
In a statement issued on Saturday titled Saturday Musing: When Silence Becomes Complicity The Grim Reality of Insecurity in Ala Igbo; Time to Rise or Perish, Ejiofor described the incident as deeply tragic and a painful reminder of the growing insecurity in the region.
He lamented that the young man’s killing was not only senseless but especially heartbreaking, as Ifesinachi was the only son of his family. According to Ejiofor, the murder has devastated the family beyond repair and plunged the entire community into mourning.
“The people of Ala Igbo must not deceive themselves,” Ejiofor warned. “This is not an isolated tragedy. It is a symptom of a larger and deadlier disease that is eating deep into the soul of Igbo land.”
He further decried what he described as a disturbing trend in which crime is romanticized, murderers are protected, and barbaric acts are justified by wild conspiracy theories spread through social media.
The statement reads:
The brutal abduction and subsequent killing of Ifesinachi Onyekwelu, popularly known as “Fish Magnet” in Awka, Anambra State, is yet another chilling reminder that our homeland is bleeding, and we are running out of time to act.
Just last week, social media was awash with heart-wrenching reports of how this promising young man was kidnapped in his own home at Ezinifite community, Okpuno, Awka South LGA, during a late-night invasion by gunmen. He was whisked away and later gruesomely murdered, despite an undisclosed ransom being paid. The most devastating part? Ifesinachi was the only son of his family. One life brutally snuffed out, a family shattered beyond repair, and a community thrown into mourning.
I condemn this dastardly act in the strongest possible terms. I call on the Governor of Anambra State, security agencies, and every community stakeholder to rise to the occasion; not merely to issue statements, but to act decisively: hunt down these murderers, bring them to justice, and urgently strengthen the security architecture to forestall further bloodshed.
But let us not deceive ourselves, this is more than an isolated tragedy. It is a symptom of a larger, deadlier disease that is eating deep into the soul of Ala Igbo. A disturbing trend where crime is romanticized, killers are shielded, and absurd conspiracy theories are peddled on social media to justify barbarity.
Some people, hiding behind faceless accounts, shamelessly defend these murderers. Others spin reckless narratives, like the laughable claim that the gunmen who killed over 20 innocent souls in Arondizuogu were “Fulani herdsmen” who mastered Igbo language.” What a tragic delusion! Must death knock at your door before you accept reality?
And then there is the digital complicity, the growing chorus of voices online excusing or minimizing the bloodbath ravaging Imo State and other parts of the Southeast. Many victims remain silent, paralyzed by fear, while some communities, particularly in the Okigwe axis, have literally been conquered by criminal gangs who now dictate life and death within their domains.
The most frightening part? The reckless energy our own people expend defending these killers. When you shield murderers because they are your kinsmen, you embolden them. When you justify kidnappings under the guise of “ethnic pride,” you leave the gates wide open for the real external aggressors, like armed herdsmen, whose invasion will come when we are weakest and most divided.
Let this be crystal clear: crime is crime, no matter who commits it. A criminal is not a hero. Anyone involved in these heinous acts must be decisively dealt with, without ethnic excuses, without sympathy, and without protection under any guise.
To my dismay, only yesterday, I saw a report purportedly authored by alleged Umuaka community, trying desperately to downplay the scale of kidnappings and killings in their area. I ask: what message are we sending to a people who now live under siege, a community where fear is the new normal?
The hard truth is this: security is not the responsibility of government alone. It is a collective duty. Sadly, the conventional security architecture appears to have abandoned hapless citizens of Imo State to their fate, either by willful act of dereliction of duty, compromise, or collusion. But we, as a people, cannot, and must not, abandon ourselves.
This is a wake-up call. If we do not unite against this evil now, it will consume us all. Tomorrow, it could be your brother. Your sister. Your only son. The time to act is now."
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