By Olayinka Ajayi
A cousin to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr Gedion Okoye, has narrated how his relative, Mr Okwudiri Ndurue, was forced to flee Nigeria after years of persecution, harassment, and threats to his life.
Okoye, a native of Nike, Enugu State, described Ndurue, who hails from Amachara clan in Akokwa Town, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, as a once-thriving businessman whose life took a tragic turn after he became deeply involved in IPOB activities.
He explained that Ndurue, who ran both an ICT company and a cosmetics store, joined IPOB in 2015, motivated by concerns about the political and economic marginalisation of the Igbo people. His business frustrations, especially the absence of a seaport in the Southeast that forced importers to depend on Lagos, further strengthened his activism.
Okoye said his cousin quickly rose to prominence as a community leader, organising peaceful rallies and protests. However, this made him a target of security operatives.
According to him, on May 19, 2020, security forces raided Ndurue’s ancestral home in Akokwa during the night. The operation, he alleged, was aimed at eliminating him, similar to the 2017 attack on IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu’s residence. Ndurue narrowly escaped after scaling a fence with the help of neighbors and sympathizers.
The raid, however, came at a heavy cost for his family. His aged uncle, in his nineties, died the next day, allegedly from torture or shock. His mother, traumatised by the uncertainty surrounding her son, slipped into a coma shortly after and died in September 2020.
Ndurue’s father, left alone in the village, now depends on community and church support. Meanwhile, his business collapsed. His cosmetics shop in Awomanma was razed by security forces, and his vehicles seized, wiping out years of hard work.
Okoye further alleged that the crackdown on his cousin has not ceased. “Security forces continue to monitor his home, and his name has been blacklisted at Nigerian borders and ports, making any return extremely dangerous,” he said.
The worsening situation eventually forced Ndurue to flee Nigeria in February 2023. He left behind his wife, who currently stays under the care of a Reverend Sister in a Catholic convent.
Okoye added that the wider Akokwa-Arondizuogu area has suffered greatly in recent months. Since July 2025, he said, security operatives have intensified operations in the axis, abducting or killing more than 20 young men suspected of IPOB ties.
“The once vibrant communities have become ghost towns, with many youths fleeing to escape harassment and extrajudicial killings,” Okoye lamented.
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