The Igbo cherish burying their deceased in their ancestral homesteads, but appeasing gunmen before doing so now has become an ?industry? where millions of naira are raked in by non-state actors. As afflictions besetting the South-East proliferate, this ugly trend, which is blossoming daily, only adds to a long list of ideas which men of the underworld are churning out in their bid to alienate and destroy the region. Worryingly, political leaders? ability to engineer sustainable solutions to emerging and novel crimes that are daily haemorrhaging the once thriving region is now forcing children to bury their dead parents and others offshore. LAWRENCE NJOKU writes on the need to curb the trend and ensure that the dead can rest in peace.

Ahead of the interment of Mazi Edwin Ohia, of Obioha-Ohia Family, in Akaeme Ohia-Uchu, Arondizuogu, in Ideato North Local Council of Imo State, on Friday, November 29, 2024, his son-in-law, and the Board Chair of International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety), Emeka Umeagbalasi, had made elaborate plans to pay his last respect to the deceased in the company of his immediate family members, friends and acquaintances.

One of the vehicles deployed for the funeral party, a branded Mitsubishi Hilux 200, which bore InterSociety?s logo, and was driven by Comrade Chike Umeh, was dispatched by Umeagbalasi to drop off his wife, Blessing; son, Chimdiebube; his sister-in-law, Chidinma, as well as, their house help in Arondizuogu, for his father in-law?s funeral, which was slated for Nov 29, 2024.

Umeh had successfully dropped all involved off and was on his way back to Onitsha, Anambra State, at about 4:30 pm when he came under attack by gunmen.

En route to Onitsha, vehicles plying the road were blocked by soldiers from making use of the Umunze-Ihite-Ndiokoliorji-Arondizuogu-Okigwe Road, hence, Umeh was forced to use a bush path, by the right side of a checkpoint mounted by operatives of the Nigerian Army. The forced diversion nearly cost Umeh and other road users their dear lives as lurking gunmen rained bullets on them.

Umeagbalasi while recounting the near-death encounter of Comrade Umeh, his long-time friend, driver, and in-law, said after the ?Counterfeit Biafra Agitators? nearly snuffed life out of Umeh, he abandoned the vehicle with the keys and bolted for his dear life ultimately ending up at the Ihite-Umunze Army Checkpoint.

The snatched vehicle was zoomed off toward Okigwe in Imo State by the armed men. It later got grounded when a local spotted it and reported it to Obioha-Ohia Family. To retrieve the vehicle from the alleged Biafran agitators, Umeagbalasi?s in-laws paid N250,000.

On Thursday, December 5, 2024, between 7.30 a.m. and 8 a.m., barely seven days after the funeral had taken place at Akaeme-Ohiauchu in Arondizuogu, the Mitsubishi Hilux was snatched for the second time at gunpoint, by another group of Biafran agitators. The incident took place at Ezinifite (Amaekwulu) Roundabout in Ezinifite-Aguata as the vehicle conveying the Umeabalasis was returning to Onitsha from Enuama-Ifite in Ezinifite, Aguata, Anambra State. The family members had returned to Ezinifite from Arondizuogu the previous day (Wednesday, December 4, 2024) following the completion of the funeral rites.

Last December, Jerome (surname withheld), an Enugu State-based auto electrician was forced to cough out N200,000 to an illegal group, Umuchineke (God?s children) before he could bury his father in Umulolo Village, Okigwe, Imo State,

?These boys warned us that we would live in perpetual regret if we proceeded to conduct the burial without settling them. So, we had to look for the money and pay them before the funeral rites were performed. We didn?t want problems because it is only a tree that will remain standing in the face of a threat. The mere sight of those boys was not a good one,? he stated.

Kelechi, a native of Ngor Okpalla in Imo State, had a close shave with death at the hands of hoodlums, who trailed him for weeks during preparations for the burial of his mother.

Sometime last December, Kelechi made purchases for the funeral in Owerri and was conveying the items to his village when he was double-crossed by some gun-wielding men, who pulled him out of his car, bundled, and tucked him into a corner of the car and zoomed off.

Ngozi Okeke, the only daughter of the family, who returned from Enugu that fateful evening, for the meeting with their kindred stood in for her older brother (Kelechi). The news of his kidnap brought the meeting to an abrupt end.

Funeral rites in Igbo land

In the first two days after the incident, members of the family were distraught as they waited for information regarding Kelechi?s whereabouts. His abductors, however, contacted the family on the third day and demanded the sum of N15 million, which they insisted must be settled if Kelechi must be released for the burial to be held.

?It took support from friends and organisations, as well as the sale of a few properties to raise the N15 million, which they insisted must comprise dollar bills and naira for my brother to regain his freedom, and for us to conduct the burial. It was not a good experience as the trauma alone was overwhelming,? she recalled.

According to her, most people who could have attended the burial refused to show up after the incident, adding that the elaborate plans they earlier made were promptly scaled down.

At the hideout, where he was held captive, Kelechi was informed how he had been on their radar from the day that his late mother?s burial plans were announced. He was also warned that the payment of the ransom was the only condition for her burial, which was slated for December 19, last year. He regained freedom a few days before his mother?s internment.

On December 31, 2024, gunmen invaded the family of Umuike Ubahuekwem, in Ihiala Local Council as they prepared to bury their mother on January 2, this year. The invasion saw the killing of seven people, including two security officials, and some artisans who were fixing things in the compound ahead of the burial.

It was gathered that the gunmen, who claimed they were enforcing a sit-at-home order, actually targeted the family for allegedly ?failing to take cognizance of them while executing their burial plans.?

Four days before the burial of his late mother, which was scheduled for Thursday, 21st November last year, a Port Harcourt, Rivers State-based architect, Asomba Egbonu was murdered by gunmen in his country home, in Nnewi Local Council of Anambra State.

The foregoing sad and despicable scenarios constitute a new and ugly dimension to the security challenges rocking the South-East as it gradually unfurls. Put differently, the demand for money made of friends, loved ones, and relatives of the dead, by non-state actors before they can bury their deceased is a novel development in a region that appears to constantly perfect ways to self-destruct.

These rampaging gunmen, The Guardian investigation revealed, specialise in abducting relatives of the dead after, which they demand a ransom before their loved ones are allowed to be interred. In some cases, failure to yield to their demands has led to the death of abducted relatives.

Some communities where the abhorrent practice has already taken root include Azia, Lilu, Ihiala, Umuchu, Ajalli, and Umunze in Anambra State, as well as Arondizuogu, Okigwe, Umulolo, and Izombe in Imo State.

Umeagbalasi, a criminologist, alleged that this criminality ?is more menacing in Imo State where two-thirds of the state?s 27 LGAs are under siege, particularly Orsu, Orlu, Njaba, Oru East, Oru West, etc., where many people no longer bury their dead. Many families from those areas have resorted to organising funerals outside their ancestral homes. Also, Anambra boundary communities around Ihiala, Nnewi South, etc including Ihiala, Orsumoghu, Lilu, Osumenyi, etc, have joined their Imo counterparts in organising funerals for their dead loved ones. In Onitsha and environs where I reside, I have witnessed at least 10 such funeral ceremonies between June and December 2024, including two in the compound where I reside.?

The Executive Director of Daniel Ukwu Leadership Foundation (DULF), Mr. Dan Ukwu, while condemning the development, however, stated that the non-state actors go as far as laying down other conditions before the dead are buried in some communities.

?These criminals don?t just stop at giving you a bill to pay; they caution mourners against playing music; against firing cannons, and against bringing uniformed security officials around venues of funeral rites. I experienced it last year during the burial of a friend?s father in Umulolo, Okigwe. In this case, they did not kidnap anybody, rather they negotiated with my friend?s family. They came on the eve of the burial, collected their money among other things, and left. We managed to bury his father, and I left the area the same day,? he said

Ukwu, who noted that the trend was a new dimension in the security challenges in the region, stated that the boys had previously removed roofing sheets and other fittings in public buildings, which they sold in the guise of using the money to procure guns and bullets for their operations.

?This is aside from other levies that they impose on the people from time to time. Among others, they claim to be in bushes protecting the farmlands, as well as claim to be liberators. Now, tell me about the sense in it that you enter a facility and destroy what serves the needs of the people and turn back to insist that you are serving the people. It is unfortunate,? he said.

Asked whether the trend could discourage people from wanting to bury their dead in villages, he said: ?I really don?t see it discouraging people; rather it will whittle down those activities associated with burials in Igboland. What would happen is that people would be more careful when planning funerals for their loved ones so that they won?t be noticed. Additionally, they would mind the type of people that they invite, as well as the things that they do. Expectedly, the trend will increase the cost of burials.?

He however added that such development was not good for the economy of the region as according to him, ?burial activities have a way of boosting businesses where it is taking place. But when people cannot freely attend such burials, you are not likely to get its impact on the economy of a place.?

Baring his mind on the issue, a university teacher, Dr. Jeffery Ama, stated that making demands on families of the dead as a condition for burial is a new angle to the criminality perpetrated by criminal elements in the zone, stressing that it was another of their survival strategies.

?Before now, these criminals were quartered in bushes and community forests, but now, they are putting calls across to owners of good-looking property in communities asking them to pay certain amounts as ransom or have their property razed down. While some claim to be the ones protecting the property, they also inform the property owners that whatever payment is made is meant to support them in the realisation of the Biafra Republic, as well as, to stop herdsmen from invading farmlands in the South-East.

?Because you don?t want anything to happen to your property or your relatives in the village, you are forced by circumstances to accede to their demands. However, it increasingly appears that most people are tired of the antics of these criminals, and are no longer ready to comply with their demands, especially when developments have shown that these are criminals parading as Biafra agitators. This, in part, explains why they are devising new strategies of imposing demands on families or relatives of the dead. The way they now operate would readily tell you that they are criminals and nothing more,? he stated.

Ama, a senior lecturer in the Department of Public Administration at a private university, stated that because of what is happening, elaborate burials no longer happen in some communities to avoid clashes with the hoodlums.

?I know that in some of these communities that share boundaries with Anambra and Imo states, you cannot bury the dead without settling these hoodlums? demands, and they don?t care if you are inconvenienced or not. All that they want is the money,? he added.

Abduction of grieving relatives for ransom is an abominable act, not agitation for Biafra

THE leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Uchenna Madu, is livid that the activities of affected non-state actors, who go by various names were not in tandem with MASSOB?s aspirations, neither do they reflect the yearnings of Ndigbo.

?These gunmen claim to be fighting for the actualisation of Biafra while engaging in criminalities such as kidnapping for ransom, killings, maiming, and causing more fear, havoc, and insecurity in Igbo land. It is unacceptable and remains condemned. The foundation of the current Biafra self-determination struggle was laid on the principles of non-violence. MASSOB and the coalition of pro-Biafra organisations still maintain and uphold it,? Madu stated

On the implication of the new trend in society, Madu stated that southeasterners are becoming more jittery and living in fear, adding that unless something was done fast, ?very soon relatives may no longer want to bring back their dead for burial in the villages for fear of being kidnapped or attacked. However, putting additional burden on grieving relatives in the course of burial will attract curse.?

Funeral rite

For the President of the Coalition of Southeast Youth Leaders (COSEYL), Goodluck Ibem, developments of this nature have continued to fuel the call for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

?It is saddening that these gunmen are now exploiting and extorting money from grieving families by demanding payment before they can bury their dead. This behaviour is wicked, and barbaric and should be condemned in any sane society. It is an act of criminality weaved around the fight for Biafra just as it is of no essence to the struggle for Biafra realisation.?

The National Coordinator of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Comrade Ibuchukwu Ezike, while condemning the development as ?an abominable act,? added that ?Ndigbo respect the dead. If people indulge in this abomination, the obvious implication is that the gods will become angry and this can lead to strange things happening. Such strange things include illnesses and deaths among others. People these days do so many evil and despicable things all in the name of making wealth and becoming prosperous and notoriously popular. Acts like these are sacrilegious in Igbo land, and are usually punished by these strange happenings.?

He continued: ?I am not a spiritualist, but stories of strange things happening when such ugly events take place abound in Igbo land in which case elders usually consult with the oracles to find out solutions to the malady. To solve such anomalies, a lot of sacrifices are usually made to earth goddesses and other gods to appease them.?

The IPOB has, at various times dissociated its members from acts of criminality going on in the region in the name of Biafra, stressing that it is not a violent group, and would not subject people to unnecessary hardship.

Re-echoing this, its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful stated that the IPOB is against any form of criminality and shall collaborate where necessary with local security outfits to drive away criminal elements the same way it had driven away killer herdsmen from Biafraland.

A businesswoman, Mrs. Nkechi Ezema, who never understood the severity of extracting ransom from mourners until she experienced it first-hand said: ?I never knew that the situation was that bad until one of our in-laws died in Lilu Community, Ihiala Local Council. It was then that we started hearing that we must keep the burial as low as possible to avoid anything that could attract these boys to the place. It was a burial that my family was supposed to attend and pay their last respect. But because of the fears that the activities of these boys have generated, we could not attend the funeral as no one was prepared to be part of an event where his/her security and safety were not guaranteed. So, we avoided the burial and sent in our support to the family,? she stated.

She said that how these gun-wielding boys strip residents of their valuables was an indication that ?all the while, they were not fighting for the restoration of Biafra, but for their selfish ends,? adding: ?You can see that they have intensified efforts at kidnapping for ransom when they realised that the people have started losing interest in the struggle for Biafra republic.?

She continued: ?In Igboland, we mourn our dead; we pay tributes to them as a mark of respect, but when the people are no longer free to do so, it is a very disturbing and disheartening development. We cannot continue this way. These are hoodlums whose stock in trade is being exposed daily. So, security agencies should not allow them to continue to thrive in this illegality.?

Last December, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety), in a 282-page report, titled: Ocean Of Innocent Blood Flowing In Eastern Nigeria, catalogued a myriad of atrocities, including maiming and killing orchestrated by both state and non-state actors in the region since August 2015.

It claimed that within this period, ?the Nigerian Security Forces (NSFs) unlawfully killed 32,300 defenceless citizens, abducted, tortured, and enforced the disappearance of thousands; burned down or razed 6,000 civilian homes valued at over N450 billion; raided 300 defenceless Igbo communities; sacked their 180,000 inhabitants; and frightened and forced over one million others to flee their homes.

While Umeagbalasi described state governments in the region as being ?inactive and virtually chasing shadows? as far as the security of lives and property is concerned, he further alleged that both armed state actors and armed non-state actors are culpable in the insecurity that is tearing apart the once peaceful region.

A security consultant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, aligned with Umeagbalasi, maintaining that governors in the region have not done enough to protect lives and property.

?These individual efforts by the governors cannot solve insecurity in the region even though Enugu is making inroads with technology. I also heard that residents will soon start paying security levies among other things. These things can be more effective if it is being replicated in Anambra and Ebonyi states. This is because there is no way Enugu can be peaceful when Anambra State is boiling. Somehow, you will experience flashes of those unpleasant situations as much as the states are not doing the same thing.?

On non-state actors waylaying relatives of the dead or imposing levies on them as a condition to bury their dead, the expert asked: ?How many police officials do we have in our communities? There is a major concentration of security personnel in the urban areas, and this has made it possible for hoodlums to engage with the communities and go scot-free.

?Imposing fines on relatives of the dead, kidnapping them, and holding them hostage until payment is made as a condition to bury their dead is criminality. It thrives because there is an absolute loss of confidence in government security operatives. So, in order not to fall victim to the antics of these non-state actors, people are prepared to negotiate with them and pay to bury their dead. It is a bad omen, but it is thriving because there is a loss of confidence in our security officials.

That notwithstanding, the governments of Imo and Anambra states (the two states heavily impacted by the menace) have continued to respond to security threats by beefing up security in their domain. Only recently, the police in Imo State stated that it arrested about 658 criminal suspects and would do more to make the state safe. Both the Imo and Anambra governments have also put in place a reward system for those who volunteer information about kidnappers and their activities.

In Anambra State, at a crowded event at Awka, recently, Governor Charles Soludo, unveiled the Anambra Homeland Security Law 2025, and launched a special security operation, code-named ?Operation Udo Ga-Achi? in response to rising security threats in the state.

Without denying knowledge of mourners being stripped by criminal elements, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Henry Okoye, stated that the command ?can only act when such a report is brought to its knowledge. So, if there is anyone with such a report, the person should come up and say so.?

On his part, the Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra State, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, denied knowledge of such happenings. ?There is no such report before me,? he said. (The Guardian)

Update news