A middle-aged man, Nnabuike Okonkwo, from Ihe town, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State has been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police over his involvement in the activities of Eastern Security Network, ESN.

Our correspondent reports that ESN, a wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, was formed to protect communities following rampaging activities of Fulani herdsmen.

Ihe, in Awgu Local Government Area is one of the communities that has faced devastating activities of murderous herdsmen since the year 2020.

It was gathered that in July 2023, the community witnessed the highest level of such an onslaught, with many killed and houses razed by the attackers.

According to a community leader, Chief Gabriel Ozor, “this led to Nnabuike joining the ESN, and he was made the coordinator in the area.”

It was gathered that the mayhem continued unabated, forcing Nnabuike, who is the youth leader of his community to join IPOB/ESN as the last resort towards protecting their community.

Ozor disclosed that before the youths embraced the ESN, the frequent herdsmen attacks were reported to the police but that no action was taken.

According to him, On August 5, 2023, there was a report that the herdsmen were attacking members of our community in their farmland. So, Nnabuike mobilized his team to the farm, where they confronted the herdsmen, dismantling and destroying some of their weapons.

Nnabuike’s wife was one of those attacked by the herdsmen, to the extent that she sustained a cut in the neck and later succumbed to death due to excessive bleeding.”

“However, to our greatest shock, the police stormed our community on the same day, August 5, 2023. Nnabuike was issued with a warrant of arrest, and subsequently taken by the Awgu Regional police, Enugu State.

“He was detained till September 1, 2023 when he was released on bail. Before he was released, he was forced to sign an undertaking that he would no longer be a member of IPOB.

“However, he could not keep to that as the IPOB high command threatened to deal with him, should he quit the group. That was the dilemma he found himself in.

“On September 9, 2024 the police invaded his house again in a bid to arrest him, but he managed to escape. As it stands, the police are looking for him and the IPOB leadership are also hunting for him,” Chief Ozor lamented.

He said it was regrettable that the police had been hunting for the youth leader simply because he was protecting his community from murderous herdsmen.

According to him, “on the 14th of May, 2024, the police declared him wanted, with names and details appearing in national newspapers.”

When contacted, the spokesman of the Awgu Regional Police confirmed that Nnabuike Okonkwo is on the wanted list over his involvement in ESN activities.

He stated that Nnabuike was identified as the one who led an attack to the forest where cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen were killed.

“He is wanted to answer questions for belonging to an unlawful group, which is the ESN.

“In addition, he was also one of those that attacked Fulani herdsmen.

“We are making efforts to arrest him to have his way in court, where he will be prosecuted,” the police image maker, Daniel Ndukwe said.