A 51-year-old father of three, Gilbert Obinwa, tells IKENNA OBIANERI how his son’s disappearance since he was allegedly whisked away by security agents, who invaded his house on April 24, 2022, has affected his family
What do you do for a living?
I am a public servant. I hail from Okpo community in Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. I am 51 years old. I am married with three children – two male and a female.
It was reported that one of your sons was arrested by security agents about a year ago, but you do not know his whereabouts. Can you narrate how it happened?
It is very true. It happened on Sunday, April 24, 2022, around 2pm. I came back from the church and was relaxing in the backyard when suddenly five heavily armed security agents stormed my compound and started walking round the whole place. Two of them walked straight to the back of the compound, two others went inside, while one was outside. The whole thing was playing out like a movie to me.
How many of them stormed your residence?
I don’t know the exact number. Some of them stayed back in the vehicles they came with and I don’t know how many of them were inside the vehicles. I am very sure of the five officers who entered the compound, the rest were outside and inside their vehicles.
Did they tell you their mission?
They said they were looking for my first son, as they kept ransacking the whole place; all the rooms in my house were ransacked that day, but they did not see the person they said they were looking for. Not satisfied that they didn’t see him, they went away with my second son and another boy they met in the sitting room that day, as well as a motorcyclist, and till today, we have yet to set our eyes on any of them.
Were their vehicles branded?
Yes. They came in one Toyota Sienna and a red Toyota Camry. The Sienna had multiple colours and ‘Awkuzu CID’ was written on it, but nothing was written on the Camry.
Where did they say they came from?
They said they were from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awkuzu.
Were they in uniform?
They wore camouflage with armless jackets.
Did you ask them where they were taking the boys to?
In fact, I was very confused. When my daughter tried to ask them where they were taking the boys, they replied, “If you ask us that question again, we will send you to your ancestors.” The girl had to keep quiet and that was how we watched as they whisked the boys away.
Do you know the boy and the motorcyclist they met at home and their connection with your son?
The boy they went away with along with my second son is the apprentice of my first son. He came home that afternoon to collect something for his boss. The motorcyclist was the person that brought him that afternoon and he was waiting for him outside the compound so that he could take him back to where they were coming from before the policemen stormed the place. The security officers took away my son and the other boy in the compound and as they were going, took the motorcyclist along also on April 24, 2022. We have not seen or heard from any of them since then. Their mobile phone lines have remained switched off since then.
What is the name of your son taken away and how old is he?
His name is Maduabuchi Obinwa and he is 22 years old. He is a student.
You said the security agents came looking for your first son. How old is that one and what is his occupation?
He is 31 years old. He is a native doctor. He uses herbs to cure people of sicknesses, treat wounds and set bones, and also takes care of pregnant women. The security agents did not respond to enquiries from anyone, not even me. They threatened anybody that dared to ask, including my wife. The way they came in a commando-like style with heavy arms, no one could dare ask them a question a second time. They were just ransacking the whole place, maybe thinking he hid somewhere.
Where was your son on that day?
He went to attend to a patient who needed his attention.
Does he live with you?
Yes.
When he came back, did you find out from him why the security agents were looking for him?
I did and on several occasions, he said he was not aware of any reason the police were looking for him. And the police have not come back again to check since then.
How has your son’s absence affected you and your family?
Life has not remained the same with me and my wife. Life has been very horrible. Every day, we visit the hospital because of my wife’s condition; the situation (my son’s absence) left her with high blood pressure, which has become both financial and physical burden on me. The thought that one’s child has been missing alone puts one down. I am like a walking corpse. It has been very traumatic for me and my wife and the rest of the family.
What efforts have you made to find your son and the two others?
We have been to almost all the police facilities that we know of in the state without any success. We have been to Awkuzu state CID on several occasions, but they told us that the children were not there. The painful aspect is that we have spent a lot of money on this process. This is because each time we visited any of the police facilities, we were made to pay between N20,000 and N50,000 before they gave us attention, and at the end of the day, we won’t get a positive outcome. Whenever I called my son’s phone, it indicates that it is switched off. Before the elections, we went to the Zone 13 police headquarters in Ukpo, but they did not attend to us. When we came back, we were advised by a legal practitioner to write a petition to the police authorities in Abuja and complain officially. We were in the process before last Saturday’s elections and now that the first phase of the elections is over, we will continue the process.
Are you optimistic that your son is still alive?
Yes. I believe my son is still alive and something strongly tells me that he is still alive. I just want to know where he is.
What of those that were taken along with him that day?
All the affected families are together looking for them. Recently, some people used a device to track their phones. The tracker indicated that their phones were in a bush in Nteje. We called the attention of the police to provide cover for us so that we could trace the phones inside the bush because that place is deadly, but the police refused to go with us. That bush is a very dangerous place. It is located near the Awkuzu Police Station and it is believed that is the place where corpses of victims of police extrajudicial killings are dumped.
Are you aware that the Inspector-General of Police has set up a panel to investigate allegations of extrajudicial killings by some police officers in the state?
I heard about it in the media and it is a very welcome development. It will go a long way in sanitising the police in the state. I am not the only one in this condition; many people are. A lot of people I know have fallen victim to circumstances at the hands of the police in the state. Look at how they invaded my home and took away my boy and two other people about a year ago. It is very pathetic.
What are your expectations from the IG panel?
My expectations are that they will do a thorough job and ensure justice is served for those innocent people, and families that have fallen victim just as we have.
If you are invited to testify, will you honour the invitation?
It depends on where the panel will sit. If it is in Anambra, I will like to testify so that the authorities hear my side of the story and do whatever they can do to locate my son and the two others that the police took away in April 2022. They should tell us their offences and why they were taken away.
