Amnesty International Demands Release of Imo Man Abducted by Police Since 2021

A 47-year-old father of five, Chidiebere Luke Echefu, has been missing for nearly four years after he was allegedly abducted by men in uniform from his residence in Owerri, Imo State, in the early hours of November 7, 2021.

His family believes he is being held by Nigerian security forces, but all attempts to locate him have so far failed.

According to Amnesty International, Echefu, who hails from Umugwano Umuchekekwe in Onuimo Local Government Area, was taken around 3:00 a.m. by about six armed men who forcibly entered his home and questioned him over alleged links to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group proscribed by the Nigerian government.

His wife, a 41-year-old schoolteacher who witnessed the abduction, recounted the harrowing ordeal.

“They broke into our flat and demanded his phone immediately. My children were terrified. As I tried to calm them down, they handcuffed my husband and whisked him away without identifying themselves,” she told Amnesty International.

Following his disappearance, the family visited all police stations in Owerri, as well as the Department of State Services (DSS) office in the city, but were told he was not in custody. On January 2, 2022, a lawyer claimed to have seen Echefu at DSS headquarters in Abuja, but when the family travelled there, DSS officials denied holding him.

“I was four months pregnant when he was taken,” his wife said. “The child is now over a year and four months old, but my husband has never seen the baby. No one in the family has been allowed any access to him, and we don’t even know where he is.”

Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to provide answers regarding Echefu’s whereabouts and to respect due process and the rights of detainees under national and international law.

As of today, Chidiebere Luke Echefu remains missing, and his family continues to demand justice and his immediate release.