A joint security operation involving police and members of the state-backed Ebubeagu outfit has led to the destruction of the family home of a wanted separatist figure in southeastern Nigeria.
The raid took place in the early hours of Sunday in Umuocheta, a village in Amiri, Imo State. According to local sources, heavily armed personnel arrived in a convoy of vehicles and set fire to the residence of Thaddeus Amuzienwa Obidiegwu, a man identified by Nigerian authorities as a senior figure in the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement.
Mr Obidiegwu was not present at the time of the operation. His elderly mother and two grandchildren, who were in the house during the raid, managed to escape unhurt but have since been displaced.
A resident who witnessed the incident told the BBC: “They stormed the compound before sunrise. There were gunshots, shouting, and then the fire. The whole house was gone within minutes.”
Efforts to reach the Imo State Police Command for an official comment were unsuccessful. However, a senior officer in the Zone 9 Police Command in Umuahia, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the raid and described it as part of ongoing operations aimed at dismantling IPOB’s command structure in the region.
IPOB, which has been campaigning for the creation of an independent Biafran state, was designated a terrorist organisation by Nigeria’s federal government in 2017. While the group insists it is pursuing non-violent agitation, authorities have accused it of orchestrating attacks on security forces and public infrastructure.
Eyewitness accounts and reports from rights groups have raised concerns over the methods employed by Ebubeagu and other security agencies during such operations. Civil society organisations have documented incidents of alleged human rights violations, including arson, extrajudicial arrests, and intimidation of civilians.
Mrs Obidiegwu, the mother of the wanted man, said her family had lost everything in the attack. “My grandchildren are now sleeping in a church. Our home is gone. We don’t know what we did to deserve this,” she told reporters, visibly distressed.
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has called for an independent investigation into the raid and the broader conduct of security operations in southeastern Nigeria, warning that continued abuses could inflame tensions further.
Mr Obidiegwu’s whereabouts remain unknown. Police notices describe him as a key coordinator within IPOB’s hierarchy, allegedly involved in activities across Imo and neighbouring states.
The raid has heightened anxiety in the Orlu region, a known flashpoint in the ongoing agitation for Biafran independence.
