Members of Idima Abam rural community in Arochukwu Council in Abia state Wednesday trooped out of their homes, dressed in black attire , carrying placards and chanting songs demanding the release of their leader, named Ezeogo Chukwu Jonah.
They protested the arrest of Ezeogo Chukwu Jonah who they stated was arrested at Security Check Point at Ntigha, along Aba/Umuahia Expressway since Wednesday 19 November , 2025 while returning from Aba, and thereafter taken to Abuja, where he has remained detained without charge to court or allowed bail.
President General of Idima Abam Mr Dike Patrick Kalu told journalists that they gathered that his arrest was ordered by the Police Headquarters following a petition lodged by an influential member of the community.
He said that the Community last week petitioned the state government through their Representative in the Abia state House of Assembly Hon Uchenna Okoro, who is also the House Majority Leader
Some of their placards read ” Release our Ezeogo, Chukwu Jonah, Ezeogo is our Liberator, Leave him alone. DIG FCID should obey the IGP Directive,
Holding our Ezeogo ( King ) is just incarcerating the whole community. Governor Alex Otti, please help Idima Abam Community, let the Police stop harassing and intimidation of innocent community Members”.
Wife of the arrested/detained Ezeogo Mrs Mary Chukwu Jonah, who confirmed that her husband was arrested on Wednesday 19th November, at Ntigha between 2 and 3 pm by the Police, taken to Life Camp Abuja Police facility, and detained there , said that he ( husband ) called her with a suspected borrowed Phone to inform her that he was arrested and taken to Abuja
The Community members who spoke in turns corroborated that there have been killings in the community by a Group that had been banned in the community.
The President General ( Dike Kalu ) said that there had been peace in Idima Abam, hence he called for the release and return of Ezeogo Jonah to sustain this peace in the community.
It was gathered that between 2017 and 2019, an alleged named group in the community murdered four members of Idima Abam community.
A credible source gave the names of the four murdered persons as ; Chief Innocent Okorie aka Bobo who was killed sometime in 2017, Mrs Oluike Agwu murdered on 16/08/2018, Mr Sampson Ihueze and Chief James Iro who both were murdered same day on 28th March 2019.
According to this source, ” these murdered victims were poor villagers who left behind widows and children that are still suffering the consequences of such gross human rights violations.
” It has been difficult to bring the murderers to justice because of the backing of their wealthy patrons.
” Specifically on 21/10/22 a group of Conscientious Idima Abam Indigenes led by Chukwu Jonah petitioned The DIG FCID, Abuja over the murders plus other Human Rights Violations.
” After several back and forth ,the Petition was eventually transferred to the FCID Enugu Office for Investigation.
” The Men sent to investigate the crime never visited any of the deceased family members. Rather, when they came to the village, they hobnobbed with the suspect’s and their sponsor and left.
” They eventually did a report to their superiors in Abuja that the principal Petitioner Chukwu Jonah gave the Police false Information.
” It is on the basis of this report that the said Petitioner is being detained in Life Camp police station without access to family members or food.
The Community expressed concern that while the sponsor of the crime was busy compromising with the police , the group of Idima Concerned Indigenes who detected the compromise and bias on the part of the team from FCID Enugu, petitioned the Speaker of the House of Representatives on 10th Dec 2024 over the conduct of the Investigators from FCID Enugu Annex.
BY GORDI UDEAJAH
