Former Labour Party governorship candidate in Imo State, Senator Athan Nneji Achonu, has described the abduction of Ngozi Ogbu, a former legislator in the state, as an assault on Igbo values, culture, and humanity.
Ogbu, who represented Okigwe State Constituency in the assembly, was abducted at Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo State on September 7.
He was said to be preparing for the burial of his late mother, whose remains are still in the mortuary.
Ogbu, in a now-viral video released on Saturday night, was seen appealing to the Imo State government and security agencies to immediately withdraw security operatives from a place called the White House in Okigwe Local Government Area, which had come under the control of insurgents.
In the clip, the armed man, who claimed to be a member of the Biafra Liberation Army, vowed to kill Ogbu if authorities and villagers fail to withdraw security operatives reportedly deployed in the White House area of Okigwe on Tuesday.
Achonu, in a statement, condemned the act and demanded Ogbu’s immediate release, stressing that no true son of Igbo land should resort to kidnapping or robbery.
He described the incident as a direct assault on Igbo values, culture, and humanity.
“No true Biafran should ever resort to kidnapping or punishing fellow Igbos who have already suffered enough in this country. Any son of Igbo land who engages in kidnapping and robbery brings shame to his family and community, and must be exposed and rejected because that is not who we are”, he stated.
The Senator appealed directly to those holding Ogbu, stressing the emotional weight of the situation:
He said, “I appeal directly to those holding Hon. Ngozi Ogbu, whose aged mother lies in the mortuary awaiting burial, to release him immediately and allow him the dignity of laying her to rest.”
He also challenged the logic of targeting innocent citizens instead of engaging the government through legitimate means.
He said: “If there are grievances against government, let them be channelled to the appropriate authorities, not by tormenting innocent people. And what government are we even referring to? A government whose leaders live and work from Abuja, only to disappear to London, Paris, or wherever they can wave at the President? Is this what our society has become?”
Senator Achonu further decried what he described as a breakdown of moral values and cultural respect, saying, “Have we truly lost respect for motherhood, for the dead, and for our ancestors? In the name of God Almighty and the spirits of our forefathers, I plead: let Hon. Ngozi Ogbu go home to his family and to bury his mother.”
Achonu called for an urgent and comprehensive security overhaul in Imo State.
He stressed that unless deliberate action is taken to strengthen local intelligence networks, empower community policing, and hold public officials accountable, “the cycle of bloodshed, fear, and criminality will only worsen.”
“The time has come to move beyond empty rhetoric. Our people deserve safety, dignity, and peace.
I call on both the Federal and State Governments, as well as our traditional institutions, to work together in building a security architecture that protects ordinary citizens”, he added.
