•No one can recall his childhood or family house

Since the leader of the Biafra Zionist Movement (BZM) now Biafra Zionist Front, Mr.  Benjamin Onwuka claimed responsibility for the March 8 attack on Enugu Government House, so many people have longed to know more about the man with such boldness.

But with the police declaring him wanted, it has become even more difficult getting to know who actually is this new protagonist of the Biafra struggle as former neighbours are afraid to talk or discuss what kind of person Onwuka has been.

While the police are searching for the man who claimed to have seized the Enugu Government House for several hours, hoisting the Biafra flag in the process, Saturday Sun has made efforts, including sending out reporters to villages and towns in some South-East states to dig into the profile of this new ‘freedom fighter’ from the region.

The first port of call was Amorji Nike, the last known residence of Ben Onwuka before he was said to have relocated to somewhere in Enugu main township.

A man, who was Ben’s neighbour at Amorji Nike and who would not want his name in print, was visibly afraid of talking to the press. “Ben doesn’t talk too much; you hardly know what is on his mind. He likes little children and likes to help people. He is a quiet man who spends most time on his own; he also spends so much time reading the Bible. He doesn’t look like one who could lead such an attack on the Enugu Government House; he is too quiet for such action”, the neighbour disclosed after much persuasion.

Another, who was his neighbour where he sold engine oil along the Nike Lake road, in the Abakpa Ike area of Enugu, will also describe Ben as a very quiet man and one who doesn’t look like he will hurt a fly. “He is a good and kind man who will always want to help people in times of trouble.”

Another activist of Biafra National Congress, BNC, Samuel Edeson, said he had worked with Ben in the struggle before they went their separate ways.

Further investigations revealeds that Ben Onwuka was living in London until few years ago when he returned to Nigeria to push the struggle for freedom under an organisation known as Biafra Zionist Party, BZP.

“His plans to launch the Biafra Zionist Party at Okpara Square, Enugu that same year in 2010 were thwarted by security agents who got wind of the programme. He went back to London and later returned to Nigeria again after some months.

When he came back the second time, he changed the name Biafra Zionist Party to Biafra Zionist Movement, BZM.”

On his return from London, Ben was introduced to Edeson. Recalling how they met and what led to their parting of ways, Edeson said Ben’s choice of using force to attain the goal of their Biafra struggle ended their collaboration.

According to him: “We met in Enugu and discussed the struggle and the way forward over the continued marginalization of the Igbos. That was how I came to know him.

“I was a member of MASSOB before I left the movement based on principles. So, someone gave him my number and told him that this is someone he can meet that is reliable.

“He did not come with a single member; but he told us that he has links with Israel, that he is a member of World Zionist Federation, member of America Israeli Political Account Committee and so on. So, he told us that he had so much links outside but he didn’t come to Nigeria with a single person.

“We started BZM and people started joining until a stage when we parted. We had a misunderstanding; he actually refused to take advice. He is a man who will do what he wants to do no matter what others think of such an action.  I told him that I have been on ground; that I have been in the struggle for many years with MASSOB and having been in the system that we don’t do things that will cause problems and affect the security of our people.

“There are some utterances that can cause problems; for instance, when you know you don’t even have a razor blade, you now tell people that you are going to pull down the wall of Jericho. Our style had always been the non-violent approach but he believes freedom can only be achieved with force, either through threats or otherwise. So, our problem started on November 5 when they were arrested.

“So, he was alone when he came back to Nigeria; even when he was in prison nobody came to visit him. Onwuka has no structure of his own but relied on those on the ground; most of us who believe in the freedom of our people, we followed him when he came.

“If he attacked Government House, Enugu, then that is foolishness; because when I read about it and later heard that he claimed responsibility, it dawned on me that he has no clear cut vision of what he wants. He went to Government House with about 50 men to take over; when he takes over Enugu Government House what of Abia, Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and other parts of Biafra territory? And you cannot take over government house with 50 men; what if a troop from Awkunanaw barracks descended on them?

“So, this has always been his problem; it started when he wanted to declare Biafra, we said no, that what we should rather be working towards is creating awareness about the marginalization of our people. But he said he was going ahead with the declaration on November 5, 2012. That he was marching to Radio Nigeria, Enugu and when he gets there, he will overpower the people there and begin to address the world. This caused a heated argument and some of us decided to stay behind because we were aware of the implications of what he wanted to do; it was tantamount to a suicide mission. Fortunately or unfortunately, he was arrested before he got to Radio Nigeria and they were taken to prison.

“Onwuka has no family; but he has relations. He has two or three children in London with different women from different countries. He is from Oka Item in Abia State; his parents are no longer alive but he has brothers.”

Armed with what seems to be a good dosage of information provided by his friend, the search for Ben Onwuka who did not only coordinate the March 8 attack on the Enugu State Government House with the sole reason of reconfirming the independence of Biafra but also gave an ultimatum that Nigeria must vacate Biafran territories by March 31, the search for his root shifted to Abia especially Item in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.

The search began with visits to prominent sons and daughters of Item leaving in Aba the commercial hub of Abia State which happened to be the city where majority of his people live outside their home town. This was in addition to visits to groups and organisations formed by people from the area. The first shocker came when none of the people and groups visited appeared to know the man who made headlines recently for the wrong reason. Onwuka Igwe’s name sounded strange to them despite the fact that he started with MASSOB in Aba before relocating to Enugu where he later formed BZF.

Believing that if the BZF leader who took the nation by the storm last month was not known by his people in Aba, he must in line with the dictum that charity begins at home, at least, surely be known by his people way back home where he was supposed to have grown up and as such should not only be popular, but also command followership.

As a result, Saturday Sun set out for a journey to Item on Palm Sunday, April 13. The day was carefully chosen to make sure that the people who are mainly farmers were at home. The journey began from Aba and the distance of about 100 km took over two hours due to bad roads. By 11 am, the reporter was already at Okoko Item, the first village coming in from the state capital, Umuahia. What was to unfold in search of the BZF leader’s root was another surprise as nobody in the community knows who Onwuka is. However, a man who runs a restaurant in the area came up with what looked like a lifeline. “Go to Amaokwe (the next village), opposite the canteen, you will find the family of the man you are talking about”, he said with every assurance.

Out of the ecstasy of achieving the aim of travelling to the sleepy community, the reporter without hesitation headed towards Amaokwe Item and within few minutes, was already inside the canteen called ‘Unu Letukwa’. At the local canteen owned by a young man, was a lady in her early 30s who appeared to be managing the place for her brother.

The BZF leader’s family home was supposed to be directly opposite the canteen going by the direction given at Okoko. Without wasting time, the reporter inquired from the lady about the Onwuka family house. “I don’t know anybody within this area because we don’t live here but my elder brother should be in a position to direct you, but he went to Church, if you can exercise a little patience, he will be of help to you”, the lady assured.

After about two hours of waiting, at 1.30pm precisely, a young man who was clutching a Bible under his armpit and holding a cross-shaped palm frond on his right hand, strolled into the canteen which occupies a sizeable two rooms with enough laid-out space at the back for relaxation. “That’s my brother I told you about, I have told him about your mission and he would soon join you”, said the lady.

After exchange of pleasantries, the young man pointed to a building opposite his canteen and said: “That is the house of the man you are looking for, he is the traditional ruler of this place.”

With that direction, it is assumed that the BZF leader’s father is a monarch. Although the traditional ruler was not in, one of his aides, however, declared that our search was a case of mistaken identity. “Although the traditional ruler’s name is Onwuka but no one here bears the other names you mentioned, you may look for him somewhere else”, the aide said.

Confusion crept in. Within some minutes, a young man who claimed to know the Onwuka we came looking for his family, directed us to Akanu, another village in Item. At Akanu, the supposed home of Ben Onwuka, the story remained the same. Not even the occupants of the house we were told was theirs knew him, a prophet you will say not known in his home town.  The most intriguing aspect of the visit was that not even one person in the community appears to know what Biafra Zionist Front (BZF) was all about, let alone being a member. “We know about MASSOB but we have not heard about the BZF and I doubt if anybody is a member in the whole of Item”, said a man who claimed to be an activist.

With this, Saturday Sun decided to comb Aba for some MASSOB members who might know Onwuka. There, Chief Sam Ike, former national director of mobilization, MASSOB, now the leader of United Eastern Congress (UEC) provided some hints. “I knew Ben Onwuka since 2001 during our days in MASSOB. I did not know him as a bad man or as someone who is violent because we all at that time agreed that we would go about the struggle in non-violent manner.

One thing is that you can see the face of a human being, but you cannot know what is in the inner mind.  But as I said, someone can change overnight.”

Ike stressed that one thing that went for  Onwuka then was his intelligence, as he claimed that the BZF leader was very intelligent.

“One thing with Onwuka is that he used to be a coolheaded person who never for one day castigated or disagreed with the modus operandi of MASSOB, and that is its non-violent approach, therefore I was surprised when I heard he had left the group and that he is trying to bring violence into the struggle.

“I personally do not believe in violence, I can not say that he has deviated from the non-violent approach we had been associated with over the years but there was a purpose for what he did and I think only him can explain that. If he had met me earlier before that attack, I could have told him not to be violent which will never yield the desired result as far as the struggle is concerned because the international  community  will see you  as a threat and anybody who wanted to support will not do that again.

Onwuka should drop the idea of being violent in actualizing his dream since if you are violent in the struggle, those people you want to secure their freedom, you end up killing them”, Ike said of Onwuka.


Source: Sun