Organizing At The Intersection Of Culture And Generational Courage

Nnedi Stephens; Image: Reno Gazette Journal

BY NNEDI STEPHENS

“... when we are comfortable and inattentive, we run the risk of committing grave injustices absentmindedly.” - Chinua Achebe

These powerful words, as well as their author, strike home for me as the eldest of Nigerian immigrants and as a candidate for public office. My core mission and my vision for change as a community organizer, public servant, unionized campaign staffer and now progressive hiring specialist has centered on doing everything I can to make the levers of power more accessible to communities that have been traditionally marginalized.

My name is Nnedi Stephens and I am running a campaign for State Senate District 13 that embodies the core values of accessibility, inclusion and transparency.

This district encompasses the section of the Reno/Sparks metro area one block west of the University of Nevada, Reno down toward the Plumas/Moana area, eastward to the section of Sparks that borders Hidden Valley and upwards toward McCarran Blvd. We are facing devastating challenges that are making it harder to live and raise families here. Median rent and home prices are skyrocketing. The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing issues such as the health care provider and teacher shortages, as well as the lack of access to affordable mental health care — especially for those in crisis.

These are tough issues to properly address because so much of their root causes are systemic. Low wages and long hours for teachers and educational faculty, the stigmatization of seeking treatment for mental illness, and the structural wealth inequality we see between Black, Indigenous, People of Color and their white counterparts are keeping our communities from reaching their truest potential. I am running to bring new energy to Carson City and help build the coalitions of stakeholders needed to tackle these problems head on. The beginning words I shared from Chinua Achebe are a call to action to ensure that none of us are complacent in the face of our neighbor’s suffering, even when it means jumping outside one’s comfort zone to help one another.

Chinua Achebe is often referred to as the “Father of Modern African Literature” for being one of the first African novelists to gain international recognition for sharing the story of Africa’s brutal colonization through the lens of those who suffered it. He talked about the importance of telling your own story and sharing an accurate retelling of history, contrary to the anti-“CRT” crusaders who want to segregate our textbooks and isolate students who look like me from learning about the history made by courageous people who represent and fought for their rights. These words remind me of my Nigerian godfather who worked so hard to build a local small business and a legacy for his children and godchildren rooted in the rich culture and traditions of Igbo culture.

Every time I saw him, he was always sure to remind me never to forget where I come from and to work hard so that the generation after me may prosper. It has been hard to work through the grief of losing him last month while running a campaign, but his example shows me that the work I put in today serves as a foundation for those who will come after me tomorrow.

The immigrant experience is varied based on ethnicity, nationality, belief system (or lack thereof) and so many more identities that shape the way in which we interact and interpret the world around us.

One common thread you will find, however, is courage.

The courage to relocate to a different country and a different culture.

The courage to work as hard as possible to give your kids the best start at life possible.

I will end by sharing a Igbo proverb that reads:

“Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them.”

I am running as the candidate willing to stand up for what is right and to create a better world for generations to come.

I humbly ask for your vote in this June 14 primary to be the next State Senator from District 13.

Born and raised in Reno to hard-working Nigerian immigrants, Nnedi Stephens is a graduate of Wooster High School and the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering (biomedical emphasis) and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish.

They are the 2nd vice president of the Young Democrats of America (YDA) and have made history in various different organizations as an openly LGBTQ+ Nigerian-American. As vice president of search for Meso Solutions, Nnedi works directly with organizations across the country to ensure equitable and inclusive hiring practices for executive level positions. They are running for the Nevada State Senate as a Democrat in Senate District 13. Their website is nnedifornevada.com. Connect with Nnedi on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Giants Sign Nigerian OT Roy Mbaeteka

BY JOHN FENNELLY

NEW YORK (GIANTS WIRE) - Many NFL teams are spanning the globe these days to find players and you can count the New York Giants as one of them.

On Friday, they announced the signing of Roy Mbaeteka is a 6-foot-9, 320-pound offensive tackle from Nigeria who was mentored by former Giants great Osi Umenyiora in the NFL Africa initiative, which is part of the league’s International Player Pathway program (IPP).

Mbaeteka has no high school or college experience but the Giants are hoping he can be molded into a competitive player much the way the Philadelphia Eagles did with Jordan Mailata, a former Australian rugby star who is now a starter at tackle on their offensive line.

“Once you see him, you know he’s physically imposing and in a year or two if you immerse him in football culture, he’s going to be fantastic,” Umenyiora told Giants.com in a phone conversation from his home in London.

“The Giants took a chance. Not much of a chance, I think. When you see him working, you’re going to know what he’s about. . . He is big, strong, physical, extremely intelligent, very athletic. He’s built to play offensive tackle in the league. In fact, he reminds me quite a bit of Kareem McKenzie. He has the same temperament. He’s very smart, but he’s a very athletic player.”

Osi has been very active in developing international talent for the NFL, especially in Africa. He downplayed his role in bringing the Giants and Mbaeteka together.

“A lot of people think this was me, but I had nothing to do with this,” Umenyiora said. “The Giants decided they were going to fly him in. They did this on their own. They saw him, they liked him, they flew him in [on Thursday], and he blew them away. They offered him a contract and here we are. For it to be the Giants of all teams, it means the world to me, it really does.

“What the Giants have done here is truly hard to put into words. There are so many people in Nigeria and in Africa who are going to see this and right now they’re going to have hope. Before, they were hopeless. They’re going to see this as hope and they’re going to start working and working toward something, however unrealistic it is. At least now, they will see that it is possible. They’ve changed the world, they really have.”

“If you have the physical attributes, you can make that transition rather easily. And I can tell you in Africa there’s hundreds of thousands of people who have those attributes who just need an opportunity and we’re going to provide it for them.”

Peter Obi Brand And New Face Of Nigerian Politics

Peter Obi

BY EMEKA ALEX DURU

The nearest Nigeria had come to the Peter Obi politics of accommodation, was with the late Waziri Ibrahim’s ‘politics without bitterness’, in the 1979-1983 Second Republic.

Waziri, the presidential candidate of the then Great Nigerian Peoples Party (GNPP), abhorred anything associated with violence, in his quest for the presidency. He, really pioneered the dictum that his aspiration did not worth the blood of any Nigerian – a line of action that the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, adopted in 2015, leading to his conceding the presidential election of that year to Muhammadu Buhari, the first of such by an incumbent in the country’s history.

Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vice presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023 presidential aspirant, has widened the frontiers of that politics of accommodation. In appearing at the Abuja venue where a fellow aspirant, Atiku Abubakar was making public declaration of his intention for the same ticket, Obi took a route that many had considered unusual. It is not normal here, for an aspirant to be seen at a function organised another. They are rather, usually seen as rivals.

Those that were stunned at Obi’s appearance at Atiku’s declaration, were therefore substantially in order – after all, it was the philosophers that defined ethics as the prevailing conduct of a people. By taking the action, Obi had gone off the line.

But he has an explanation. Running for an office, for him, is not a matter of life-and-death, especially with an opponent that has the advantage of age, at least, in an African setting. Obi is 61, Atiku is in his mid-70s. The gap in age is wide. Thus, the only way to contextualize the situation, is the analogy of the relationship between a master and his apprentice in Igbo apprenticeship world view.

I’m an Igbo man and we’re traders. Even an Oga (Master) who settles his boy-boy (Apprentice) can open a shop besides him even when they sell the same products. Most of the people I’ve settled in my business sell the same products and we struggle for the same customers. I’m used to it. I’ll compete against Atiku. But it doesn’t make us enemies”, he said.

That is the Obi brand, a novel disposition in politics that is devoid of acrimony and pettiness. But beneath the advertisement of accommodation, is a mind that sees leadership as serious business. At a recent forum in Lagos, he had taken time to explain to his audience, the need for committed and serious minded leadership as the only way for Nigeria to get at out of its present piteous situation. Leadership for him, is not an engagement for the frivolous or faint-hearted.

In his meeting with the council of Anambra traditional rulers and presidents-general of the 177 communities in the state to inform them of his intention to run for the presidency, he was emphatic that his aspiration was essentially to fix the country that is currently broken in many respects.

He said; “my interest in the presidency of Nigeria is to restore security and revamp our educational sector and also revive the health sector. I have seriously studied our country and I have come to discover that all that we need is to ensure security so that foreign aid local investments would thrive in all parts of the country. I have come to serve Nigeria and I am sure of restoring our country and uniting the country because if there is no unity in Nigeria we cannot move ahead”.

For emphasis, he stated; “I am not contesting because I want a political appointment but to serve this country and unite Nigeria. I am the only person that can unite Nigeria.”

Not even his opponents or critics would take that away from him. Obi falls into the class of leaders, the iconic Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu recommended for Nigerians in his well-received book, “Because I am involved”.

Ikemba had in the text, raised a valid question, ‘What kind of leaders do we need?’ He proceeded with an answer; “We need leaders who are servants of the people, not their masters. We need leaders who will serve first the common man. We require leaders who will ensure fairness and equity to the various groups. We need leaders who must be embodiment and at all times, exemplify the ideas of our nation. We need leaders who will keep alive the flames of our national aspirations. We want leaders who will be trusted friends of the people and protectors of the disadvantaged and oppressed. We require leaders who will have the right judgement both of people and situations. We want leaders who must be accountable to the people and are subjected to the collective will of the people”.

Bill Newman in his “10 Laws of Leadership”, adds, that a leader must have a vision, stressing forcefully, that the vision must be fulfilled by goals that work toward the achievement of the vision.

Obi has these attributes in quantum. His record in human and material resource management while serving as Anambra State governor, remains an open copy. In a system characterized by departing governors leaving their successors with debts and the treasury in red, Obi did the extra-ordinary in maintaining a clean record.

Apart from not owing the workers, contactors or any person or group that had financial dealings with the state, he bequeathed to his successor money to pay three months’ salaries, run schools for a year and start more projects. To cap it, he left in savings, N75 billion ($156 million, and the rest in naira) with documents to prove same.

He has also been staying around with the people, moving from one community to another, preaching good governance, moral rectitude and critical reappraisal of the country’s leadership recruitment process, if we are to get it right – a clear departure from the trend by some of his colleagues who prefer hibernating abroad.

Obi has further challenged the people to do due diligence on the pedigree and antecedents of those coming before them to seek their votes. He has not asked to be excluded from the searchlight. There can be no better definition of transparency.

For a presidency that has been lately bogged by opacity and parochial considerations in the conduct of its affairs, resulting to the country sliding in all indexes of development, Peter Obi comes handy in getting things working. He needs a chance to prove his mettle.

Proffer Solution To Frequent Collapse Of Our National Grid, UNN VC Charges Engineers

IMAGE: UNN.EDU.NG

BY IKECHUKWU ODU

NSUKKA, ENUGU STATE (VANGUARD) - The Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Prof. Charles Igwe, on Friday, charged engineers to intensify researches aimed at finding lasting solution to the energy crisis which results in frequent collapse of the national grid.

The Vice Chancellor who described energy as the life wire of all the sectors of the economy, said that the prospect of the nation towards solving its myriad of challenges may not be feasible without reliable electricity.

He made the statements during his opening address at the 19th Herbert Macaulay Memorial Lecture, HMML, christened ‘The Path to Stable Electricity in Nigeria,’ organised by the Faculty of Engineering, UNN, at the St. Teresa’s College Main Hall, Nsukka.

He also described Herbert Macaulay as one of the first Nigerian nationalists who championed Nigerian independence, adding that UNN would continue to recognize his great contributions to national development.

He equally said that UNN instituted HMML lecture series to highlight the several faces of a man who has been described as the father of Nigerian nationalism and to encourage present day engineers, surveyors, architects and other professionals to learn from his professional lifestyle and make every effort to leave good footprints on the sands of time.

While delivering the HMML lecture, the Managing Director of Azura Power West Africa Limited, Eric Okeke, said the problem of energy problem in the country is lack of money.

He also said “This is because, without money, whatever product we develop is a waste. In simple terms, what makes a product attractive to the inventor is simply the ability of that product to generate money. Is there a market for this my product and if there is, are people ready to pay me to enjoy the services of my product? Once the answer is yes, then we are in business. But where a product is not attractive enough for users to pay for it, or where it is attractive, but the owner does not have the mechanism to collect payment,then no matter how beautiful that product is, it is a failure,” he explained.

Okeke also said that lack of enough energy generation, transmission and distribution capacity to ensure that consumers enjoyed stable electricity in their homes and offices, as well as non cost reflective tariff to ensure that value chain was operated and maintained efficiently, and investments made for future growth, were the two major issues resulting in inaccessibility of energy in Nigeria.

He also said “Nigerians have always taken electricity as a social product which should not be paid for. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when this attitude emerged; but it stands to reason that electricity from the grid became increasingly unstable (and so served as a backup power source to most people rather than their primary source), people stopped paying for a product they were not receiving. Cognizant of this, the government at the point of privatisation planned to increase the tariff over time.

“The logic was that people would only start paying when service had improved, and service would only improve if the previous issue of under capacity was solved,” he said.

He however said poor private investments in power sector had been attributed to fear of investors to recoup money invested as electricity consumers most times feel reluctant to pay for service rendered.

“Power generation is cost effective,so the inability of some customers to pay for service rendered have been a drawback to electricity distribution companies in the country,” he said.

Mr. James Agada, an Engineer and Managing Director, Ixzora Laboratories in a keynote address said that the problems of stable electricity in Nigeria has to do with technical, political and economic challenges.

“Technical, political and economic are among the challenges militating against stable electricity in Nigeria

“It is also an opportunity for policy makers to create an environment and structure where such private generation can be fed back to the public grid,” he said

Earlier, Prof Emeka Obe, Dean, Faculty of Engineering in UNN said that electricity remain the key driver of every modern economy.

According to him, “electricity is the base of infrastructure on which nearly every other infrastructure relies.

“The lecture provides us with the avenue to interact with distinguished professionals who have the love for our faculty and indeed our university at heart,” he said.

The Dean, however appealed for help to enable the faculty to have a 1000 capacity lecture theater, new and separate building for seven departments, among others

EFCC: Obiano Didn’t Build Projects With Sands, He Did Well As Governor, Says Sen Umeh

BY CHINEDU ADONU

Gov. Willie Obiano in farewell speech. Image: Youtube

Following the arrest of the former governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano by Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, the former Senator of Anambra State, Sen. Victor Umeh has said that the commission would leave him after listening to him.

Sen. who made this known while speaking during the 80th birthday of Prof Uzodimma Nwala in Enugu said that Chief Obiano did well as a governor.

“Arrest of Obiano is not new in Nigeria. Most governors, when they leave office, EFCC will swarm on them. He must be given the right to be heard. We don’t know why they arrested him. But I’m sure when they listen to him, he will be able to defend himself.

“One thing I keep telling people is that former governor, Obiano did wonderfully well with Anambra money. He used our money well to the displeasure of those in the opposition. They don’t want to accept it.

“A governor who built an international airport, got it commissioned and working. Planes are coming in there and going and you are still looking for your money. He also built an international conference centre. All these projects he didn’t build with sand.

“Apart from meeting the other obligations of running the government, meeting the needs of the people, paying workers salaries, he did so much for Anambra State. That is why we have to be calm to allow the EFCC to finish their job. But I’m confident that Obiano will defend himself.

He, however, commended Prof. Uzodimma Nwala for choosing a lifestyle that had helped Ndigbo, stressing that he has used the Alaigbo Development Foundation to present a lot of thought-provoking suggestions on how to foster Igbo unity and how the Igbo people will engage the rest of Nigerians in the political arena.

Hear him, “Prof Uzodimma Nwala is a great Igbo son. He is somebody who has used his time to think about the well-being of the Igbo people.

“He is somebody who, despite his accomplishment, has refused to be compromised by anybody. With his academic attainments, he is in a position to look for any kind of appointment in Nigeria. That’s what life is about – convictions. Some people are living aimlessly and have no purpose in life.

“It’s not easy for you to choose a particular lifestyle that will shun material acquisition. Maybe it’s because he’s a Philosopher. He understands life more than anything else. He is somebody who believes in his Igbonness. He also thinks about the well-being of the people.

“He also has historical knowledge of the journey of the Igbo people in Nigeria. That understanding has kept him focused in how to make Alaigbo big. He doesn’t hide his Igbonness. He challenges people who write or talk negative things about the Igbo. He has countered them in a number of papers.

“Uzodimma Nwala has a vision and purpose in life. He just turned 80. His teacher who was here is 96 years. I want him to live longer than his teacher and he can because he is still living very strong and healthy.

Umeh who is also the former National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, commended, the governor of Anambra State, Prof, Charles Soludo for choosing dialogue as means of solving conflict as was presented during his inaugural address.

“Soludo has loaded manifesto. As a professor of Economics that has worked around the globe before coming to Nigeria, he knows what to do. So, we leave the work for him to do it. We’re not going to set agenda for him. He has his own agenda set for himself. We can only trust his abilities to do the things he has promised to do.

“At this time we have to talk about security as the area of primary concern. Without security, he will be able to do a little on Anambra State. He understands that. We expect that he will address the issue of security very strategically.

“In his inaugural address, he has seen dialogue as a means of resolving conflicts and containing any spate of violence that is occasioned by agitations for one thing or the other. So, he is calling everybody to a round table. When you talk, you achieve peace.

“Severally, I have told the government of Nigeria to dialogue with groups like IPOB and others agitating for anything in Nigeria.

“Across the country, if you don’t have the mechanism to resolve conflicts, what you harvest is disorder and insecurity. You cannot ignore people who are not happy. That’s what I have been saying for a long time. The government of Nigeria must deploy a conflict resolution mechanism that is hinged on dialogue. You must meet people. You cannot continue to ignore people who are angry. They will continue to do things until they get attention. So, it is cheaper to dialogue than to play ostrich to the problem facing the country,” he said.

SOURCE: VANGUARD

They Were Paid N10m To Kill Me, But I Escaped — Imo Journalist

Illustration: Greenbarge Reporters

BY EMMA NNADOZIE

OWERRI, IMO STATE (VANGUARD) -- A journalist in Imo state, 55-year-old Prince Chibuzor Ndukwe, has miraculously escaped from hired assassins who were paid N10m to kill him. He was abducted from his residence, blindfolded and taken into a thick bush. Few days later after his abductors confirmed payment of N10m for him to be killed; he succeeded in escaping from their grip. His narrow escape was as miraculous as it was bizarre. He gave a vivid account of the incident. Excerpts:

My travail started with the destruction of my house in the village by some hoodlums. They came with sledgehammer and were busy destroying my house in broad daylight while armed policemen were there.

Later, another group came and kidnapped one of my guards, they thought I was the one. Unfortunately, when they discovered that it was not me, they connived with their police collaborators, tagged him an IPOB member and threw him into the cell at the Anti-kidnapping Unit, Owerri.

When we got information that my guard was in their cell, we moved in, pacified them with some money and he was released.
My abduction

On the day of my abduction, I was lying down on the bed at 7:15 pm when one motorcyclist rode into my compound. When my wife asked what he was looking for, he said he came to drop something from my wife’s school for her.

My wife wanted to know why he came at that time of the night but he assured that there was no cause for alarm and left. We did not know that he came to monitor us.

Fifteen minutes after he left, some other men came in a red Toyota vehicle, drove inside my compound and one of them, armed with a dagger, proceeded straight to my bedroom.

When they dragged me outside to the sitting room, I saw one of them pointing a gun on my wife’s head. As soon as we came out, he directed the gun at me and shouted that if I talk, he would kill me.

They asked where I kept the money and I said I didn’t have money in the house, I don’t normally keep money in the house. They said, ‘go and bring your ATM card, where is your car key? Where is your phone?’

I brought my two phones which they collected as well as my wife’s phone before they asked me to lie down. I then asked them, ‘why do you want me to lie down, tell me what you want, is it not money, let me look for money and give you, leave me alone’, but they said no, that I should go out.

They led me out and I followed them. They went to the car, asked me to open it and enter. They then collected the key from me immediately I entered, blindfolded me and asked me to lie down flat.

But when I demanded to be allowed to sit since I had already been blindfolded as it would not be easy for me to lie down, one of them hit my face with the butt of the gun which forced me to lie down in the car.

I was sandwiched between two of them with another one behind the wheels while three of them entered another other car and zoomed off to an unknown place.
Exchanges with their paymasters

That was how these people took me away on that Friday night. They took me to one small old building on the road where we spent the night.

When we were going, they were calling the people that sent them, what I heard was, ‘pay the money now. We are with this man now, if you don’t do it, we will leave him oo. We don’t need to waste time with this man inside this vehicle, we want to complete the mission and go our way’.

It was like they had a little misunderstanding with the people that hired them. The people didn’t pay that money that Friday evening, so the following day, being Saturday, I was still in that small building, blindfolded.

There were tiles there. I managed to know this because I raised the blindfold after they locked me inside and went outside the building.

I saw the window, I saw that it was a burglary proof that they used in that room and when they started coming, I put back the blindfold. I was there that Saturday.

In the night, they picked me, took me to a bush where I was kept in a two-storey building.
Torture

In the building, they left one of them, who was armed with a gun, to keep watch over me. Meanwhile, they tied my legs and hands. They then started to beat me and told me that I should forget this world, that it was over for me.

They were beating me with something like a metal; they hit it on my head and cut a small part of my head, they did same on my legs. On my hand, there were bruises, they cut my hand also and tied me with chain and other things.

So, I was there till Sunday when the money they were asking for came. I heard them when they were quarreling with the people that hired them. They were telling the people, ‘you raise the money na, what is going on, what is happening, we will leave this man o’.

They were speaking in Igbo. The person replied them that they should exercise patience, that they would bring the money in cash that night, that it was not going to be by transfer again.

On Sunday morning, their boss, called Mopol left. They left their member called ‘Agile’ to stay with me and monitor me. In the same building they kept me, there were three or four churches where people were singing praises.

The one who was guarding me pointed gun at me saying that if I made the slightest noise he would kill me there. I stayed there till the people at the church dismissed and left.
‘N10 million paid for my head’

Their boss came back at 3pm. I knew the time because they were openly talking about time. I gathered all information while they were communicating.

They were freely behaving as if my fate was already concluded and nothing would make me survive and tell any story. In fact, they had already condemned me and that must be why they were discussing not minding whether I heard or not.

One of them said it was ten million naira that was given to them to kill me. He said “this night, at least, we go go rest now, after tonight we go go relax’.

I kept on asking myself the meaning of that. After that, they brought bread to me to eat, I said I don’t want to eat, they brought water, I said I didn’t want to drink.

They said ‘ok, make you no think say na this thing go save you, whether you eat or not’.
Going to the ‘gallows’

On Monday morning, they walked me downstairs and crossed a tarred road. I discovered that the building was near a tarred road and nobody knew that something terrible was happening in that building.

This is because, as we walked down, we crossed the tarred road and I heard voices of other people around. The one that took me down handed me over to another person.

After crossing the road, another person took over and we started walking inside the bush. After sometime, he asked me to sit down, he called the other person and told him, ‘come now, let’s go and waste this man and get away’.

I was crying, pleading with them to spare my life because I have five small children, that they should not waste me. As we were walking inside the bush, we got to a certain point where they removed what they used in covering my eyes.

I now saw the kind of hefty men that were holding me. The next thing they did was to show me a dead body around.

They said, ‘do you see that dead body, na so you go be very soon.’ We passed that one, they showed me another dead body.

By then, they had removed the rope with which they tied my leg, leaving the one on my hands. I then told them I wanted to urinate and they agreed.
Narrow escape

While we were trekking, one of the abductors was in front, the second one was behind. After I requested to urinate, the one at my back moved in front, following his colleague and they were walking slowly while waiting for me to finish urinating.

When I was about to finish, the other one turned and said ‘come, haven’t you finished?’ I said ‘it remains small,’ he said, okay and turned because I was watching them.

As he moved, a voice came to me saying, ‘man, can’t you run away now?’ It continued like a whisper saying, ‘run away’.

Immediately that voice came to me, I turned round and started running inside that bush. When they noticed it, they turned back and pursued me.

And the place I entered was a thick forest, so I entered one small bush and stayed quiet, they fired shots but they didn’t get me, they flashed their torch light but they didn’t see me.

Inside the bush, I used my teeth to untie the rope with which they tied my hands and I started creeping slowly on my knees like an animal.

They were looking for me here and there and I heard them quarreling and asking the one at my back why he left me to escape. As I was creeping away from them, crying in pains, they continued blaming each other.
How succor came

When I got to one road, I started walking fast heading to nowhere in particular. I walked till I got to another road and saw a light from a generator.

I didn’t know that one of them was around that place and I started to move fast.

Unfortunately, the sound of my feet alerted them and they pursued me until I got to a fenced compound and I jumped into the place and continued running when one of them shouted on his colleagues warning that they should not follow me because vigilante men were around the place.

If they had followed me, they would have caught up with me because when I ran into the compound, nobody came to my rescue because they were all asleep and there was also no vigilante men there.

I had to run into one man’s house and started knocking at his door, I pleaded with the man to help me but he refused. I started telling him that ‘I am Prince Ndukwe Chibuzo, the son of a traditional ruler, I came from Ihitte-Uboma, I was kidnapped from my house’.

I began to explain to the man but I think the man was afraid; he didn’t open that door. I now said ‘ok forgive me, help me, let me stay at the corner of your compound till the morning so I can explain myself better’.

He didn’t say anything, he left me. I stayed there. I think the man contacted the vigilante people on his phone.

So, vigilante people came from nowhere to where I was and began to flash light. I wanted to run, but they said “don’t run, we are here for you’.

When they flashed that light on me, I asked them ‘are you vigilante?’ they said, ‘yes’ and I said ‘God, thank you’. They now took me to a better place. That was how I was saved.

I cannot imagine my escape, up till now; I have never believed that I am out of these people’s hands. The vigilante people later told me that we were in Anyara in Isiala-Mbano, about seven kilometers to Owerri town.

Later, the vigilante people gave me hot water to drink because I had not tasted anything for days. They called their President General and other notable men in the community including the chairman of the Local Government.

They later invited policemen from Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Owerri. We met them while we were on our way to Owerri.

Initially, I was very skeptical to go with them. However, after much persuasion including making a call to their Commissioner who assured me of my safety, I followed them.

I later heard that a team of policemen from IGP’s Intelligence Response Unit also came to the place after getting information that I escaped and they frantically searched for me.

But the network was very poor and they missed where I was with the vigilante team.
After rescue

Meanwhile, it was gathered that after he was rescued, he made a statement with the operatives of IGP’s Intelligence Response Team in Owerri, IRT who swung into action.

Sources said few weeks later, men of the IRT succeeded in arresting one of the key suspects in the kidnap saga. The suspect, according to reports, turned out to be one of the escapees from Oweri Prisons during the end SARS protest.

Police sources said he played a prominent role in the kidnap of the journalist in connivance with other suspects still at large, said to be close relatives of the victim.

It was also learned that the police team arrested a serving policeman suspected to be the supplier of arms to the kidnappers. Police sources said he was later taken to the Commissioner of Police for interrogation after which he was dismissed from the police and handed over to the investigating unit.

So far, it was further learned that the team was closing in on other major suspects in the crime, including those that allegedly paid N10m for the journalist to be killed.