B'Haram killed an Igbo trader, alleging he was a DSS informant - Friend

Ifeanyi Elechukwu, 41, was based in Kano and sold batteries in Sabon Gari before he was shot dead by members of Boko Haram on September 24. His associate, Oko Nelson, who witnessed the tragic moment, tells GODFREY GEORGE

What was your relationship with Ifeanyi Elechukwu, the recently gunned down battery dealer in Kano?

We were partners. In fact, it was a member of the family, because we are from the same clan and the same village. That's all I'd like to say for security reasons. We have done business together for years. I run an auto mechanic business in the Southeast and other parts of the country. I used to buy things from him; so, we were pretty close.

How old was he when he died?

He was 41 years old. I remember we didn't celebrate his birthday for very long. I even sent him some money. It is so shocking to learn that he passed away. I did not expect that. He wasn't sick; he was killed by Boko Haram men who believed he was a Nigerian military informant.

How do you mean?

I was told that he had a business transaction with these underworld men who were unknown to him. They bought him batteries. You know that batteries are used to make IEDs (improvised explosive devices), which are used as explosives to cause damage. So he would have sold them batteries, without knowing that they were terrorists; he thought it was a normal transaction. He was paid in cash. He gave them a receipt and that was it. I learned all of this much later when he had a problem with the Department of State Services after the Sabon Gari bomb blast a few months ago.

What problem did he have with DSS?

It was about the batteries he sold to those terrorists. It appears that through investigation and intelligence, the DSS has traced the remains of the batteries used to create the bomb back to Ifeanyi. You know, after that bombing, which hit a kindergarten and killed an unknown number of people, the DSS started looking for the culprits. This is how Ifeanyi was secretly arrested and detained by the DSS.

How long was he held by the DSS?

I don't want to talk about it for my safety, please. He was arrested by the DSS and interrogated and he told them exactly what happened. I spoke to him after his release. He told me everything. I was so scared. I told him to flee Sabon Gari for a while, but I can't say why he didn't leave before those Boko Haram guys visited him again; this time they killed him.

Was he tortured by the DSS?

I don't want to talk about it.

How was he killed?

I was nearby when it happened. I heard a volley of gunfire, about three or four gunshots, then the vehicle drove off. I ran for safety like everyone else. Later, when the dust had settled, I was told that a man came to buy batteries and told the vendor to go and call his Oga (boss) inside. The boy came in to call Ifeanyi, who was with another young man. Ifeanyi told the seller to let the customer in, not knowing that he was ushering in his death. The battery buyer, a disguised member of Boko Haram, came in and shot him three times. He also shot the other young man who was with Ifeanyi, for trying to defend himself. Ifeanyi died on the spot from excessive bleeding and trauma. The other man was rushed to hospital.

ISIS and ISWAP took responsibility for the murder. What do you think motivated their action?

I learned that they claimed that while Ifeanyi was in DSS custody, he gave information to DSS which led to the arrest of some of these terrorists . I don't know how true that was. He was my brother. I knew him as a spare parts dealer with stores in Sabon Gari. If he was an informant for the security guards, he never revealed it to me.

Is it true that Ifeanyi's wife is an air force officer?

I wouldn't want to get into that. He has a family and he has children who mourn him. I am a member of the family and I mourn his passing. His mother is still alive. We haven't told her, but as I speak to you, given the turn of the news, I'm sure she's heard about it.

Has Ifeanyi been buried?

I don't want to talk about it either.

What kind of person was he?

He was someone I would call a “paddy man”. He was full of life. I bought things from him and paid later. He was a basic businessman...