Necessary Decisions

In 2008, the Nigerian police twice arrested twenty-six-year-old Ugochukwu Chinoso Nwanebu. A peaceful activist, Nwanebu was, like other Igbo secessionists, profiled and persecuted by Nigerian police via systematic torture and assassination. The first time that Nwanebu was arrested, he was tortured. The second time, he was tortured and released; however, he was released only so that police could hunt and kill him for sport. Nwanebu managed to escape and find his way to a relative’s home. Knowing that the police would find him if he returned home, his family arranged for him assume his uncle’s identity to travel to Canada for asylum. Nwanebu was given documents that provided the false identity, a cover story for his travels, and the name of a contact in Vancouver—a human rights advocate who could provide legal counsel for his asylum application.

This content is restricted to site members. If you are an existing user, please login. New users may click here to subscribe.

Existing Users Log In