Rights group, the Campaign for Democracy (CD) in South East Zone and the Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defender’s Foundation (HURIDE), have called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State to set up a panel of inquiry to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a real estate developer, Chief Benjamin Ezemma, popularly known as BIG-BEN, and a philanthropist, Chief Obiora Agbasimalo known as Oga Ndi Oga.
Chief Agbasimelo, who was the Labour Party candidate in the 2021 Anambra Governorship Election, was abducted on 18 September 2021, less than a month before the governorship election in Anambra State and is yet to be seen.
Chief Ezemma, on the other hand, who was the Vice Chairman of Dubai Estate in Awka, has been missing since November 12, 2024, after he left his hotel room.
His wife, Benedicta, had in a petition to President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Remi, called on the president to direct the top brass of the country’s security apparatus to order the immediate arrest of those behind the disappearance of the husband since November 12, 2024.
Mrs Ezemma lamented that all the petitions she wrote to the security operatives in Anambra state had not yielded any result.
Addressing a press conference in Awka, the Anambra State capital, High Chief Dede Uzor, who is the chairman of CD in South East and Executive Director, HURIDE, expressed pain at the situation where prominent people disappear in the State, with little or nothing being done to secure their release.
Uzor noted that Governor Soludo can get to the root of these unfortunate disappearances by setting up a high-powered Panel of Inquiry, which would be headed by a Judge, either retired or serving.
He said the panel, whose membership should not be anything less than five members, should have the powers to hear the complaints of those involved in one way or the other with the mysterious disappearances, including their widows and anybody whose name was in one way or the other mentioned in the matters.
The CD/HURIDE said the panel should be far-reaching in its findings about the disappearances, recommend those established to have perpetrated the incidents to the State Government for prosecution and how to prevent future occurrence.
Uzor noted that it is a bad testimonial for Anambra State especially under the leadership of a Professor of international repute, that persons were disappearing without concrete efforts made to bring the perpetrators to book even when some have enrolled into Politics.
“We are not living in a lawless society. How can men of means be disappearing and nothing is done about it. Even if Anambra is still in stone age and it is not, these things cannot happen without repercussions for the perpetrators,” said the human rights bodies.
The groups threatened to hold a massive protest before the end of August 2025, to draw the respective government authorities to address the unresolved investigation.
Establish Panel to investigate Big Ben, Oga Ndi Oga’s disappearance, rights groups tell Soludo
