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Years After South-East Violence Forced Him To Flee, Nigerian Pharmacist Remains Unable To Return Home
Displacement, political pressure, and threats linked to proscribed armed networks continue to shape one man’s search for safety beyond Nigeria’s borders.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
By International Desk
Several years after waves of insecurity disrupted daily life across parts of Nigeria’s South-East, the personal ordeal of a displaced community pharmacist continues to reflect the long-term human consequences of violence, intimidation, and political tension in the region.
Pharmacist Omorokunwa Edosa Best, formerly based along the busy Onitsha–Owerri Road corridor, is reported by family members and associates to have remained unable to safely return to his residence or reopen his pharmacy following a sequence of armed incidents, targeted threats, and sustained pressure that intensified around Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.
According to accounts from individuals familiar with the events, the pharmacy premises had earlier experienced an armed robbery carried out by gunmen locally described as motor-park touts allegedly operating under the guise of separatist enforcement.
The attack, which reportedly occurred while customers were present for medical consultation, heightened fear among traders and professionals working along the commercial corridor.
Security concerns deepened further after the fatal shooting of Henry Ejiogu Ogbuji, a commercial associate connected to the pharmacy’s supply chain.
Ogbuji was reportedly killed by suspected kidnappers along the same Onitsha–Owerri axis, an incident widely discussed within the local business community and viewed by associates as evidence of escalating danger for civilians engaged in routine economic activity.
During this period, insecurity in parts of the South-East was frequently linked by government authorities to the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
IPOB has been formally proscribed and declared an unlawful organization under Nigerian law, and security agencies have attributed numerous violent incidents in the region to armed elements operating under or in the name of the group, although the organization has at various times disputed responsibility for specific attacks.
Within this tense environment, sources allege that threats were communicated to Pharmacist Edosa Best by individuals claiming affiliation with ESN.
The messages reportedly included demands for a substantial, undisclosed financial contribution and warnings referencing earlier killings along the corridor, developments that associates say intensified fears for his personal safety.
Beyond the immediate security risks, the pharmacist’s visible political alignment is also believed to have heightened his vulnerability.
He was known locally as a registered member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State and reportedly served as chairman of a grassroots support group during the Tinubu–Shettima presidential campaign preceding the February 2023 election.
Following the election cycle and subsequent military operations targeting armed actors in the region, tensions reportedly deepened, with suspicion and reprisals directed toward individuals perceived to hold opposing political loyalties.
Associates say this atmosphere left the pharmacist with little option but to abandon both his home and professional livelihood in order to preserve his life.
Years after those events, family contacts confirm that he has still not been able to safely resume normal life in Nigeria, remaining displaced and fearful that returning openly could expose him to renewed targeting.
Security observers note that although national attention has shifted to other challenges, cases of unresolved intimidation, economic disruption, and prolonged displacement linked to the South-East crisis continue to affect certain civilians, particularly small business owners and politically exposed individuals whose security concerns were never formally resolved.
As of the time of this report, efforts to obtain updated official security clarification regarding the specific allegations connected to Pharmacist Omorokunwa Edosa Best were unsuccessful.
For those forced into hiding by violence and uncertainty, the passage of time has brought distance from danger—but not always safety, closure, or the possibility of return.
Canada granted refugee protection to 7,643 Nigerians between January 2024 and June 2026, according to data from the country’s Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), Naija News understands.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
However, Canadian authorities rejected 3,080 asylum applications submitted by Nigerians during the same period.
Data from the IRB showed that Nigerians recorded the highest number of successful refugee protection claims among African nationals over the 30-month period.
The figures also placed Nigeria among the leading countries worldwide in terms of successful asylum applications in Canada, according to a report by The Punch.
The data revealed that Canada approved 2,230 Nigerian asylum applications in 2024. The figure increased by 55 per cent to 3,463 in 2025, while another 1,950 Nigerians secured refugee protection in the first six months of 2026.
Meanwhile, 3,080 applications from Nigerians were rejected, while another 1,530 cases were either withdrawn or abandoned.
This brought the total number of Nigerian asylum cases concluded between January 2024 and June 2026 to 12,253.
Nigeria Leads African Countries In Successful Asylum Claims
The breakdown showed that Nigeria recorded more successful asylum applications than any other African country in 2025.
Uganda followed with 2,089 approved applications, while Kenya recorded 1,532 and Ethiopia had 1,522. Ghana ranked next with 1,084 successful claims.
Other African countries included the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 732 approvals; Cameroon, with 742; and Rwanda, with 710.
The trend continued in the first half of 2026, when 1,950 Nigerians received refugee protection. Kenya recorded 703 approvals, Ghana had 603, while Uganda recorded 521.
Ethiopia secured 378 successful claims, compared with 412 for the Democratic Republic of Congo, 389 for Rwanda and 300 for Cameroon.
Across the full 30-month period, Uganda recorded 3,943 successful claims, followed by Kenya with 3,888, Ethiopia with 2,982 and Ghana with 2,000.
The Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 1,867 approvals, while Rwanda had 1,699 and Cameroon recorded 1,643.
Thousands Of Nigerian Asylum Claims Rejected
Despite the high number of successful applications, thousands of Nigerians were denied refugee protection in Canada during the period.
The IRB data showed that 3,080 Nigerian claims were rejected, the highest number among the African countries listed.
The Democratic Republic of Congo followed with 1,230 rejected applications, while Ghana recorded 885 and Kenya had 639.
Senegal recorded 595 rejections, Angola had 442, while Chad and Cameroon each recorded 343.
In 2024, the board concluded 3,249 Nigerian cases, approving 2,230 applications and rejecting 811. The remaining cases were withdrawn or abandoned.
The number of concluded cases involving Nigerians rose to 5,039 in 2025. Of these, 3,463 applications, representing 68.7 per cent, were approved, while 1,377 were rejected.
During the first six months of 2026, Canada concluded 3,965 Nigerian cases, granting refugee protection to 1,950 applicants and rejecting 892.
Canada Faces Growing Asylum Backlog
The figures also point to mounting pressure on Canada’s refugee determination system, with thousands of Nigerians awaiting decisions on their applications.
As of December 31, 2024, the IRB had 19,889 Nigerian cases awaiting decisions. The backlog was almost six times the number of Nigerian cases concluded during that year.
The pressure continued in 2025, when Canada received 107,802 new refugee claim referrals to its Refugee Protection Division.
By December 31, 2025, a total of 299,614 refugee claims involving applicants from different countries remained pending.
Globally, Canada concluded 79,462 refugee claims in 2025, granting protection to 50,067 applicants and rejecting 14,619.
The 3,463 successful Nigerian applications accounted for 6.9 per cent of all refugee claims approved worldwide that year.
In the first half of 2026, the board approved 22,109 of the 49,960 refugee claims concluded globally. The 1,950 successful Nigerian applications represented 8.8 per cent of all refugee protection grants during that period.
Across the entire 30-month period, Canada concluded 202,878 refugee claims involving applicants from various countries. Of these, 118,656 were approved, while 34,546 were rejected.
The 7,643 successful Nigerian applications accounted for 6.4 per cent of all refugee protection grants worldwide during the period.
African countries collectively received an estimated 35,000 grants, representing approximately 29.5 per cent of the global total. Nigerians accounted for roughly one in every five successful refugee protection claims involving African nationals.
How Canada Processes Asylum Applications
Canada’s refugee determination system is administered by the Immigration and Refugee Board, an independent federal body established under the country’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The board’s Refugee Protection Division is responsible for hearing and deciding asylum claims made within Canada or at its ports of entry.
Under the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, applicants may qualify for protection if they face persecution in their home countries because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group.
Canada also considers claims from individuals who could face torture, death or cruel and unusual punishment if returned to their countries of origin.
Applicants are required to provide evidence supporting their claims. They can request protection through the Canada Border Services Agency at a port of entry or approach an immigration officer after entering the country.
According to guidance from the Refugee Protection Division, eligible applications are referred for a decision.
Applicants whose claims are rejected may appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division if they qualify. Those who are unsuccessful may seek a judicial review at the Federal Court or apply for a pre-removal risk assessment, which provides another opportunity to demonstrate the risks they could face if returned to their home countries.
The Federal Government has announced that the Ebola patient in Nigeria is showing signs of recovery, while maintaining that there is currently no evidence of community transmission.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to reports, the Federal Ministry of Health provided the update in a statement shared on its official X handle on Friday.
The ministry stated that health authorities were continuing to monitor the situation and had intensified measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
“The Federal Government has provided an update on the confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria, reporting that the patient is showing signs of recovery. There is currently no evidence of community spread.
“Contact tracing, quarantine and monitoring continue, alongside strengthened national coordination, health facility preparedness and public health measures,” the ministry stated.
The government also urged Nigerians to observe recommended safety precautions, obtain information from recognised health authorities and refrain from circulating unverified reports about the outbreak.
The latest update comes days after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed that the patient, a Ugandan-born woman, had developed multiple organ failure following an Ebola infection.
The NCDC also revealed that 44 contacts had been identified for monitoring as part of efforts to contain the disease.
Authorities confirmed that the patient was infected with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, the same strain associated with the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Currently, there are no specific approved vaccines or treatments for this strain.
Providing further details about the patient, Switzerland’s foreign ministry disclosed that she was the wife of a Swiss staff member working at the country’s embassy in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
In a statement, the Swiss authorities said the woman had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Abuja for approximately one week.
“The Swiss woman, who is symptomatic, has been hospitalised for about a week at a private clinic in Abuja,” the statement read.
The Swiss foreign ministry added that the woman may have contracted the virus during a visit to Uganda approximately two weeks before her infection was identified.
Her husband, who accompanied her on the trip, has been placed in isolation but has reportedly shown no symptoms of the disease.
“The infection may have occurred during a trip to Uganda approximately two weeks ago,” the statement added.
“Her husband is in isolation; he has shown no symptoms. He accompanied his wife on the trip, during which she is believed to have contracted the Ebola virus,” the Swiss authorities stated.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for an investigation into an alleged overnight raid on electricity workers in Benin City, Edo State.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
In a statement issued on Friday, October 23, the labour organisation alleged that the state chairman of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), Comrade William Uwumarogie, was hospitalised following the incident.
The NLC accused the Edo State Government of orchestrating the operation, claiming that military personnel and suspected thugs arrested and assaulted union members amid an ongoing industrial dispute.
In the statement titled “Edo Government Bringing Shame to Nigeria!”, the congress confirmed that Uwumarogie and other union members arrested on Thursday, October 22, had been released.
The statement, signed by the NLC Acting General Secretary, Comrade Benson Upah, disclosed that Uwumarogie was receiving medical treatment for injuries allegedly sustained during the operation at the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) headquarters on Akpakpava Road.
According to the labour body, the workers were keeping watch to protect their livelihoods when the alleged raid occurred.
The congress condemned the incident, describing it as unlawful and accusing the state government of resorting to force rather than dialogue to resolve its disagreement with the union.
The dispute reportedly arose from industrial action by NUEE, an affiliate of the NLC, over demands for improved working conditions and better employment terms.
The labour organisation maintained that the issues should have been addressed through negotiations and established industrial relations procedures instead of the alleged use of force against workers.
The NLC also accused the Edo State Government of displaying hostility towards organised labour, citing what it described as the illegal occupation of the union’s state secretariat. According to the congress, the matter has attracted the attention of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The organisation further questioned the government’s actions, alleging that its representatives had requested additional time to resolve industrial relations disputes during a meeting with the Federal Government in Abuja on Wednesday evening, even as preparations for the alleged raid were reportedly underway in Benin City.
It questioned why the government would seek more time for negotiations before allegedly taking action against union members just hours later.
The NLC outlined five demands for the Edo State Government, including an apology for the alleged violence, an end to the use of force in industrial disputes, and a halt to actions it claimed were damaging Nigeria’s international reputation.
Other demands included an end to the alleged diversion of workers’ check-off dues and the provision of adequate medical care for Uwumarogie and other workers reportedly injured during the operation.
The congress also stated that Governor Monday Okpebholo would be held personally responsible for ensuring that the affected workers made a full recovery.
Furthermore, the NLC urged military authorities to investigate the incident and discipline any personnel found to have participated in the operation. It warned that the alleged use of soldiers for unlawful arrests could undermine the military’s reputation.
Reaffirming its support for NUEE, the congress declared solidarity with the union and disclosed that it had placed its affiliate unions and civil society allies on red alert.
However, as of the time of filing this report, neither the Edo State Government nor the military had issued an official response to the allegations contained in the NLC statement, Naija News reports.
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