Imo State Zoo and Wildlife Park is the only surviving Wildlife Conservation Center in the entire southeast region of Nigeria. Other similar wildlife conservation facilities in Enugu, Abia and other south eastern States have been grossly abused and completely destroyed by some politicians who see such conservation land as soft target for their insatiable desire for acquisition of Government land to be shared among themselves and cronies, this is becoming an habitual act of impunity against extant conservation laws without any consequence from relevant local and international authorities. Several attempts made to convert Imo State Zoo and Wildlife Park into housing estate have been professionally handled by the Nature Conservation Advocate, Francis Abioye, who is the Principal Conservation Officer. Abioye's passion and commitment for wildlife conservation has been attributed to the reason for continous survival of the threatened wildlife conservation facility in Imo State. He has faced numerous threats and incessant attacks in the last decade from various State actors for no other offence rather than defending the last standing Wildlife Conservation Centre of Eastern Nigeria.

The Conservation Officer led his team with unimaginable passion and care for the survival of all threatened endangered captive animals in Imo State Zoo and Wildlife Park which resulted in the transformation of the moribund wildlife facility. The restoration of the obsolete wildlife facility withnessed unprecedented attacks and distractions in the last two years. The conservation effort was often frustrated by some state actors who want to shut down the conservation centre by all means in order to take over the protected land for their personal selfish interest without minding the service the facility provides for posterity whereby lives of people within and outside Imo State are immensely touched; coupled with mitigation of climate change effect. Please follow the link for details: https://bit.ly/imozoodo 

Abioye Francis had successfully applied all possible conservation advocacy strategies to desuade two successive Government of Imo State from converting the Imo State. Abioye was also able to convince the current Governor, Sen Hope Uzodinma to support the only surviving wildlife conservation centre whereby the current Governor host the biggest World Wildlife event in history of Africa. Follow the link for confirmation of executive declaration of the current Governor to protect the conservation centre during the 2020 World Wildlife Day event  https://bit.ly/imozoo_pr  

However, the Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma has totally reneged on the promises he made to the entire world during the National World Wildlife Day celebration in Imo State. He began to work the opposite by destroying all existing conservation efforts by successive Government. The Governor first requested Abioye to proceed on accumulated leave after being seen to be uncompromising with Government's plan to destroy the only surviving Zoo and Wildlife Park in the South East Region. Implimentation of destructive process of the Wildlufe Conservation facility began shortly after Abioye proceeded on leave yet, the state actors were not still comfortable with continuos presence of Abioye within the State. This is believed to be the major reason for the assassination attempt and the unfortunate kidnap of his wife.

Shortly after he had proceeded on leave, hired assassins were sent after him but, when he could not be trailed for about three weeks, his wife (Mrs Elizabeth Abioye) was kidnapped at First Baptist Church Owerri on Sunday 10th July, 2022 and she was held hostage for ten days until ransom was paid without Government intervention. Unfortunately, state actor(s) mounted pressure on the police to release some of the arrested suspect(s) for such case of assassination and kidnapping without trial. Continuous threats against the Conservation advocate (Francis Abioye) and his family persisted with high level of impunity through series of horrifying phone calls of threats from suspected politicians and their agents without any serious help from Security Agencies. The unabated threats to his life and family has denied him and his family the freedom to live freely like every other citizen, his four children were compelled to stop their various Schools for fear of possible attack. This is happening at a time when killings of innocent citizens became a common thing in Imo State. The children could not be enrolled in any school currently for the purpose of their safety just to keep them from hands of mindless state actors who are determined to destroy the last conservation area in the South East along with anyone they perceived to be standing against their inordinate interest. 

The entire Imo State Conservation Clubs stand with Abioye Francis, who is considered a man of outstanding quality of character and passion for conservation; considering the fact that  he and his wife and children have willingly suffered personal indignity, denial, loss of freedom, loss of material comfort to ensure that the last standing conservation facility in South East is not destroyed like the case of Enugu and Umuahia. He has suffered so much hurt for conservation reform he choose to champion in eastern part of Nigeria