Aldous Huxley, a famous English writer and philosopher once said: “That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” In the last few days, it has become increasingly clear that the group known as the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Nnamdi Kanu, their “supreme leader”, are on a mission to justify these words by all means. The federal government is also not absolved in this regard – a history of over-reaction and high handedness on its part also looks set to repeat itself and tip the scales in favour of the carnage that IPOB group seeks.
For a couple of years now, Kanu has been a thorn in the side of the Nigerian government. His hate speech and threat against the Nigerian state including ordinary Nigerians had compelled the government to order his arrest and prosecution for various offences, including treason. His arrest led to a protracted period of detention. When he was finally released on bail, it was on clear and stringent conditions that he apparently left behind in the courtroom.
Now, having incited his supporters to one mindless act after another, the culmination of their incendiary actions and remarks and the high-handed response of agents of the government, have become a threat to the frail stability of multiple inter-ethnic locations across the country. One almost feels sorry for the government that has to check excessive reactions of its agents in the face of unbridled provocation by the IPOB cohort as it happened in Abia State last week.
Though the skirmish in Abia State was regrettable, the crass disregard for civil decency that has been exhibited by Kanu and his followers from the onset has been astounding. All along, his message has veered so much off-course of the traditional Igbo marginalisation theory, to the extent that even Ralph Uwazuruike, the man who claimed to have recruited him into the original Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has repeatedly condemned and washed his hands off Kanu. It is also of great concern that the broadcasts that were personally made by Kanu on the platform of his foreign domiciled Radio Biafra, were, indeed, not seeking to promote Igbo interests but rather, pandered to ethnic division and hatred of the other tribes in Nigeria.
While this balderdash was going on, surprisingly, seemingly moderate Igbos, including Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, had thought that they could ignore Kanu’s treasonable excesses by dismissing his actions as immature and eccentric. In the same vein, these moderate Igbos had been riding on the coat tails of IPOB’s message of hate, to reiterate the Igbo marginalisation mantra.
For a people whose enterprising nature and economic dexterity is readily recognised anywhere in the land, and demonstrated through repeated appointments into sensitive areas of government including positions at the head of the military, in the recent past, the argument of marginalisation just cannot hold sway. That no Igbo president has emerged since the civil war, is directly traceable to the efforts to secure the position through strong-arm tactics and the same threats as we see today, instead of the politics of charm and alliances that everyone else is busy consummating.
In an interview with Al Jazeera after his release on bail, Kanu was quoted as saying: “We have one thing in common, all of us that believe in Biafra, one thing we have in common, a pathological hatred for Nigeria. I cannot begin to put into words how much I hate Nigeria”. The question is: If Kanu detests the country so much, why has he not renounced his citizenship?
Albert Einstein, arguably one of the most regarded scientists in history, a German-born Jew renounced his German citizenship at a time when German ideals were incompatible with his beliefs. That, surely, is the civilised thing to do instead of rousing vulnerable youths in the name of hatred to destabilise the peace of other Nigerians, including well-meaning Igbos who will be caught up in any fighting that might result from the irresponsibility of a few bigots.
It is apparent that Kanu has constituted a law unto himself. Images of shabbily clad, desperate young men dubbed “Biafran Security Forces” being ‘inspected’ by Kanu are routine online. His supporters have attacked military checkpoints with crude tools, burnt a police station and hunted for northerners who were marked for death by them. Kanu is also seen in a separate video urging his supporters to “burn down” Nigeria if he gets re-arrested, and this, after brazenly breaching the terms of his bail. Right now, he does not seem like one who will report to court on the next date for hearing of his case.
It should be noted too that the Army itself has been caught on camera mistreating members of the group in an inexcusable act of ruthlessness. Although the military high command has launched investigation into this detestable act, it goes to show the excesses of some public officials in their behavioural pattern against the same public they are paid to protect. And as they say, two wrongs can never make a right.
Now, the questions some need to ask themselves is: Is there any justification for supporting, in public or private, such a divisive figure as Kanu? And for those who will not openly condemn him for what he has become, what are they waiting for?
Surely, there is no middle ground between hate and legitimate efforts to protect people’s interests within a civilised society. Right now, with his utterances, Kanu is not towing the path of Mandela or even Odumegwu Ojukwu, as he would want people to believe. Definitely, he is moving towards a warped Igbo supremacy quest modelled after Adolf Hitler, without the brains, wit or might, to execute it. The outrageous claims of possessing ‘nuclear weapons’ can only be an indication of a mentally challenged individual, which could spell greater doom for all those who follow his path.
It is a big relief that the government has been able to douse the flames of reprisal attacks against Igbos in Jos for the hunting of northerners in the east by Kanu and his cohorts. However, this fragile peace is subject to puncture by even the slightest whim of these unstable young men who are unable to grasp the full consequences of their actions.
It is worth a reminder that the horrors of the Nigerian Civil War or Biafra War, which are still etched in the sub-conscious of many of the leaders of the South-east, are real and should never be revisited. As for the government, the time has come for careful diplomacy in handling Kanu by gently coaxing him to talks with the Igbo leadership. This is so because his acts are fast crossing the threshold of decency and common sense.
Already, the military has declared IPOB a militant terrorist organisation, while at the same time, the committee of South-east governors and the leadership of the Ohanaeze, the pan-Igbo socio-cultural group proscribed the group – all with good reasons. Illegal formation of parallel security forces not recognised by the state, attacking state security forces, and hunting down innocent people definitely justify these actions. It is sad, but the Igbo leaders’ action came a little too late because the leaders had all along been too reluctant to decide on what to do. Hopefully the greater interests of the Igbo people should now prevail.
It is, however, unfortunate that there are claims of deaths from the hands of the military in Kanu’s camp. If it is true, it is should be properly investigated. While fighting hate and indecency, we should not descend into the same ugly depth as the defaulters. It is hoped that the right thing is done in all quarters, to avoid a repeat of past horrors. Nigeria needs peace, but surely, not the peace of the graveyard.
