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Tag: Nnamdi Kanu

  • Nnamdi Kanu not in military custody, says DHQ

    Nnamdi Kanu not in military custody, says DHQ

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, said the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was not in its custody.

    According to a statement by its  Director of Information, Major General John Enenche, the DHQ insisted  that its operations in Aba has nothing to do with the alleged raid on the home of separatist group leader.

    “The operations of our men are recorded live, and we can justify that his home was not raided by the military, ” Enenche said.

    Speaking at a news conference in Abuja,  Enenche explained that the people that came out to attack the military were the Biafra Security Service and the Biafra National Guard, saying that it was not right for them to block the roads and be collecting tolls and intimidating law abiding citizens of the state who were going about their lawful businesses.

    On the proscription of IPOB by the Federal Government and South East governors, Enenche noted that the statement he issued two weeks ago did not say “proscription” but a “warning” to parents to warn their children, adding that due process was followed by the government before the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by a competent court.

    He said: “It is not the responsibility of DHQ to declare Nnamdi Kanu wanted. Nnamdi Kanu is not in the custody of the military.

    “Nobody raided Kanu’s home. I was watching it live, was monitoring it and speaking with men on the ground.

    ” I later confirmed  that there was nothing to actually justify them legally to mount roadblocks. I saw the militancy, nobody told me and I saw the actions there. We are still investigating.

    “The military did not proscribe IPOB. Due process was followed to proscribe them. The job of the military was to diagnose security issues and warn the public of the consequences and that is part of our media operations.

    “We did our media operations very well, otherwise, that weekend would have been the longest weekend in this country and we are also very careful in choosing our words and we know the law very well.”

    On whether the military was not alarmed about the militarisation of the country coupled with reservations expressed by the United States of America on the on-going operations of the military across the country, General Enenche said the armed forces of Nigeria was not alarmed by what is being analysed by the US, adding that people see and understand situations in  different perspectives.  The military sees and understands things in  different perspectives too.

    “So, it is the military that would tell you the signs and symptoms of a security ailment because it’s only a doctor that can tell you that somebody has cancer or malaria.”

    Enenche reaffirmed the unalloyed loyalty of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.

  • IPOB: Kanu not in Military custody – Army

    IPOB: Kanu not in Military custody – Army

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said the various military operations going on across the country to deal with the various security challenges would be sustained, noting that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, is not in military custody.

    Defence Spokesman, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, stated this at a news conference in Abuja on Friday.

    Enenche also said that the exercises were being carried out by the armed forces not only to tackle the challenges but to train personnel, adding that they were being done in line with best international practices.

    He declared the unalloyed loyalty of the military to the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Responding to questions, Enenche urged the citizens not to be alarmed in the face of the presence of the military in almost all parts of the country.

    He explained that they were assisting civil authorities to tackle emerging security threats.

    The defence spokesman noted that the emerging threats were not unexpected as the nation passes through various stages of development.

    According to him, some of the advanced countries have also passed these stages where their armed forces are called in to assist civil authorities to tackle security challenges.

    On the whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Enenche maintained he was not in custody of the military as being insinuated in some quarters.

    On the quit notice issued to the Igbo by Arewa youths to leave the Northern part of the country on or before October 1, he said that the issue had been addressed by the political leadership.

    He, however, said that measures had been put in place to address any eventuality and assured the citizens that they were safe to live wherever they chose in the country to carry out their legitimate businesses.

     

  • Group challenges IPOB, Yoruba youths on Nigerian Unity

    Group challenges IPOB, Yoruba youths on Nigerian Unity

    The Coalition for the Defence of Nigeria’s Sovereignty has declared that the position of the United States of America over the declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group by the Federal Government, is highly condemnable.

    The group, during a protest on Friday, made the declaration while commiserating with Nigerians who fell victim of the activities of IPOB loyalists in Abia state and other parts of the South-East.

    Speaking at the protest venue, Otunba Bolaji Alabi, the National President/Convener, noted that the group came out to protest against “something that we know threatens not just our dear country, Nigeria, but also poses a risk to our culture as Yoruba. It is a culture we cherish as passionately as we respect our nationality as Nigerians.

    “Our compatriots in South-east Nigeria, our Igbo brothers, have a challenge on their hands by way of some errant persons that are advocating for a forceful breakup of Nigeria. They are pursuing this evil enterprise under the name of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, which the Federal Government of Nigeria has properly designated to be a terrorist group. This decision has been confirmed by the court in accordance with what the anti-terrorism law prescribes.

    “We were taken aback when the United States of America said IPOB is not a terrorist organization. We find the position of the United States abhorrent and highly condemnable in the light of the psychological and emotional trauma that this terrorist group has caused us collectively as a people. Even in the US, every single thing that members of this terrorist group have done in recent weeks will lead to jail terms.

    The United States should desist from making decisions from the comfort of its echo chambers, in which it only hears itself without the benefit of appreciating what the end recipients of the situation under consideration go through. In this regard, the hate speech hurled at Yoruba by IPOB members online alone qualify as terrorism. They have repeatedly referred to us as “yorobastards” “yoropigs” “yaribads” and other derogatory appellations.”

    According to him, the disdain with which this terrorist organization hold us as a people was deplorable to the extent that IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, directed his members to kill Yoruba after branding us as colluding with the Hausa/Fulani. Below are a few instances of him threatening us as a people:

    “No Igbo man should attend any Church where the pastor is a Yoruba man, they are criminals and fools.”
    “Any Igbo Person who attends any Church Pastored by a Yoruba Man is an Imbecile”
    “Pastor Kumuyi should be stoned and dealt with thoroughly if he comes to Aba for his planned crusade.”
    “Nigeria is a zoo and everybody living in that Godforsaken zoo deserves to die.”

    “Nigeria should prepare for war, we are coming to annihilate you, my secret service is already studying the zoo and strategising.”

    He further noted that IPOB has also been attempting to recruit and radicalize Yoruba youths to create a version of the terror group in the south-west of Nigeria oblivious to our nationalistic spirit and staunch belief in the unity of Nigeria.

    “It was these brainwashed youths that had unsuccessfully attempted making demands for the Oodu’a Republic, which does not enjoy any backing among us. The culture of hate speech being promoted by IPOB, which it is teaching these youths is alien to us as we are taught to be respectful and considerate of other humans.

    “We wonder what would be the fate of anyone that repeatedly incite others to violence through the promotion of hate speech and go the extra mile to actualize the threats as we witnessed in Rivers State when IPOB terrorists were stopping commercial buses and singling out non-Igbo passengers, including Yoruba, for attacks.

    “These IPOB’s activities have already negatively affected the economy and unleashed hardship on the population from which Yoruba are not immune. This situation is unacceptable and we do not see why any country will offer support to a terrorist group that is responsible for human suffering on this scale.

    “We have decided as a people that our lot is in a united and indivisible Nigeria. It is inconceivable that we change who we are as Yoruba because some terrorists have been bolstered by the US.  To be so insulted, derided, attacked and killed by IPOB terrorists for this conviction is unacceptable. It was on this note that we commended the court’s declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organization; if the United States thinks and says otherwise then we have no option than to begin to treat that country as a state sponsor of terrorism.

    “May we also point out that stakeholder may know the start of this contention but no one knows where it would head or where it would end. IPOB is already exporting its violence as seen in Bengaluru, India on September 24, 2017, when violence by members of the terror group left one person dead and property destroyed. The US is home to many Nigerians and it is a matter of time before IPOB export its violence to that country and we boldly warn the US to watch out in Houston, Texas, where IPOB has vibrant cells.

    “Our thoughts are that the United States corrects its mistake within a reasonable time so that IPOB would not use its position as an excuse to spread its violence and hatred to other parts of the world. We are closely monitoring to see how soon the US would do the right thing by distancing itself from a terror organization that has the Yoruba in its crosshairs,” Alabi summed.

  • Nigeria and NADECO’s absurd mouthing

    Nigeria and NADECO’s absurd mouthing

    Democracy in Nigeria is a precious gift to every Nigerian. That it has survived uninterrupted for over 17 years, since its return in 1999 is a big plus to the active players of the game and every other Nigerian. It is more a plus and applause to the Nigerian military under the current leadership for their absolute subordination to civil authority and faith in democracy.

    It is an apt expression of the determination of all stakeholders to uphold and defend democracy. Unarguably, democracy cannot flourish in an atmosphere of anarchy, violence and like vices. That it has survived this long is a mystery to die-hard rubble rousers and spoilers, who have become sleepless.

    The manifested angst now stems from the unexpected sustenance of democracy. So, they have risen to speak in negative tongues against the democratic leadership. And dreading shadows of their own demonic spirits, they hide under some funny excuses to attempt punching of this fledgling democracy.

    These are the same characters, who have etched their shadows as Nigerians uninterested in nurturing this democracy to attain full maturity. They masquerade variously to derail it. They have tried to wrestle it to the ground to no avail. Now new tricks are invented, which at best assault the sensibilities of the people. The perpetual power elite, the political gangs, the venomous cabals and the betrayals of democracy ethos have stepped up relevance from the absurd angle.

    Nigerians however know them as those who willfully thwart the electoral process, by deploying assorted devices against the civic expression of the masses; they abuse the vote; they frustrate accountability and transparency in public governance; they are the same Nigerians who sponsor assorted violence and crimes against the Nigerian state. They have foreign collaborators who pay them handsomely to ensure Nigeria knows no peace.

    The agitations, the restiveness’ in some parts of the country, the weird crimes, the terrorists’ atrocities and the militancy everywhere are all traceable to their satanic shadows. But in public, they pretend some saintliness and sound sanctimonious about national interest and defence of democracy.

    When the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) under President Muhammedu Buhari deflates these evil forces from crippling and crumbling Nigeria further, fresh groups reactivate to wage more wars. So, the National Democratic Coalition ( NADECO ), the pro-democracy activists of yester-years have sauntered on stage.

    Democracy is excited by divergent views, quite alright. But when such views are lubricated by malice, propelled by a mindset immersed in the desperation to be heard, more than the reason or crux the messages embody, it becomes a near intractable problem.

    The remnants of NADECO members met recently in Lagos and issued a widely publicized statement. Having been on sabbatical leave for a long time, news from the group ignited instant interest from the public. But perusing through it over and over again, the contents infinitely mocked the grandeur ideals of the founding fathers.

    Disappointingly, NADECO members are pleading the understanding of Nigerians to rejig the narrative of Nigerian military’s intervention in internal insurrections’ and the very destructive acts of terrorism which manacled Nigeria. NADECO was piqued and prophesied that the selfless and thankless job of taming these terrorists acts, and violent crimes, the Nigerian military has devoted time, energy and lives is signpost to the return of dictatorship.

    This is absolute gibberish! They can howl and scuff, but cannot convince any sane mind, simply by twisting facts, especially from Nigerians the military intervention has brought respite and peace.

    And singing the familiar song of revert to true federalism, which the likes of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar keeps singing  and someone,   suspected to have sponsored the resurrection of NADECO, it thought an impression has been ingrained on the psyche of Nigerians. Atiku feels his only and most worthwhile political asset is to preach restructuring to Southern Nigeria, as he restlessly eyes the Presidency of Nigeria in 2019 and beyond.

    It is bemusing what NADECO intends to imply by the assertion “Nigeria is back to dictatorship.” That, soldiers Operation Python Dance II in the Southeast has invaded communities, tortured civilians and scared the people and so, it is unconstitutional abuses logic. The explanation is as shallow as it sounds. Operation Python Dance II cannot be unconstitutional by such infantile reasoning. Soldiers on lawful deployment cannot be acting unlawfully by any stretch of imagination.

    But NADECO’s “conscionable” voice drained into the Ocean or  the Lagoon, when the Nnamdi Kanu’s  led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) trampled on the rights and freedom of every Nigerian, most especially, Southeasterners’. When Kanu established a Biafran state, within Nigerian sovereignty, it was not NADECO’s business. When it formed security organizations’, which it armed and deployed to terrorizing law abiding citizens and security agents, NADECO’s wisdom never decoded it as threat to democracy and its liberties to the citizenry.

    To polish an obvious lie, NADECO faulted the FGN’s declaration of IPOB a terrorists organization, arguing lamely and insisting government has gone against the order of a Federal High Court. Did the court order restraining the FGN from declaring IPOB a terrorists organization came before the deviant and abrasive group was formally declared a terrorists sect by a Federal High Court in Abuja?

    If IPOB was ever dissatisfied with the verdict, does it not amount to abuse of court procedure for IPOB to approach a court of concurrent jurisdiction seeking to vacate a subsisting court verdict, instead of a higher court? This is the blind argument NADECO has condescended into endorsing in public domain. Are the grey hairs in NADECO members so ignorant to the extent of knowing that laws of Nigeria permits the President to invoke his execute powers to certain limits, when internal security is threatened, without recourse to the National Assembly (NASS)?

    Thoroughly washing itself in shamefulness, NADECO morphed into soothsayers by predicting the deployment of soldiers to the other two regions in Southern Nigeria. Some Nigerians you expect should exude honour are most times, prodded by the wrong instincts.  Actions of government are official. It is not a backyard discussion or a tete-a-tete with an “Iyabo” in the kitchen.

    So, utterances’ on government should not just hang in the air, but be based on incontrovertible facts, as against presumptions or anticipatory actions. It is quite strange that NADECO is arguing against deployment of soldiers in the Southeast in sympathy with Governors of the eastern states and at the same time, dubiously preferring to forget that the same Governors under the umbrella of Southeast Governors Forum (SGF), directly under the furnace of IPOB members, proscribed IPOB. The reasons for reaching such extreme conclusions cannot be diminished by NADECO’s stale blackmail of the FGN and the Nigerian military.

    Restructuring or true federalism sermons are not strange to Nigeria. Like President Buhari echoed sometime back, every region of Nigeria is capable of sustaining itself. That’s the extent God has blessed Nigeria. The resources are everywhere. But campaigners of true federalism usually prefer not to reflect on reasons Nigeria is astoundingly backward after 57 years of independence.

    Former President and elder statesman of international repute, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ) is insistent that restructuring is not the answer to Nigeria’s present travails. He was emphatic that the canvassers of restructuring should first, “restructure” their minds. Mindless plundering of national resources by the political elite has left the country, a giant on bended kneels.

    Those irked that President Buhari has abated the pleasurable rape of Nigeria, sound loudest about restructuring, so that they can keep squeezing the juice out of states where they have imposed themselves as mini-lords and demigods. But every nation strives to forge ahead, with new ideals and actions. If all NADECO members and the likes of Atiku can propose after their resurrection is a return to the 1963 Constitution only exposes their wretchedness in ideology. It implies that they are barren of ideas, lost track of the dynamics of the world and seek, albeit questionably to again sink Nigeria into the dark ages.

    NADECO and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar are free to nurse dreams. The problem however is the intention to sacrifice the Nigerian military on the podium of political greed and interests. Nigerian military has demonstrated in the last two years that they are not just guardians’ of Nigerian democracy , but more interested in laying the template to ensure democratic institutions thrive and blossom to unimaginable levels.

    President Buhari’s choice of the present clan of the hierarchy of the Nigerian military was not carelessly selected. It explains why the military, particularly the Nigerian Army, has not only preached this sermon, but acted it in virtually all parts of Nigeria and excelling in every assignment with dignity. If world leaders take turns to salute their courage and resilience in demystifying and defeating Boko Harm terrorists in Nigeria, no amount of envy can obviate this acclaim.

    NADECO’s eyes are still dusty from the years of residence in the graveyard and cannot see beyond the veneer. Its belated bile campaigns against Nigerian military cannot fly and holding tenaciously to archaic ideas and using the military as a springboard is just in the middle of nowhere. If NADECO and its apostates are too haughty to appreciate the efforts of the Nigerian military in curbing acts of terrorism in Nigeria, it shall do its image some good by remaining silent.

    Okanga, a traditional warrior writes from Agila, Benue State.‎

  • Where is Nnamdi Kanu?

    Where is Nnamdi Kanu?

    According to radical writer, Tariq Ali, a true revolutionary is one who disregards personal safety in the pursuit of one’s beliefs. He cited Che Guavara who left the comforts of Argentina to fight in the jungles of Bolivia and died while in combat.
    He never failed to also mention Malcolm X as one of his heroes who was to meet his waterloo in the heady, violent days of 1965. Unfortunately, there was a disconnection between what he espoused and what he practiced.
    During the brutal dictatorship of General Ayub Khan in his native Pakistan where thousands of citizens died in bloody demonstrations, the students urged him to return home to lead the struggle from within and use his vast global contacts to yank off the military from power. Khan had other ideas and preferred to sit in London, editing a journal because he was scared that his passport might be confiscated.
    He refused to go to Paris in 1968 to attend an important conference because he was scared he might not be allowed back into Britain since he had five months left to become a British citizen. He was tragically a safety first radical apologies to Adewale Maja-Pearce, former editor of the Index on Censorship.
    The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu once boasted that he would deal with any invading force from Abuja and that it would be Biafra or death. When death came in the face of Operation Python Dance, what did he do? He allegedly vanished into thin air as his whereabouts have been unknown since his father’s palace was invaded by the military marauders.
    His disappearing act must have come as a gargantuan shocker to his horde of disciples who called him a Lion and swore that he would stand as the Rock of Gibraltar in protecting their interests.
    What his zealous supporters failed to acknowledge was that their idol failed to stand up for some of his supporters who were detained. He earlier promised not to live them behind in jail but when his bail came through, he made a volte-face. Wasn’t that a sign of more sinister things to come?
    He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day seemed to be his mantra as he was not ready to toe the path that Che Guevara, Martin Luther King Jnr, Patrice Lumumba etc trod.
    His followers were at the mercy of the army goons who whipped them mercilessly to submit to the constituted authority. They needed succour from the man who touted himself as the next big thing in revolutionary warfare but alas all they got was an elitist conspiratorial silence.
    IPOB as part of the fallout has been proscribed as a terrorist organization. The alleged presence of a Biafran intelligence service lent and Kanu’s call for the purchase of weapons made the Federal Government move swiftly to forestall any breakdown of law and order. To categorise them alongside boko haram was in bad taste. It would been interesting to hear Kanu’s voice denounce the actions of the Buhari led administration on his organization.
    Tragically, he has been turned into a fugitive and enemy of the state.
    He now has the charge of terrorism in addition to the earlier treason charge and this wouldn’t be easy to deal with as being let off the hook may be nothing short of wishful thinking.
    One wonders why there has been deafening silence by his supposed foot soldiers and erstwhile sympathizers! No official statement from his bail sureties or any from his horde of disciples. Is it that they failed to successfully buy into his ‘vision?’ Has the tide of the times made it unsafe to publicly associate or identify with him?
    Is it a failure on his part as a leader that he had no loyal crop of loyalists? Some traditional rulers went as far as asking the state government to withdraw the staff of office from his father. The greatest blow came from the southeast governors who denounced him and his organization. Let’s not forget that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe was among those that stood surety which meant an indirect governmental backing from his homeland.  Was his fame a nine day wonder accentuated by his prolonged detention and as such had no roots and substance?
    Successful liberty fighters have their machineries well oiled either during their time of flight or even death. The likes of Oliver Thambo, Walter Sisulu, Desmond Tutu, Thabo Mbeki etc spread forth the anti-apartheid message while Mandela and the 26 others were behind bars. The 1917 Bolshevik revolution was spearheaded by Lenin from exile in Switzerland. Why hasn’t the so called international support of IPOB seen a propagandist machinery to keep its ideals alive?
    We recall with gusto the way and manner Ralph Uwazurike swept the south-east with his Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). After his first spell in detention, it fizzled out like the musical candle in the wind.
    Some of Kanu’s traducers accuse him of succumbing to hubris by allowing a guard of honour to be mounted by his foot soldiers which he inspected and infamous picture that circulated virally which saw him step his feet on an overzealous disciple.
    For a man who enjoyed support from the likes of Pat Utomi and Chukwuma Soludo, this is not the best way to end up.
    Some cold comfort is coming from the United States who disagreed with the Nigerian government that IPOB is a terrorist organization. The UK and France have come to deny their countries being used as a funding conduit for the marked organization. Nothing has come in the way of support for Kanu from any of the aforementioned countries and it is crystal clear that he has been left to stew in his own juice.
    Will Kanu go down the way of Uwazurike? Would he like the phonix re-emerge as another Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu who was still held in high esteem despite his 1970 cowardice?
    Time never fails!
  • IPOB: Kanu sues Chief of Army Staff

    IPOB: Kanu sues Chief of Army Staff

    …Seeks order compelling Buratai to produce him in court

     

     

    Leader of the pro-Biafra group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja for an order of Habeas Corpus ad subjiciendum, commanding the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Tukur Buratai to produce him in court.

    The request is contained in a suit filed in his name yesterday by some lawyers led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor. The suit is marked; FHC/ABJ/CS/908/2017.

    Part of the grounds stated for the request include that Kanu has not been seen since some soldiers allegedly invaded his house on September 14, during which shots were fired and people dead and some wounded.

    The plaintiff stated that Kanu, who was in the house during this bloody onslaught by the Soldiers, has not been heard from or seen after this bloody attack in his home by the agents of the respondent (COAS) since the 14th day of September 2017.

    “The invading soldiers in their desperate bid to ensure that the applicant (Kanu) is caught in the attack climbed stairs to his bedroom upstairs to shot him; walls of his bedroom were riddled with bullets.

    “The invading s,oldiers who had direct contact with the applicant on this fateful day (14th day of September 2017) should be in a position to produce the Applicant before the court. It is either the Respondent’s rampaging Soldiers abducted the Applicant during this raid or must have killed him in the process.

    “Section 40 of the Federal High Court Act empowers this court to order that a writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum be issued on the respondent, to produce the applicant in Court, particularly now that his substantive criminal trial is coming up on the 17th day of October, 2017.

    The plaintiff stated, in a supporting affidavit, gave details of what allegedly occurred during the attack on Kanu’s residence and the circumstances leading to his purported disappearance.

    A lawyer, Mandela Umegborogu, said he learnt from Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanueal “that the soldiers who also drove in a purpose-built sophisticated armored personnel carrier, fired live bullets on the relatives of the Applicant, leaving scores brutally wounded, and arrested many.

    “During the bloody attack/invasion of the applicant’s home, scores were killed and others forced to abandon their sleep and run for cover in nearby bushes, which include nursing mothers, pregnant women, children and the aged.

    “On that same day, the 12th day of September, 2017, dozens of supporters of the Applicant who were on a courtesy visit to him, were also barricaded at Isialangwa and tortured on the same day.

    “The applicant was emotionally traumatized and visibly tortured on account of heavy causalities recorded in this unprovoked attack from the invading Soldiers.

    “On the 14th day of September, 2017, the Nigerian soldiers invaded the applicant’s home for the second time, unfortunately on a brutal but murderous raid that left 28 persons dead, and over 48 arrested and taken away to an unknown destination.

    “The applicant was sitting right inside his bedroom when the Soldiers invaded his home. The soldiers in their desperate efforts to ensure that the applicant who is their main target is gunned down, climbed the stairs to his bedroom upstairs to shot him.

    “The wall of the applicant’s bedroom is riddled with bullets holes till date. Attached and marked as Exhibits EK1, EK2, EK3, EK4, EK5 EK6, EK7 and EK8 are photographs showing with sufficient clarity the impacts of this assault on the Applicant’s home.

    “The by virtue of this contact the soldiers had with the Applicant in his room on this 14th day of September 2017, the soldiers must know where the Applicant is, his fate and state of health.

    “The rampaging Soldiers busted into the room of the Applicant in the course of this bloody attack and shoot at everything on sight, including living objects. Attached and variously marked Exhibits EK9, EK10, EK11, EK12, EK13 and EK14, are the photographs and video footage evidencing this dastardly attack on the home of the applicant, including the bullets holes in his bedroom.

    “The Respondent and his agents are fully aware that the   applicant will return to court on the 17th of October 2017 to stand for his trial in the case above mentioned.

    “The applicant has never been invited by any security Agency to response to any criminal allegation before this unprovoked bloody assault in his home.

    “The murderous raid in the home of the Applicant is targeted at eliminating him and not to arrest him.

    “If the intention of the Respondent was to arrest the Applicant, they would have quietly done that without killing unarmed and defenseless civilian populace found in the Applicant’s house.

    “Prior to the bloody onslaught on the Applicant’s house, the Applicant has never been invited by any Security Agency for any investigation. The Applicant was never invited by the Respondent’s office for investigation on allegation of any crime, at any time before the attack in his house.

    “The applicant and the members of IPOB are non-violent and unarmed group, agitating for their right to self-determination. IPOB do not carry arms neither are they into any form of armed struggle, and do not have history of violence.”

  • Nnamdi Kanu: A silver lining?

    SIR: Hated by many, worshiped by some; that is the tale of the self-acclaimed leader of the now proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He is perhaps the most talked about Nigerian in the last two years, and mostly for all the wrong reasons. He is not your regular civil right activist. I would personally be worried if any child cites him as a mentor, and for good reasons. To constantly fan the embers of hatred in a sensitively divided country; to continuously inspire violence, to intimidate, threaten and slur all perceived oppositions and yet claim to be a non-violent civil right activist(as some of his sympathizers have affirmed) is simply preposterous.

    But is everything about him really so dark and gloomy for the Nigerian State? Are there no salient virtues to be noted from this son of “Isiama Afara Ukwu”? Agreed, his methods and means are horrendous, but I invite you to take a look at the other side of the coin. Within the space of two years of returning to Nigeria, Kanu doggedly challenged the status quo. He utilized carefully calculated tactics to push through his agenda (or is it really his?). He fought relentlessly. He won followers and sympathizers. He sold his cause. He more than got our attention. The world was compelled to take note.  The Kanu-inspired renewed agitation for Biafra brought to the fore once again, the vital need for restructuring in our dear nation. Whether this is a coincidence or by design, I do not know.

    So my question really is – how do you make any kind of positive socio-political change in the Nigerian polity? How do you make any significant contribution towards influencing governance for good in our nation? Did you just say by voting the right leaders? Seriously? Let’s face it. You hardly ever get a free and fair election here. If you ever do, it would probably turn out that the person you so much vouched for more or less deceived you, an act which politicians here have perfected. Alternatively, the trusted elected leader could just change his mind or renege on his promises. When you finally get the person who is passionate about serving to occupy the elective seats, they will effectively mark him out of the game of Nigerian politics. His efforts sabotaged and frustrated, or he has to compromise and dance to some tunes to get some breathing space. So effectively, we are back to square one!

    Yet an electioneering process is just one of the means of influencing the socio-political life of a nation. Forcing a referendum, effecting a recall, demanding a sovereign national conference, Strike actions, Boycotting, volunteering, demonstration, signing petitions and filing an objection are all ways that can be deployed to force a change in Nigeria, yes, you heard well, force a change in Nigeria. To pretend that this is not what we will have to do is just insincere. The determination to influence the status quo: is the part of Nnamdi Kanu that we all must embrace. That, friends, is the silver lining in this dark cloud for the Nigerian state. There must be a drop of “Kanuity” in all of us.

    All I am saying is that we all need to get out of our tribal, religious and political sentiments, identify issues of common benefits and concerns, exhibit tolerance, maturity and organization and get round pushing for our desired outcome. It is okay to pursue personal advancement, but remember that our success as individuals will never reach it truest potentials if our state remains regressive.

    There is simply so much we can do. Imagine a Nigeria where we are able to achieve the end of making all political positions to be paid minimum wages without any allowances. You have no idea how much resources we will save and how less violent our elections will become. Political offices in the present day Nigeria should be reserved for those who have personally succeeded enough to want to serve sacrificially. Imagine a Nigeria where every legislator must participate in a monthly town-hall meeting with his people to give an account of his stewardship or face recall. Imagine a Nigeria where the people synergistically constitute themselves into monitoring groups to periodically evaluate the spending of the Federal Government and all its agencies, the State government and its agencies and even the local government. A great opportunity has been presented to us unwittingly. The ball is in our court.

     

    • Daniel Odupe, Esq;

    Lagos.

  • Operation Python Dance: Army keeps mum on Kanu’s whereabouts

    Operation Python Dance: Army keeps mum on Kanu’s whereabouts

    The Nigerian Army said on Friday it has successfully curtailed the activities of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in the South East, while clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the region had been prevented by troops in the past two weeks.

    However, the army was silent on the whereabouts of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was said to be on the run after troops laid siege on his compound in Aba, Abia state.

    Providing an update on Exercise Egwu Eke II (Python Dance II) the army said activities of kidnappers and other criminals have also been checkmated while several people have been arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.

    A statement signed by the Deputy Director of Public Relations, Nigerian Army, Col. Sagir Musa,  reassured the public that the army was ready to maintain peace and order in the entire South East.

    The statement reads: “Following the commencement of Exercise EGWU EKE II on Friday, 15th September 2017 in 82 Division Area of Responsibility, simultaneous activities have started in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Cross River States without hitch.

    “The essence of the exercise is to enhance troops’ preparedness and proficiency in dealing with emerging security challenges peculiar to the South-East region, such as kidnappings, armed robbery, communal crisis, farmers- herdsmen clashes, cultism, violent agitations and insurgency, amongst others.

    “One interesting aspect of the exercise is that, it is multi agency in nature and execution, thus enhancing synergy of efforts among the Services, security and response agencies. Relevant para-military organizations such as the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), Department of State Security Service (DSS), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) are all synergizing and collaborating in the exercise to ensure attainment of these objectives. Similarly, there are elaborate humanitarian activities associated with it, hence, the 82 Division Nigerian Army embarked on free medical services.

    “The first was on Tuesday, 18th September 2017 at the Adult Education Mass Literacy Centre, Nkwuagu Primary School Amaagu, Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. T.Y. Buratai, accompanied by the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Eric Kelechi Igwe, the General Officer Commanding, 82 Division Nigerian Army, Major Gen. Adamu Baba Abubakar and the Chief of Training and Operations, Army Headquarters, Major Gen. David Ahmadu and other senior Army Officers, were personally present at the commencement of the free medical outreach.

    “The turnout was impressive, as over 2,000 people benefited in the areas of dental, optometry, laboratory services and blood pressure measurements. Others were dispensing of eye glasses, de-worming tablets, assorted drugs, mosquito nets and sanitizer to various categories of people. In the same vein, similar medical outreach will be conducted at Nnarambia community Central Primary School, Ahiara Mbaise in Ahiazu Mbaise LGA of Imo State on 23rd September 2017 as part of the activities of Exercise EGWU EKE II.

    “The Division has also scheduled similar free medical outreaches in other states covering its area of responsibility during the exercise. Furthermore, in addition to visiting the Operational Headquarters of Sector 5 of Exercise EGWU EKE II, at 24 Support Engineering Regiment, Abakaliki, the Chief of Army Staff also visited the Step-Up Headquarters of 82 Division at the Nigerian Army Language Institute, Ovim, in Isiuokwuato LGA of Abia State.

    “So far, the troops have been carrying out routine activities associated with the exercise seamlessly along with other supporting Services and agencies. Some suspected criminals were arrested, farmers-herdsmen as well as communal clashes have been averted. Similarly, kidnappers, cultists, armed robbers and other criminal elements have been denied freedom of action through patrols, raids and manning of checkpoints.”

     

  • Why FG declared IPOB terrorists group – Minister 

    Why FG declared IPOB terrorists group – Minister 

    The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Wednesday gave reasons why the Federal Government declared the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, Mohammed said that the group led by Nnamdi Kanu had been using cutlasses and other weapons to terrorize Nigerians.

    According to him, the group has also been getting financial sponsorship from some quarters to destabilise the country.

  • Ex-Senate president Ebute urges UN to endorse IPOB barring

    Ex-Senate president Ebute urges UN to endorse IPOB barring

    Former Senate President, Senator Ameh Ebute has reached out to the United Nations over the proscription of the Indegenous People of Biafra (IPOB) seeking the endorsement of the intergovernmental organization.

    In the letter addressed to the UN Security Council’s (UNSC), Ebute acknowledged IPOB as a militant terrorist organization demanding prompt action against the group to avert crisis of genocidal dimension in Nigeria.

    Recall that in the wake of the recent crisis that shut commercial activities in Abia State, activities of IPOB, led by British-Nigerian activist, Nnamdi Kanu, has been proscribed by Southeast Governors’ Forum

    The letter written by the former Senate President on behalf of the league of Patriotic Elder Statesmen in Nigeria, reads: “The League of elder statesmen in Nigeria sends you special compliments as well as extends same to the entire staff of the UN Secretariat Headquarters, New York.

    “We are sure the UN is aware and indeed monitoring the precarious insecurity situation in Nigeria, heightened by terrorists sects and other violent insurrectional groups. These crises escalated in the last few years beginning from the year 2009, when Boko Haram Terrorists invaded Nigeria terrifyingly.

    “The extremists Boko Haram Islamic sect members mindlessly and gruesomely murdered people; abducted hundreds of Nigerians; perpetrated acts of arson and violently seized swathes of land under Nigerian territorial sovereignty and committed other heinous atrocities already recorded by history. It has deposited on the land Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) the UN has estimated at over 2.4 million people in Northeast Nigeria, where terrorism hibernated for years before its defeat by the Nigerian Military.

    “The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) under President Muhammadu Buhari has been battling the scourge of terrorism and allied insurgencies in parts of Nigeria in the last two years. But as the insecurity situation in Nigeria is gradually being normalized, the country is again woken up by sounds of unpleasant drums of war chanted by emerging terrorists sects, garbed in ethnic separatist movements which have perfected plots to unleash more heinous atrocities on Nigeria.

    “We wish to notify your office that investigations by the appropriate security authorities in Nigeria have identified the latest and budding terrorists sect in the country as the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), whose leader is Nnamdi Kanu. The activities of IPOB members which are mainly confined to Southeast Nigeria presently is an organization, which operates in the guise of agitations for secession or actualization of a “republic of Biafra”.

    “While it is clear IPOB is opposed to conventional tools for its campaigns for secession, its members have wittingly engaged in unwholesome acts, which bear bold imprints of terrorism. IPOB sect members, led by Nnamdi Kanu have embarked on bile and hate campaigns against other ethnicities in Nigeria, adopting inciting or indecorous language, and laced in distasteful violent acts, intent on provoking another civil war in Nigeria. They consistently nourish the platform for the planned civil strife it intends to illegally foist on Nigeria, which would lead to mass genocide against innocent Nigerians.

    “We are concerned at the exposure of traits of terrorism in IPOB as revealed by an intensive, painstaking security investigation and analysis of the activities of IPOB’s Leader Nnamdi Kanu and his band of followers. The conclusions have been sourced and established from its relentlessly violent siege on Nigeria and promotion of hate campaigns as well as physical enforcement of compliance with illegal sit-at-home order through its militant wings.

    “In accordance with the above acts which bear semblance of terrorism, the Nigerian military on Friday, September 15, 2017  declared IPOB’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu and the organization   as manifesting in “intent, plan and purposes as analyzed, is a militant terrorist organization.”

    “The Nigerian Defence headquarters which issued the proclamation cited IPOB’s perpetration of acts like the formation of a Biafra Secret Service (BSS); advanced stages in the formation of Biafra National Guard (BNG); militants possession/use of weapons; physical confrontations and attempts to snatch military weapons from the military troops on patrol and unauthorized blockage of public access roads and extortion of money from hapless members of the general public. These act built an unfathomable tension in the Southeast and Nigeria.

    “It is also instructive that almost simultaneously after Nigerian military authorities declared IPOB a terrorists organization, the Governors of the five states in the Southeast, under the aegies of Southeast Governors Forum (SGF) held an emergency meeting. After intensive deliberations on the actions of the IPOB leader and activities of the organization, the SGF in a communiqué issued on same day, September 15, 2017 unanimously resolved and proscribed the activities of IPOB.

    “Furthermore, it is a matter of serious concern that the Southeast States Governors, who are the Chief Security Officers of their respective states, reviewed the prevailing preposterous insecurity situation in the Southeast hatched through the violent operations of IPOB members and the concomitant consequences to outrightly proscribe its activities. It is express confirmation of the deep-rooted threats of terrorism IPOB constituted to the Southeast region and corporate existence of Nigeria; public peace and order as well as national security.

    “Only the prompt intervention of the Nigerian military that saved a nationally ominous, violent implosion, which would have snowballed into a terrible and devastating crisis, leading to mass genocide of Nigerian people.

    “We are scared for the future of Nigeria and posterity with the continued existence of the Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB. Its leader has vowed repeatedly through utterances and actions to unstoppably trigger crisis of genocidal proportions in Nigeria come rain, come sun shine.  (Please, Find attached, video clips of Nnamdi Kanu’s threats to cause genocide in Nigeria)

    “It is therefore imperative for the UN through its organ of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to invoke the suitable laws to intervene in an apparently smoldering crisis in Nigeria. Permitting the progression of this crisis to the level of explosion would be devastating and definitely affect peace and security on the African continent as a whole and create humanitarian crisis of international dimension.

    “The UN is pleaded to immediately commence the process of investigating the activities of IPOB’s leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and members of the organization which have radiated in flames of a terrorists sect. It has led to its tagging as a terrorists organization by Nigeria and UN is prodded to act in order to identity and do the needful to these pregnable threats to Nigeria and trans-regional security in Africa.

    “The UN is implored to further initiate actions that would save Nigeria from this pending catastrophe arranged by IPOB in order to safeguard international peace and security. Our experiences indicate that some terrorists groups tormenting Nigeria today have confessed to been foreign-backed and funded. It underscores the need to give more attention to IPOB’s fierce aggression on Nigeria.

    “Please, accept our profound appreciation as we anxiously await an immediate response to this plea for intervention to halt the imminent disruption of peace and the obvious plunging of Nigeria into avertable crisis.”