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Tag: Nnamdi Kanu

  • Parable of the stubborn fly

    Parable of the stubborn fly

    True to prophecy, the mere shadow of armoured tanks approaching River Niger bridge last week was enough to dismantle the rather imposing castle of conceit Nnamdi Kanu had erected across the South-east in recent times, like straws under a Category 5 hurricane. The little braggart who had romanticized rebellion so vigorously, who had threatened fire and brimstone so darkly, suddenly went into hiding when war arrived his doorstep.

    Today, how pathetic that lieutenants of the absconding coward who yesterday spoke the language of thunder, evoking the imagery of bloodshed and Armageddon, are suddenly defending that “IPOB is non-violent”.

    For clarity, keen followers of this column will attest yours sincerely has consistently been a vigorous advocate of a Nigeria that guarantees accommodation for all, irrespective of size, tongue or creed. One, therefore, has no inhibitions whatsoever in conceding that Igbo are entitled to their grievances over feelings of alienation under the Buhari administration. The renewed cry of Biafra would sound quite legitimate against that backcloth..

    But uncouth Kanu, half British citizen, adulterated the idea. He seemed unprepared for the fame he was thrust into by President Buhari’s goof in jailing him in the first place. With insecure Igbo governors and shameless political leaders swooning over him for photo ops outside Kuje Prisons, he began to see himself as larger-than-life. Sensible ones were afraid to speak out lest they were branded sellout. Then, he graduated into a con-man.

    While observing the galaxy of world leaders gathered at the Vatican for the funeral of Pope John Paul II during the Cold War, a bemused Joseph Stalin, communist Russia’s lawgiver, had famously asked an adviser, “How many divisions does the Pope have?” It was obvious the blood-thirsty tyrant never realized the good Pope possesses something mightier – moral authority.

    Notwithstanding his latter-day pretensions to some Jewish genealogy, no such moral authority could by any stretch of imagination be attributed to Kanu, nor has his conduct reflected any common sense, especially lately. In seeking to actualize Biafra, his toxic rhetoric against non-Igbo would only be tolerated by those without any ounce of self-respect. The man bemoaning injustice ironically appeared to find pleasure in speaking lowly of others who themselves are mostly victims of the same perverted order.

    To achieve liberty, this political illiterate did not realize he first needed the solidarity of fellow captives to push against a common enemy. Disaffection with the Nigerian state is not enough justification to call your ethnic neighbours unprintable names. Myopic Kanu apparently only thought of returns from merchandising Biafra and did not seem to realize the big danger posed to fellow Igbo living elsewhere by his incendiary rantings.

    He claimed the same DNA as Ojukwu. But the Ikemba Nnewi was certainly not foolish like him. Ojukwu controlled battle-ready battalions before he dared Gowon. But Kanu’s lack of common intelligence became obvious when he started circulating video recordings of himself reviewing “guard of honour” mounted by nothing but a phantom guerrilla army. He was living a lie. He gave them different funny names – Biafran Secret Service, Biafran National Guard, the Lion Squad etc..

    With that, he only succeeded in playing into the hands of the enemy. So, his fake army became easy meat for the Nigerian Army too eager to utilize them for target practice. Anyone who watched last week the videos of troops brutalizing the young “Biafran fighters” armed with nothing more than Biafran memorabilia cannot but see an obscene picture of the disproportionate balance of power. As a parent, I wept seeing young boys being dehumanized needlessly. But you don’t begrudge the swooping hawk for the violence to the chick; you blame mother hen careless enough to expose her sucklings to danger.

    In a way, the shallowness of the thinking in Abuja was also inadvertently exposed last week while Abia burned. While defending PMB against the charge of “marginalizing” the Igbo, a presidential spokesman had the temerity to, among others, insinuate that the headship of the nation’s two main “cash cows” – CBN and NNPC – have been left in the hands of South-East indigenes. Seriously? But verifiable public records only indicate that both Ibe Kachikwu, the junior oil minister, and Godwin Emefiele, the CBN czar, hail from Delta State located unmistakably in the South-South. (That is assuming Kachikwu still today has “real powers” after the NNPC was “excised” from his portfolio and a northerner made the head.)

    But it all seems expedient this hour for the emergency cartographers in Abuja to casually gerrymander Delta into Igboland in the new geography of political perfidy.

    Assuming such fallacy was not actually bred by mischief, there can only be a much more abominable possibility: poor understanding of the ethnic identities of the citizens who populate the South-east and the South-South by those who arrogate to themselves the right to rule over us and the veto to determine our fate..

    Maybe, that mis-recognition of Kachikwu is why no other Igbo was considered in the recent appointment bazaar in the NNPC. Out of 15 slots, the north cornered 10, even when that region does not contribute a single barrel to the nation’s crude export. But South-east which is oil-producing on account of Imo State got absolutely nothing. Could it also be a coincidence that two out of the 10 slots got by the north came from UBA where PMB’s Chief of Staff once worked? Where is the equity?

    As always canvassed in this column, ultimately, the historic responsibility lies with PMB to foster national unity, give every section of the country a sense of belonging, irrespective of the voting pattern in the last general election. That is the surest way to lobotomize the virus that feeds ethnic entrepreneurs like Kanu. Sure, the easy part is the rendition of Python Dance. But history teaches us that the peace that endures is one rooted in justice.

    It is never late for Buhari to begin to act differently.

     

    War of words in Rivers

    Joseph Mbu – does anyone still remember that grotesque character today? Those who followed political events in Rivers between 2013 and 2015 should. He was the Police Commissioner used relentlessly by then ruling PDP to “persecute” the opposition governor in the Garden City.

    But the table has since turned. PDP and APC have traded places.

    From the look of things, one Akin Fakorede is the new Mbu giving incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike “hell” on behalf of the current ruling party in Abuja. Not once or twice has the Rivers governor publicly bemoaned the activities of the head of the Special Anti-Robbery (SARS) unit as undermining him. The same way Rotimi Amaechi often complained bitterly against Mbu.

    In the bloody election re-runs held so far in Rivers, Wike consistently accused Fakorede and his unit of acting as though they were the armed wing of APC during the exercises.

    Things took a rather dramatic turn last week with Wike leveling a weightier charge against Fakorede’s SARS. A member of the squad was allegedly killed during a shoot-out with the independent police unit deployed by the Inspector General that foiled a kidnap attempt on one Ifeanyi.

    Following the distress call, the IG’s special forces swiftly arrived in the nick of time near the Fidelity Bank branch in Port Harcourt where the kidnappers took Ifeanyi at gun-point to withdraw N500,000 cash from ATM as ransom.

    Ordinarily, the IG’s special unit initiative should be commended as having thus helped rescue a citizen in distress, with the glory being ultimately IG Ibrahim Idris’. But the devil was in the details. By the time gun-fire smoke cleared, it turned out that the bullet-riddled body that lay on the ground was alleged to be that of a SARS operative!

    Strangely enough, while addressing the press conference, Wike went further to identify the slain officer as the one who accompanied Fakorede to allegedly tamper with PDP’s ballots at the collation centre in the last election re-run in the state.

    Interestingly, Wike’s claims were dismissed 24 hours later tersely as “nonsensical” by the IG. The Police PRO in Rivers had earlier declined comment. While not denying that a cop was killed, Idris attributed it to the IPOB upheaval in Port Harcourt that day..

    So, it is now a question of Wike’s word against the IG’s. But the Nigerian public deserve to know the whole truth given the gravity of the charge. Where is Ifeanyi? Was a member of the IG unit truly injured during the shootout at Fidelity Bank? By who? If alive, where is/are the suspect(s)?

    Besides, no less curious is that it was the local APC branch which started speaking for the police vigorously long before IG was “ambushed” by the press at the Presidential Villa in Abuja for comment on this puzzle. It all looked like a throwback to the absurdity we witnessed when Amaechi was at the receiving end of “federal oppression” only few years ago.

    Having promised “change”, let the Rivers APC be told the best way to demonstrate superiority of value is to conduct themselves in a more civilized manner. Taking over the job of police PRO as they seemed to have done here is laughable. Otherwise, they risk being accused of breaking PDP’s records in infamy.

     

  • Biafra: The fire this time

    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.

  • IPOB: I won’t dethrone Kanu’s father – Ikpeazu

    IPOB: I won’t dethrone Kanu’s father – Ikpeazu

    The Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, said on Tuesday he would not dethrone the father of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, over the group’s activities.

    Kanu’s father, Eze Israel, is the traditional ruler of Isiama Afaraukwu in Umuahia.

    The activities of IPOB in recent times had been threatening the lives and properties of residents in Abia and Igbos in other parts of the country.

    That had also led to the deployment of security personnel to Umuahia and proscription of IPOB.

    Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the governor said he would separate the father from the son in handling the matter.

    He said: “I clearly separate Kanu from his father. The processes of handling traditional institutions are enshrined in the laws of our land. And traditional rulers who are members of our constituency have leadership and they will do the needful at the appropriate time.

    “But for me, I think there is a clear division between Nnamdi Kanu and his father.”

    On the activities of IPOB, Ikpeazu added: “But if you are referring to what happened in the past one week. Nigerians know that for some time now that this group called IPOB was agitating for a separate nation called Biafra and that the home state of the leader of that group is Abia State.

    “As expected, when such things happen there is an interface between some members of that group and the military, and the theater was Abia State.

    “And some people attempted to hijack that event to conflagrate our country. To the glory of God the rest is history, we are still working to stabilize the fragile peace in the region.

    “I thank God also for the instruments he used to keep our country as one. We are humbled by the privileges.”

     

  • IPOB will be worse than Boko Haram if not tackled – Coalition

    IPOB will be worse than Boko Haram if not tackled – Coalition

    A Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Transparency and Good Governance has warned that the Nnamdi Kanu led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) will be worse than Boko Haram if not urgently tackled.

    The coalition noted that before its proscription by the military and southeast governors, IPOB had exhibited all the characteristics of a terrorists group to the extent that it had become the metaphor for describing the southern equivalent of Boko Haram led by Abubakar Shekau.

    Speaking at a press conference yesterday, the National Coordinator of the Coalition, Patriot Sabo Ode recalled Kanu had declared ‘Biafra Republic’ same as Shekau declared an Islamic Caliphate; where he called Nigerians animals like Shekau called them infidels.

    He said, “Both men promised to deliver the heads of Nigerian Presidents to their declared enclaves; IPOB and Boko Haram adopted flags other than the green-white-green; they formed cabinets; they radicalised youths, they called for attacks on Nigeria and Nigerians; and they both declared the state and its military as their enemy.”

    Ode said the coalition had observed that some unrepentant members of IPOB have resorted to ramping up their campaign of fake news, which they have been using to brainwash residents in south-east.

    “The pseudo-online news portals they deploy for their propaganda have ramped up their farcical activities to an extent that they are now lying against foreign dignitaries in the hope that this would distract the Federal Government from its resolve to protect all Nigerians.

    “The latest of such attempt is an headline “EU Condemns and Cautions Nigerian Military, Reject the Declaration of IPOB as a Terrorist Organization”. In the poorly written story cooked up to justify the lying headline, the impression was created that the President of the European Union Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker was in support of a Terrorist organisation destroying Nigeria. Unfortunately for this fake news site, the slightest fact checking reveals no such statement exists in the database of if statements issued by the EU Commission or Juncker.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the most current news about Juncker and the EU is about him doing his best to prevent BREXIT, the breakaway of Great Britain from the EU even after Britons have voted in a referendum to leave the union. Our view is that it will take a supremely illiterate persons to attempt blackmailing Nigeria with fake news while using an organization and leader that favour more countries staying together to form a super nation.”

    Ode called on Nigerians not to be swayed by such lies and to take note of sites that circulate such fake news.

  • IPOB: We can’t be intimidated

    IPOB: We can’t be intimidated

    The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) yesterday declared that no intimidation or harassment from any quarter will make it retreat.

    The group described its proscription by the Southeast governors and the declaration of it as a terrorist organisation by the Defence Headquarters as actions that could not stand.

    IPOB said a referendum to determine a sovereign state of Biafra would compensate the people.

    In a statement yesterday, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary Emma Powerful, said it wondered why herdsmen that had several times caused havoc in various parts of the country had not been declared a terrorist organisation.

    IPOB said: “It is also on record that till date, no police commissioner or governor in the South East or South South has dared to rise up against the fourth deadliest  terrorist group in the world we know as Fulani herdsmen.

    “When Fulani herdsmen attacked Enugu, Anambra,  Ebonyi and Abia states, none of the police commissioners in these various states or any of these governors now supporting genocide against their people ever uttered a word in opposition.

    “82 Division of the Nigerian Army at Enugu,  a mere 13 kilometers from where  Fulani herdsmen armed with sophisticated weaponry attacked innocent villagers, did not rise up to aid Enugu people.

    “They did not storm the hideout or known settlements of Fulani herdsmen in Enugu. There was no stop and search of Fulani people. There were no arbitrary arrests of Fulani men. Fulani women were not carted off to be raped and dehumanised by Nigerian soldiers.

    “Fulani leaders and Arewa North never rose up in condemnation of Fulani herdsmen.

    “We must not stop to let the police and Nigeria DHQ know that Biafra restoration project, led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, cannot be moved or deterred by any threats or killing of unarmed innocent civilian populations.

    “We also want to let them understand that they don’t have the power to declare the peaceful and nonviolent IPOB a terrorist organisation.

    “It is unfortunate that the Nigerian police and DHQ cannot differentiate between freedom fighting and terrorism yet most of them claim they are graduates.”

    “Every right thinking person must continue to ask South East governors why they allowed envy and jealousy to overwhelm them to the point of inviting an entirely foreign army full of Hausa Fulani men to come to our land to kill us because they lost the masses to IPOB”

    “The ranting of some of the cowardly governors of South East zone, especially Willie Obiano and Okezie Ikpeazu, to the effect that they will continue to kill innocent unarmed people fighting for their freedom in a peaceful manner but swore to protect the children of his slave masters in the North, is meaningless to us.”

    “IPOB is not in the habit of attacking anybody or group of persons and will never do anything to bring harm to non-indigenous Biafrans residing in Biafraland. We are civilised people and not as blood thirsty as the Arewa North.”

    “We will not fail to remind the Southeast governors that they have lost the battle with IPOB under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, especially Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and Willie Obiano of Anambra State.

    “IPOB cannot and will not succumb to pressure resulting from intimidation, arrest and brutal murders going on now all over Abia, Anambra and Rivers states at the moment.

    “We have gone too far ahead to be bothered by the sound of bullets, bombs and fighter jets waiting to rain bombs on us. Nobody can stop the agitation for Biafra freedom at this point in time, only a referendum can do that.

    “We are putting our people and the entire world on notice that we are not relenting until this or any other Nigerian government and her cabals give us a date for referendum.”

    “Every family member of IPOB is advised to be patient because we are at the stage of last fight against the internal forces of darkness that have held us hostage for generations against our will.”

  • Biafra: South East Govs, Senators, others should resign to join Kanu – Agitators

    Biafra: South East Govs, Senators, others should resign to join Kanu – Agitators

    A coalition of Niger Delta agitators on Monday vowed to resist attempt to drag the Niger Delta region into the secession agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), but said it was time the Nigerian government allow the Igbos to have a country of their own in the interest of the nation’s nascent democracy.

    The group said Nigeria must not be allowed to go into another civil war, pointing out that the same antics currently being employed by the group was employed in 1966, when Igbos masterminded the Civil War and involved the South-South in Biafra map and major infrastructures were destroy in Niger Delta with over 15 million south south people killed.

    Related: South East Senators caucus back probe of Army/IPOB clash

    In a statement signed by leaders of the group, the group said it has reliable information that some top businessmen and politicians from South East zone are the sponsors of IPOB.

    Those who signed the statement included General John Duku (Niger Delta Watchdogs and convener Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators); General Ekpo Ekpo (Niger Delta Volunteers); General Osarolor Nedam (Niger Delta Warriors); Major-Gen. Henry Okon Etete (Niger Delta Peoples Fighters); Major-Gen. Asukwo Henshaw

    (Bakassi Freedom Fighters) among others.

    Trending: ASUU suspends strike, directs lecturers to resume immediately

    They condemned calls by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo for the government to negotiate with the Nnamdi Kanu, saying it was surprised that the same man who ordered the destruction of Odi, in Bayelsa state would be talking about negotiation.

    They said: “we hereby call on the Nigerian government, international community and the general public to monitor the activities IPOB and her sponsors carefully as we shall resist any attempt to drag the Niger Delta region into the ill advised secession activities of IPOB.

    Any member of IPOB that causes mayhem in South East and want to hide in the Niger Delta region shall be severely dealt with. We are surprised that the South East Governors Forum could not call Nnamdi Kanu to order before things got worse as witnessed today. 

    “We call on the Nigerian government to follow due process and the rule of law in declaring a group a “terrorist organization” as the recent declaration of IPOB by the Nigerian Army as a terrorist organization is contrary to the tenets of our nascent democracy.

    “Rather the government should allow them to be on their own, stop funding the South Eastern states with the Niger Delta money, they should be on their own, generate their funds and pay their bills. It is high time Nigeria allow Igbos to be on their own to avoid another civil war.

    “We are appealing to the Nigerian government to allow Igbo to go and have their independence without the involvement of other zones since they are tire of being in Nigeria. Nigeria is not ready to go into another civil war. We therefore appeal to the government to allow Igbo to go and be on their own.

    All the serving Governors, Senators, House of Reps members, Ministers, Ambassadors from South East extraction should resign immediately and join Nnamdi Kanu to form Biafra government. Let peace reign in Nigeria. It was the agitation of Biafra that brought the last Civil war in Nigeria and we are not prepared for such. Reliable information at our disposal shows that some top businessmen and politicians from South East zone are the sponsors of IPOB.

    “We totally condemn the call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the federal government should dialogue with Nnamdi Kanu. It is totally wrong that the man who destroyed Udi, Bayelsa state in Niger Delta can today talk about dialogue. During his tenure, Asari Dokubo and others were locked up for over one year without trial while he was busy siphoning Niger Delta money. Today he is talking about dialogue.

    “We condemn the IPOB attack and destruction of properties in Oyibo in Rivers State. We have warned these people severally that Rivers State and the entire Niger Delta region is not and would not be part of Biafra. They rush to Rivers state to attack Hausa community in order to involve the Niger Delta territory in the ill advised secession agenda of IPOB.

    “It will be recalled that the same antics was employed in 1966, when they criminally masterminded the Civil War and involved the South-South in Biafra map and major infrastructures were destroy in Niger Delta and over 15 million of our people were executed. We want to warn IPOB and its sponsors to steer clear from Niger Delta region, we shall resist them with everything within our reach.”

  • Kanu has lost control of IPOB – S/East governors

    Kanu has lost control of IPOB – S/East governors

    The South East Governors Forum said Saturday that its Friday’s decision to proscribe the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) followed its realization that Nnamdi Kanu had lost control of the group.

    Besides,it said IPOB had lost focus of its original idea and had veered off into causing unnecessary tension and killing.

    The result is that investors are scared from doing business in the region.

    Throwing light yesterday  on the  forum’s decision, its chairman and Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi  said IPOB’s activities were unduly heightening tension in the Southeast and the governors had no choice than to halt the trend.

    Umahi spoke to reporters in Abakaliki.

    He said tension had since eased as the proscription began to achieve the desired result.

    “The activities of IPOB in the Southeast have denied us of foreign investments and it is very important that our people should understand that and should know that,” he said.

    “There are things you do that you have control over and so you work about things you have control over and leave the rest that you don’t have control over.

    “ Nobody wants to come to a place that is under tension that’s why we want keep pressing Hong peace.”

    The governor said that  based on evidence before him, soldiers  did not attack IPOB last Sunday as claimed by Kanu.

    On the contrary,according to him,it was IPOB members who threw bottles and stones at soldiers who were passing by Kanu’s street.

    “When you start  a small fire, it can go very far and become difficult to control,” he said.

    “The IPOB activities were gradually getting out of control of Nnamdi Kanu.

    “ Soldiers were passing when IPOB members started throwing stones and other objects at them and it sparked off the clash between the group and the military.”

    He narrated how an IPOB sympathizer sent out the telephone numbers of Southeast governors,Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and others.

    “And all our people could do was calling us to insult us and  talk to us anyhow,” the governor fumed.

    “These are people that never experienced  any war in their lives.”

    He said the lives of Northerners and other non indigenes in the state and the Southeast zone must be guaranteed at all times and  warned that security agencies had been directed to deal decisively with anyone attempting  to cause a breach of the peace.

    “Our focus is how to save the life of every Nigerian.We believe in a united Nigeria. Lives of people are involved and we must not play politics with that”, he said.

    “Anybody that wants to foment trouble must be crushed and I want the security agencies to beef up security around all the non-indigenes in the state and to report to me of any problem because we must maintain the peace.”

    The governor asked  Igbo youths to stop insulting President Muhammadu
    Buhari and leaders of the country.

    He said that  the Northern Governors will soon visit the Southeast to further ease tension in the country and promote national unity.

    A similar visit to the North will be undertaken by Southeast governors.

    He maintained that the majority of Igbo are opposed to  secession from Nigerian and that all they want is  to be treated fairly and justly in the county.

    His words:”That is why we are all talking about restructuring.

    “There is no part of this country that is not feeling marginalized somehow and that is why all the zones are setting up committees on restructuring.”

    Umahi however noted that injustice or marginalization should not be an excuse for  secession, maintaining that dialogue should be the best way to resolve and redress all differences.

    On operation Egwu Eke II (Python dance II), the governor said the exercise was never targeted at IPOB but intended to curb crime, especially kidnapping and armed robbery, in the zone.

    Heads of security agencies in the state and some Principal Officers of the state government attended the briefing.

  • Police to arraign 37 suspected IPOB members in court on Monday

    Police to arraign 37 suspected IPOB members in court on Monday

    The Abia State Police Command of Nigeria Police Force on Saturday disclosed that it has arrested 37 suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who were reportedly arrested during the unrest in Abia State would face prosecution.

    While 30 were reportedly arrested by soldiers along Isiala Ngwa area of the state, seven persons were allegedly amongst the arsonists that burnt and looted Ariaria Police Divisional Headquarters in Aba, the commercial nerve center of the state at the early hours of Friday.

    This was disclosed by the State Police Commissioner, Anthony Michael Ogbizi who took Inspector General of Police Team led by AIG Operations, Force Headquarters Taiwo Lakanu that arrived the state on Friday with about 500 Mobile Policemen deployed to the state by the IGP, Idris Ibrahim Kpotum to access the level of damage on Ariaria Police Division.

    Ogbizi stated that the suspects would be arraigned in court on Monday while investigation into the matter would continue, adding that efforts were ongoing to track others that were still at large.

    The suspects, it was gathered were arrested through intelligence gathering by the combined team of the IGP team and officers of the NPF that were on ground in Aba.

    Ogbizi further disclosed that Improvised Explosive Device (IED); Petroleum Bomb (Bottle containing fuel, pieces of broken glasses and other dangerous materials) were equally recovered from Nnamdi Kanu’s house by the army and has since handed such over to the police.

    He added that the Station Officer, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who sustained serious injuries after he was attacked by the arsonists, died early hours of today in an undisclosed hospital where he was receiving medical attention.

    He used the opportunity to warn anyone sponsoring IPOB to desist from such especially now that the group has been declared a terrorist group and stressed that anyone caught would be tried according to the stipulations of the terrorism act.

    “You recall that on the 10th and 14th of this month, the very police division was attacked by IPOB members. They came in droves in early hours of the day. They forcefully broke the entrance zone and destroyed almost everything.

    “They were armed with petrol bomb. They burnt police vehicles and carted away three pump actions and other police materials. Some officers were injured and in fact as I’m talking to you, one of the injured police officer, an ASP is dead. The doctors tried their best to save him, but they couldn’t. Now, we have lost a soul. And you know what it takes to train a police officer. And you know the vacuum created. Once a police officer is gone, it takes a minimum of one year to train another

    The seven we arrested will be charged for murder, arson and conspiracy for breach of the law.

    “Simultaneously, they carried other attacks on law abiding citizens of this nation. You could see along the road the destruction of vehicles belonging to citizens. Certainly you cannot say that that is a peaceful demonstration. I think this attack was orchestrated to get arms which they succeeded in doing. Thank God the police succeeded in securing other arms. They attacked a bank may be with the intention to get more money to buy arms.

    “IPOB going to that extent cannot be said that it is a non-violent movement. While this one was happening here, along the road in Isiala Ngwa, the same IPOB members in droves confronted the military and the military was able to arrest up to 30 of them.

    “They will be prosecuted for rioting and unlawful assembly and other things. While that was going on, the same IPOB carried attack of various manner in Umuahia and even tried to collect a riffle from a female military officer. In the processes, the military resisted and was able to arrest 19 of them.

    “At the same time, along the road leading to Umuahia, they set up bonfire attacking the police and innocent citizens and pulled out traffic stands. The vicinity where the Attorney General of the State, Assistant Inspector General Zone 9, Commissioner of Police, and other residents live. They attacked the quarters of the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 9 and that of the Commissioner of police.

    “And the house of the self-acclaimed leader of IPOB, Nnamdi KANU was the house they usually come out from to carry out these attacks and information reaching us is that they have started gathering there. Many exhibits were recovered from there like, petrol bomb and coat of arm of Biafra.

    “I know that 90% of Abians are not in support of this, but a few hoodlums and some others from other states operating under the disguise of IPOB with the motive to cripple the economy of Abia. If this is not planned, how could they come in droves to carry out these attacks? At time, a mobile patrol vehicle was moving and IPOB members poured petrol on the van with intend to burn it. Imagine if that was successful. I’m glad that eastern governors have proscribed the organization.

    “And any individual, or group of individual operating under the disguise of IPOB with Biafran flags and any other materials will be arrested and prosecuted. You test they law of the state. They state is superior. IPOB has grown up to this level, and it must be stopped. And because it has been proscribed, any individual, that aid, council, finance, harbour all these hoodlums as IPOB will be prosecuted. Even those who instigate by their speech, action and conduct bring breach of peace will be prosecuted. This place is calm as IGP has deployed 500 mobile police men to put things in order here. As you can see, we are beefing up security.”

    On the allegation by the IPOB that security agents whisked away Nnamdi Kanu’s father and some members of the IPOB leader’s family, Ogbizi said “We don’t have Nnamdi Kanu’s father in police net”, but however accused Nnamdi and his brother, Prince Emmanuel of feeding the public with fake information which he asked the public to disregard.

  • Kanu’s needless lionization

    Kanu’s needless lionization

    This column has been consistent in insisting that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration should call the bluff of the leader and members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnmadi Kanu, and firmly assert its authority to defend, protect and preserve the territorial integrity of the country as the custodian of a legitimate electoral mandate until the expiration of its tenure and the next elections are held. Ever since his release from jail on bail, Kanu has violated with impunity the stringent terms he agreed to in order to regain his liberty. His incendiary rhetoric against the Nigerian state and vituperative provocations against other ethno-cultural groups in the country have only worsened to the point of delusive megalomania with the Igbo leadership elite making feeble efforts to rein him in.

    Perhaps buoyed by the godlike adoration of his apparently no less misguided and ill-informed followers, Kanu has acquired an exaggerated and inflated sense of self-importance in which he sees himself as being above the law. His photographs have been posted online seated on a monarchical ‘throne’ of dubious provenance. Pictures of his disciples scrambling to kiss his feet have gone viral on social media. If his admirers’ choose to transmogrify him into deity, it is their business and their right.  The truth, however, is that until he succeeds in actualizing the creation of his idyllic state of Biafra, Kanu is fated to live within the stipulated legal limits and boundaries of the Nigeria he contemptuously dismisses as a Zoo.

    Not only has Kanu’s IPOB vowed to prevent the governorship elections in Anambra State scheduled for November from holding, he has openly incited his members to violence against Christian leaders of Yoruba origin who dare step on Igbo soil. He has launched what he describes as a Biafra secret service. Daring the Nigerian state to re-arrest him, Kanu has called on his supporters to burn down the Nigerian ‘Zoo’ if any such attempt is made. No government will fold its arms and allow its authority and the stability of the polity under its jurisdiction to be so cavalierly and recklessly undermined. That obviously informed the decision of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN) to seek a court order for the re-arrest and detention of Kanu for violating his bail conditions.

    It is, however, unfortunate that rather than keep its cool and continue the process of bringing Kanu to book within the framework of the law as the AGF has so commendably begun, the Nigerian State has allowed itself to be provoked into overreacting to the sheer idiocy and buffoonery of Kanu and his supporters. I find it difficult to understand the rationale behind the ongoing show of force in the restive South-East region ominously codenamed ‘Operation Python Dance II’ by the Nigerian military.

    Yes, the armed forces have the right to undertake military exercises in any part of Nigeria in the pursuit of its constitutional responsibility to protect and defend the country’s territorial integrity and cohesion. They have a duty to demonstrate their capacity to contain and neutralize any contestants of the legitimate monopoly of the instruments and techniques of coercion within a stipulated territorial jurisdiction, which is the distinguishing characteristic of the state.

    However, has IPOB become such a potent military threat as to necessitate an exercise on the region-wide scale of ‘Operation Python Dance II’? It is doubtful. Kanu’s empty posturing and baseless boasting really constitute no more than what the late Chuba Okadigbo would readily dismiss as the ‘ranting of an ant’. He must be feeling on top of the world to have the Nigerian army taking him so seriously. IPOB ought to have been at best treated as an irritant by the Nigerian State and contemptuously left to the Nigeria Police to deal with while the professionally furtive, and thus more dangerous, secret intelligence services deploy their training in stealthy operations to insidiously penetrate, monitor and ultimately neutralize the belligerent group.

    As it is, ‘Operation Python Dance II’ has conferred on Kanu an importance and status he does not deserve. It creates the impression that Kanu’s significance encompasses the entire South-East, which it does not. Yes, his exuberant supporters may be more vocal and active than the silent majority. There is hardly proof that IPOB enjoys the support of a substantial stratum of Igbo land in the group’s quest for secession and the violent implications of its methods. Millions of enterprising Igbos not just in the South-East but across the country are working very hard daily to earn a living and many of them are doing very well against all odds. Resort to war must be the last thing on the minds of such industrious Igbos. But exercises like ‘Operation Python Dance II’ can only stir up emotions and drive otherwise indifferent and uncommitted Igbos into the welcome embrace of IPOB.

    Without meaning to disrespect the professionalism of the military high command, it is doubtful that the implications of ‘Operation Python Dance’ were rigorously thought through before the exercise was embarked upon. IPOB has naturally responded by playing the victim and underdog to whip up sentiments in its favour. It has sent unarmed hoodlums to senselessly hurl stones and other missiles at fully armed soldiers knowing well that the latter are more likely to respond disproportionately no matter their theoretical rules of engagement thus eliciting popular outrage locally and globally. On the propaganda front, Kanu’s IPOB has thoroughly outwitted the military effectively utilizing social media for the purposes of disinformation and propaganda towards the achievement of its objectives.

    In Abia state, where the military show of force was flagged off, the impending breakdown of law and order that ensued, resulting in the burning down of a police station, attacks on military posts, vandalization of a hospital, random fatal shootings by unidentified gunmen, throwing of petrol bombs, setting up of bonfires on major highways and the threat to the lives of northerners resident in the state, forced the governor, Mr. Okezie Ikpeazu, to impose a three day dusk to dawn curfew in the first instance. The deteriorating situation obviously compelled the military to accede to the withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Aba and Umuahia even though it maintained that ‘Operation Python Dance II’ would continue across the region as planned.

    Meanwhile, the Abia state security crisis triggered a reaction in Plateau State where the state governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, on Thursday imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on the Jos metropolis following fears of possible ethnic violence by elements angry at the rumoured harassment of northerners in Abia. This demonstrates how easily combustible the entire country is at present and why wise statesmanship rather than unthinking display of brainless brawn is Nigeria’s most critical need of the moment.

    Even if ‘Operation Python Dance II’ was necessary and justifiable, was there any need for the soldiers to carry their fiery dance right on to the street where Nnamdi Kanu lives at Afara Ukwu in Abia State? This, of course, only provided IPOB with ammunition to fuel its propaganda to the disadvantage of the military. The indirect Lionization of Nnmadi Kanu through the ongoing ‘Operation Python Dance II’ is absolutely needless. Kanu and his IPOB are not synonymous with the Igbo and the South-East. If he has so brazenly violated the terms of his bail and contemptuously threatens the peace, stability and unity of the country, the IPOB leader should simply be picked up with minimum fuss and made to face the law without the current unnecessary and wasteful military razzmatazz.

    And yesterday’s purported proscription of IPOB by the South-East Governors Forum can only complicate matters and be ultimately counter-productive.

  • IPOB: Obasanjo backs Buhari meeting with Kanu

    IPOB: Obasanjo backs Buhari meeting with Kanu

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed a possible meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and leader of the Indigenous People of Biaria (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.

    He gave this indication in an interview with Newsweek magazine published in the United States.

    “I don’t see anything wrong in that [Buhari meeting with Kanu]. I would not object to that; if anything, I would encourage it,” Obasanjo said in response to a question on the agitation for Biafra that has become violent with the military called in to quell the situation.

    “I would want to meet Kanu myself and talk to people like him, people of his age, [and ask:] ‘What are your worries?’ Not only from the southeast but from all parts of Nigeria.”

    Obasanjo said  that the response of the army response to the pro-Biafra sentiment is “not the solution,” but adds that the secession craved by IPOB is not the way forward either.

    Obasanjo said Nigeria must avoid allowing the current tensions to escalate into another conflict..

    “Those who fought in the war in Biafra will not want to fight any other war,” he said. “I have fought one war too many in Nigeria; I don’t want to see another.”