Head of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko has finally erased the last doubts that he is an ethnic jingoist that had hidden behind “human rights” to push his ethnic agenda. It would be perfectly in order for him to rename his business centre into something like Human Rights Writers Association of Abia or Human Rights Writers Association of Biafra. He can work out an acronym that will roll off the tongue smoothly at a later day.
He constituted himself into a judge and a jury to arrive at a verdict that the Nigerian Military erred to have conducted Operation Python Dance II in the southeast. For him the exercise was replete with human rights violations ranged from gruesome physical torture against members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He went further to add extralegal executions of civilians to his charges.
Onwubiko attempted to create a feeling of desecration by suggesting that the palace of the IPOB leader’s father, Eze Israel Kanu, was desecrated in the course of the operation. But it must have occurred to the human rights writer that IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu decided on his father’s palace as his operational base for the very reason that it would be off limits to regular law enforcement agencies. The use of the palace of a first-class traditional ruler as the defacto headquarters of a secessionist terrorist group is an abomination against Nigeria. Since the southeast led the trail in demolishing property of indicted kidnappers the same treatment should have been extended to the palace for being a terrorist base, which means it should have been reduced to its foundations.
If IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, realizing the magnitude of his treasonous act and his father recognizing his role as an accomplice, decided to flee and remain incommunicado the Abia state government, the army and the Federal Government should not be blamed by default. Anyone blaming any of these should not lose sight of the possibility that Kanu, in his craftiness, instructed his followers to attack the soldiers so he could use the ensuing confusion as cover to escape. It is amusing that IPOB terrorists can photograph and film video of abuses without making a last ditched attempt to document their leader being arrested, his remains being evacuated or him being killed.
As for his innocent casualties, they could not have been civilians since only IPOB members mobilized to take on the Army. And the way this has played out so far, there is nothing like an innocent IPOB member since anyone connected to the terror group has either committed acts of terror, is committing acts of terror or would in future commit acts of terror (apologies to Emile Henri).
It is insolent for Emmanuel Onwubiko to insult the sensibilities of his readers by claiming the whereabouts of neither Nnamdi Kanu nor his father were known. If he didn’t know their whereabouts then how did he get his hatchet brief to write in their defence? The whole lies about not knowing about the IPOB leaders’ whereabouts is one huge lie that would come to haunt all those currently engaged in promoting it.
Perhaps the self styled activist should henceforth write in Igbo, his language of thought as it appears the nuances of English language stomps him to a point where he has to lose the expected train of logic each time he articulates a position. Much as a bunch of crackheads are asking for the restoration of a forgone Biafran Republic, the hypothetical country remains at best an illusion of its modern-day promoters, which makes it illogical for the Army to invade that which does not exist. The military conducted an exercise within Nigeria’s boundaries to which it legitimately has access, if the soldiers in the course of that exercise identified threats to their persons or the country the logical thing is to reflexively deal with such, review the situation and learn from its wealth of experience.
While it is okay to transliterate from Igbo to English it is most unkind to perpetuate the myth that one’s ethnic stock has a perverted template for reasoning. That would be an irresponsible habit that maligns not just one’s imaginary enemies but one’s own people as well. Onwubiko concluded that the proscription of IPOB was hurriedly done and that the group continues to operate as a registered NGO in other countries. This betrays an incapacitation on a scale that makes it impossible to realize that issues of terrorism are treated with dispatch. For instance, Hezbollah is a legal entity in some countries and a terrorist organization to others; many other groups with dual designations abound. The countries that today play politics about IPOB’s status would be the most unforgiving in dealing with its crime when the time comes.
Onwubiko can educate himself at a discount by simply buying a return ticket to Spain for a first-hand experience in how responsible governments deal with separatists. The autonomy of Catalan has been revoked and taken over by the government in Madrid, yet the Catalans have come nowhere near what IPOB has done in terms of breaching the law even though the Spanish government’s response makes Nigeria’s federal government’s handling of IPOB look like a peacekeeping organization. These are realties that the esteemed human rights writer is however allergic to and must have resolved to selectively perceive because of the relationship it has with what is going on here.
It is however understandable that Onwubiko is still smarting from the proposal he allegedly once submitted to the Army to run propaganda on its behalf, which was reportedly promptly turned down by top brass who noted that the military cannot outsource such sensitive activity that requires constant consideration for national interest. One wonders if and how he would have continued executing that brief if it were assigned to him as requested, as a patriotic Nigerian or a Biafran mercenary desperate to make ends meet? But the issues he deemed more important should take precedence since he said he would rather not dwell on the media activities around Operation Python Dance II.
He has issues with the success recorded by the operation and this is understandable since a person will naturally kick against something he has limited knowledge about especially when such state of mind is the product of willful rejection of facts. This included him describing those who commended the Army as jobless. His assessment of these Nigerians confirms a dangerous prejudice on his part as he apparently holds those who live in the Nyanyan – Mararaba axis of Abuja in disdain on account of their economic status in life – only years of hobnobbing with looters and destroyers of the nation’s economy can produce such nauseous snobbery.
Suggesting that some of those at the rally could not speak Igbo shows the ignorance driving the Biafra secessionist movement. Too many of their own people have melded into Nigeria to a point where even their language is in jeopardy of being lost yet the leadership provided by Onwubiko and his likes still think other ethnic nationalities are their problem.
The right-thinking persons from Igboland get the same treatment of being shamed for standing with the truth like the representative of the Governor of Abia State at the closing ceremony of Operation Python Dance II, Engineer Emmanuel Nwabuko. The message he bore to the event was unpalatable for Onwubiko because it “expressed appreciation of the government and people of the state for the numerous achievements of exercise Egwu Eke II in terms of improvement of peace, security and stability of the state”. The fear of such pariah treatment has gingered some of the elected representatives from the south-east to coerce the Senate into promising an investigation into the faceoffs between soldiers that took part in the exercise and IPOB fighters. The folly of such hurried declaration would be highlighted.
There is a worrisome insinuation that dog Onwubiko’s intervention in national issues in recent times. But for his vehement defence of the former Chief of Army Staff, retired General Azubuike Ihejirika in the past, one would have concluded that he has unresolved parental issues with anything military. As recently as June 2015, Onwubiko was condemning Amnesty International for asking President Buhari to probe allegations of human rights abuses under Ihejirika. What has then changed to make him the champion for probing rights abuses? Whatever it is can only be ugly given his antecedents: ethnic jingoism and money are leading factors.
At his most disingenuous, Onwubiko cited various sections of the Constitution to justify his claim that Operation Python Dance II should not have held and the excesses of separatist terrorists should not be checked. He however omitted to mention the portion of the Constitution, Section 227, which criminalizes the inauguration of Biafra Secret Service (BSS) by Nnamdi Kanu. Members of BSS acting as a rival military attacked the Nigerian Army. It would be interesting to hear his concept of how the soldiers should have reacted when they came under such threats to their persons when the militants started hurling objects at them – any of the stuff thrown at them could have been explosives given the threats severally made by IPOB members that they had an impressive arsenal.
As for the other authorities and scenario cited by Onwubiko as he belabored the Army to rewrite history for the Biafran cause, one only needs remind him that his people would have had the moral high ground if they had not created a parallel army to fight the Nigerian Army. There is no point awakening the controversy as to whether IPOB members have the moral and legal rights to seek protection under a Constitution they have disavowed.
The call on the National Assembly to ensure that “those who had violated the laws are prosecuted and sanctioned” is the perfect example of democracy a la Onwubiko; when it suits him, it is order for roles to be usurped so long as his end is served. He is advocating implementation of his Biafran nightmare in Nigeria where the National Assembly takes on prosecutorial powers that is the remit of the executive and also give the power to sanction, which falls to the judiciary. It did not occur to him that the lawmakers who once thumped their chests to investigate the IPOB attacks on soldiers have realized ahead of him that it is prudent not to make fools of themselves because even if they have the powers to prosecute and sanction as suggested the recipients would be Kanu and his brood of terrorists.
Suggesting that the lawmakers “have been intimidated and harassed by President Muhammadu Buhari to abdicate their constitutional duty” is blackmail taken too far. It shows the contempt in which Onwubiko and those behind him hold the very people to whom they are appealing for help. He may wish to ask Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who has learnt the lesson to never go on a limb for terrorists. Irrespective of chronically playing the victim, they will always exhibit their criminal side when it matters most and the federal lawmakers after seeing one of their so burnt by IPOB would be more circumspect about what they let themselves into.
Meanwhile, if the south-east were to be hosting more military infrastructure and presence than it presently hosts, would this same Onwubiko not cry to the high heavens that his ancestral home is permanently occupied by the Nigerian Army; and since he supports Biafra would it not be better that there would be no relics of Nigeria’s military to turn his sweet dreams into nightmares when he gets his beloved republic. By the way, IPOB militants would have either attempted to hijack the armory in such place or the military bases would be in striking distance to tame any idiotic heroism emanating from terrorists there.
Onwubiko’s parting short about sanitizing the military and weeding out brutes would have been such nugget of wisdom but for his penchant for meaning a different thing while saying another. The militaries of countries the world over continually evolve to address identified lapses that occur naturally when dealing with human variables. From the much that is in the public domain, the Nigerian Army is doing just that. What we should be worried about is the likes of Onwubiko who hide under the guise of human rights to encourage terrorists and separatists.
Onoja writes from the Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism, [CATE] Jos.
