IPOB – Ravage-effect of Fraudulent Radical Engagements

Analysts may be divided over the dangerous implications of Kanu and his street followers to the progress of the Igbo ethnic group, but it must be acknowledged also; that it would take Igbos a long time to recover from the lingering wounds inflicted in the structure of its political progress by Kanu’s intoxication for power, money, and ego.

By Anthony Obi Ogbo – Publisher’s Analysis (International Guardian, Houston, TX)

Psychological factors of political activism have never been scorned by history; in fact, the implications of political movement and social action have provided positive apparatus for societal reforms. Political motivation starts from the mind because it is often triggered by emotional reactions over prevalent public issues. Hence, these psychological factors remain significant in the attitude that drive change, individual participation, and outcome of political movements or protest events.

So, when the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu sprang up initially to advocate what it called “original inhabitants and owners of the lands and communities of Biafra and Biafraland”, they were received as individuals exercising their rights to challenge the authorities into negotiating their civic interests. But matters unfolded sequentially to confirm that this was just another unwaged group hiding under the great values of the Rising Sun to seek the attention of the regime for selfish monetary bargains.

Most disappointedly, Kanu exposed a totally ignorance and confusion about his own mission; unable to articulate the legislative process of self-determination; could not distinguish between a referendum and statutory deconstruction of self-reliance, but would infiltrate the Internet with amateurish videos of threats and tommyrots to enflame chaos in a vulnerable society currently going through economic and political crunch.

This tactics is not new in Nigeria – a West African nation where in recent times, swindlers, guttersnipes, armed robbers and other breed of dishonest vandals crashed into political and social activism, and turned that institution into a bloody gambling career.

For instance, the world saw how the Niger Delta Militants terrorized their region with deadly ammunitions, kidnapping humans, looting and blowing oil installations. Of course, they claimed to be fighting for their land, until one after the other, rebellious group leaders gradually bargained their agitations into personal wealth.

Today, those militants swim in riches and have since softened their lines of action. Yet, the Delta remains the Delta – quite underdeveloped with local chiefs and political leaders confused about viable strategies to manage their valuable resources.

He would brag about procuring arms and burning down Nigeria – which he describes as the zoo; while some suckers who followed and cheered him would turn around to defend him as nonviolent. When it became clear that Kanu does not even understand his own agenda, he lied to his followers that his missions were now mysterious and were being directed by some divine powers. What nonsense!

IGBO as an ethnic group is no exception to such menace of unscrupulous activists. For example, when Dr. Goodluck Jonathan assumed office in 2010, most Igbos assumed that his regime was the right time to release Ralph Uwazuruike, the then jailed leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). But from all indications, Uwazuruike, was not so keen on coming out of jail. He was more interested in remaining in jail – to intensify his campaign and gather more attention to raise money. Uwazuruike now flourishes in wealth and has totally abandoned his so called agitation to actualize the sovereign state of Biafra.

It became obvious why there are hundreds of Pro-Biafran groups; why those leaders would always want to be arrested, and why every lazy dude wants his own  Biafra. It also became obvious why Kanu and Uwazurike – supposedly leaders of two major pro-Biafran groups have been engaged in bitter rivalry, exposing themselves and their underhanded “self-determination “motives. So intense that Uwazurike accused Kanu of using his call to boycott elections in Anambra State to stage chaos and mass murder; to motivate and uplift his campaign to generate international attention. He was right.

Furthermore, Kanu must be remembered for using gullible Igbo youth Igbos and their innocent blood as weapons of war, to attain notoriety. IPOB and Kanu had strategically set innocent supporters up for death by pushing them forward as a shield against Nigeria’s merciless army. They had videoed them in the process and used those VIDEOS to seek international attention and raise money. This is criminally a terroristic exploit. HAMAS adopted it – now IPOB is using it.

Without doubt, Kanu and IPOB have over the past months demonstrated the most deplorable path to political activism. A look at their rhetoric and the cause they claim they agitate shows a bunch of angry followers rallying around an ill-informed opportunist who struggled in London romanticizing a pitiful state of pennilessness. Kanu saw an opportunity through using the social media to deceitfully incite angry unemployed Igbo youth into believing that Biafra could be resurrected by spewing vulgarity on U-tube, marching the streets, vandalizing neighborhoods, and throwing rocks at the police.

Most disappointedly, Kanu exposed  total ignorance and confusion about his own mission; unable to articulate the legislative process of self-determination; could not distinguish between a referendum and statutory deconstruction of self-reliance, but would infiltrate the Internet with amateurish videos of threats and tommyrots to enflame chaos in a vulnerable society currently going through economic and political crunch.

He would brag about procuring arms and burning down Nigeria – which he describes as the zoo; while some suckers who followed and cheered him would turn around to defend him as nonviolent. When it became clear that Kanu did not even understand his own agenda, he lied to his followers that his missions were now mysterious and were being directed by some divine powers. What nonsense!

Analysts may be divided over the dangerous implications of Kanu and his street followers to the progress of the Igbo ethnic group, but it must be acknowledged also; that it would take Igbos a long time to recover from the lingering wounds inflicted in the structure of its political progress by Kanu’s intoxication for power, money, and ego.

Furthermore, Kanu must be remembered for using gullible Igbo youth and their innocent blood as weapons of war, to attain notoriety. IPOB and Kanu had strategically set innocent supporters up for death by pushing them forward as a shield against Nigeria’s merciless army. They had videoed them in the process and used those VIDEOS to seek international attention and raise money. This is criminally a terroristic exploit. HAMAS adopted it – now IPOB is using it.

The truth may be hard to swallow, but must be told. As of today, Biafra is not a country but a well-fought mission every Igbo is proud of. Resurrecting such mission is possible with pulsating strategies and reasonable legislative support. Definitely not with the current breed of lying activists stalking the streets without clear objectives.

Propaganda does not yield political fruits. A quest for reconstruction of Nigeria is inevitable and accomplishing that is a matter of time. One opportunity slipped off during President Jonathan’s regime. The current regime of President Muhammadu Buhari does not believe in such reformation process, so Nigerians passionate about reconstruction or structural transformation of their governmental process may create a 2019 opportunity to bargain those interests with aspiring contestants.

Structural reformation in a democratic process can only be achieved though constitutional means. We must also understand that one million calls to the United Nation’s office or even to Donald Trump, who by the way could not properly hold his own executive position, cannot influence any decision-making action in Nigeria’s current regime. Flying IPOB flag on London streets or Houston’s downtown can only yield photos for the social media page and might bear no positive implications to supporting leaders that would represent any political interests as Nigerians.

Nigeria: Millions to commemorate Biafran war anniversary

Bizarre image of the war - Biafran Children suffering from Kwashiorkor
Bizarre image of the war – Biafran Children suffering from Kwashiorkor

International Business Times – Millions of people in southerastern Nigeria and abroad are set to pay homage to those who perished during the 1967-1970 Biafran war, also known as the Nigerian civil war. The commemoration, which takes place on 30 May, aims to remember what many people refer to as the “genocide” or “holocaust of the Biafran people”.

The Biafran territories were forcibly annexed to modern-day Nigeria during British colonisation, which ended in 1960. Following two coup d’etats and the 1966 massacres of Igbo people in northern Nigeria, the contested Biafran territories, under the leadership of military officer and politician Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, seceded from Nigeria and declared independence on 30 May 1967.

The extent of starvation in the Biafran territories during the war sparked international condemnation and drew strong criticism against the Nigerian government.

View of a starving and emaciated young child from the Biafra region being cradled on the knee of an adult woman in a camp during the civil war in Nigeria in August 1968G
View of a starving and emaciated young child from the Biafra region being cradled on the knee of an adult woman in a camp during the civil war in Nigeria in August 1968G

During the war, a group of volunteers led by French doctor Bernard Kouchner entered the Biafran territories to assist people living there. When he returned to France, Kouchner openly criticised the Nigerian government and the humanitarian organisation Red Cross for what was perceived as a complicit behaviour that led to the starvation of many.

Moved by the extent of suffering witnessed in Biafra, Kouchner and other doctors created the Comité de Lutte contre le Génocide au Biafra, which became Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in 1971. The Biafran Republic was re-annexed to Nigeria in 1970, but breakaway calls have continued since.

Pro-Biafran movement today

The pro-Biafran movement has gained renewed momentum following the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, one of the leaders of the movement, in October 2015. Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (ipob) and director of Uk-based Radio Biafra, is standing trial on six counts of treasonable felony charges.

Kanu’s wife, Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, told IBTimes UK she was concerned following allegations her husband had been harassed in his cell. She also claimed her husband was a prisoner of conscience and urged the international community should intervene to free him.

During a December 2015 presidential media interview, President Muhammadu Buhari said Kanu would not be released amid fears he could jump bail and flee to the UK, as he holds both British and Nigerian passports.

The Nigerian government has always maintained that Nigeria’s unity was a priority for the country and that although peaceful pro-Biafran protests were welcome, demanding the breakaway of the Biafran territories went against the constitution.

Nigeria’s security forces have also been accused of violent acts against “unarmed” and “peaceful” pro-Biafran protesters, claims authorities strongly deny. In an exclusive report by IBTimes UK, Amnesty International confirmed that Nigerian security forces had used excessive force against pro-Biafran protesters on some occasions.

Biafra history

After the end of the British rule in 1960, Nigeria consisted of territories that were not part of the nation before the colonisation, resulting in escalating tensions among the communities.

People in the Eastern Region – a former federal division of Nigeria with capital Enugu – mainly from the Igbo community, wanted to secede due to ethnic, religious and economic differences with other communities in Nigeria.

The Eastern Region gained independence following two coup d’etats in 1966 and 1967. The fact that Nigeria’s oil was located in the south of the country played a major role in the eruption of the war, during which medicine and food shortages in Biafra led to the death of millions.

biafra-map

Biafra has been commonly divided into four main “tribes”: the Igbos, the Ibibio-Efiks, the Ijaws and the Ogojas. The modern-day states that make up Biafra from the eastern region and midwest are: Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Delta, Bayelsa, Abia, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Ebonyi, southern part of Ondo State, Igbanke in Edo State, southern part of Benue State.

Amalgamation contract and birth of Nigeria

Pro-Biafrans cite the expiration of a so-called “amalgamation contract” as one of the reasons to justify their will to separate from the rest of Nigeria.

The contract was issued by Britain during the colonisation era and aimed at integrating people from the north and the south within 100 years since it was issued despite cultural, religious and economic differences among the various ethnic groups.

The contract, now at the National Archive of London, was created in 1914 by Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, the governor general of modern-day Nigeria. The document, opposed by the political class and the media in Lagos, expired in 2014.

The term “Nigeria” was created by Lugard’s wife, British journalist Flora Shaw, in 1897 when she suggested to replace the “British protectorate of the Niger River” with a shorter term.

Biafra: Abuja Appeal Court Denies Nnamdi Kanu Bail

Leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu attends a trial on February 9, 2016. He is accused by the state of "propagating a secessionist agenda" with the intention to "levy war against Nigeria" and has been denied bail.
Leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu attends a trial on February 9, 2016. He is accused by the state of “propagating a secessionist agenda” with the intention to “levy war against Nigeria” and has been denied bail.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the decision of the Federal High Court to deny a bail application by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, The Premium Times reports.

Kanu is facing treason charges, alongside two others, Benjamin Madubgwu and James Nwawuisi, at the Federal High Court in Abuja. On May 5, Kanu approached the appeal court through his counsel representative, Chucks Muoma, challenging the court’s decision to deny him bail. Muoma asked the court to determine whether the ruling, by Justice John Tsoho, was an “aberration” of Kanu’s fundamental rights.

 But in its ruling, a three member-panel, led by Justice Abdul Aboki, upheld the decision on account of his dual citizenship. The court said the chances of Kanu returning to his other country was high, and that the laws of his other country may prevent the trial from reaching its logical end.

Biafra: State Has No Witnesses to Bring Against Nnamdi Kanu, Says Defense

A supporter of pro-Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu holds a photograph of Kanu at a rally in Abuja, Nigeria on December 1, 2015. Kanu has been in detention since October 2015 and his trial has been pushed back until June.
A supporter of pro-Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu holds a photograph of Kanu at a rally in Abuja, Nigeria on December 1, 2015. Kanu has been in detention since October 2015 and his trial has been pushed back until June.

By Conor Gaffey  |  Newsweek/

The lawyer of pro-Biafra activist Nnamdi Kanu has told Newsweek that the Nigerian government has no witnesses to bring against his client as Kanu’s counsel seeks to overturn a ruling that witnesses in the trial could be anonymized.

Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is facing six counts of treasonable felony — that carries a maximum life sentence in Nigeria — but denies the charges. A British-Nigerian dual national, Kanu, who is also the director of underground station Radio Biafra, was arrested in Lagos in October 2015 and has been held in detention since then.

The Federal High Court in the Nigerian capital Abuja ruled on March 7 that witnesses in the case, which has garnered significant attention in Nigeria, should be allowed to testify from behind a screen in order to protect their identities. The decision came despite a previous ruling by Judge John Tsoho on February 19 that witnesses could not wear masks while testifying.

On April 20 the same court rejected an application by Kanu’s counsel to have proceedings stayed while an appeal against the March 7 decision was processed by the Nigerian Court of Appeal. Tsoho ruled that Kanu’s application did not follow due process and that he would continue to hear the case until a higher court — such as the appeals court — ordered a stay of proceedings, according to Nigeria’s Channels TV.

The trial has been adjourned until June 20 and Kanu is due to appear in court for a bail hearing on May 5.

Speaking to Newsweek after the ruling, one of Kanu’s lawyers, barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, says that the defense team will now escalate their application for a stay in proceedings to the Court of Appeal and would also ask for the case to be transferred to another judge as they had lost confidence in Tsoho.

Ejiofor adds that allowing witnesses to testify anonymously could allow the prosecution to unfairly prejudice the trial. “If you give them that, they will bring anybody they want,” says Ejiofor. “You cannot accuse somebody in public and try him in secret…They [the witnesses] have to come to the public and testify in public. Let us see them in open court.”

“The point is that they have nobody to come and testify against our client. That’s the simple truth,” says Ejiofor.

Kanu’s arrest led to a wave of protests across Nigeria and has reignited secessionist sentiment among supporters of Biafra, which existed as a federal republic between 1967 and 1970.

The declaration of Biafran independence in 1967 by Nigerian military officer Odumegwu Ojukwu sparked a three-year civil war between Biafran forces and the Nigerian military. The war claimed more than a million lives, with many Biafrans dying of starvation after a blockade was enforced around the borders of the region that lies in modern southeast Nigeria.

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