• I’m Against Lugard, Would Die For Biafra —
Nnamdi Kanu
• DSS Complicates Kanu’s Detention
• FG Mishandling Free Speech-Intersociety
DID embattled Biafra self-determination
activist of the Indigenous People of Biafra
(IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra,
Nnamdi Kanu, fly into Nigeria to actualize
his declaration that the geographical
expression known as Nigeria would cease
to exist by September 30, 2015?
The Department of State Services (DSS)
arrested the activist on Saturday October
17, 2015 in a Lagos Hotel shortly after he
came into Nigeria from his United
Kingdom base. He was flown to Abuja
where he was also arraigned in a
Magistrate court, which granted him bail
to the tune of N2m and a surety in the
same amount.
However, after perfecting the bail
conditions, Kanu could not be produced
in court on October 23, being the return
date given by the magistrate, even as the
DSS did not give reasons for not bringing
the activist to court, thus fueling
speculations of extra-judicial detention
over the separatist comments of the pro-
Biafra activist.
Chairman of Intersociety, Emeka
Umeagbalasi condemned the extra-
judicial detention of Nnamdi Kanu, even
as he urged the DSS and Federal
Government not to repeat the
mishandling of the Yusufiyya movement
that led to the extra-judicial killing of the
group’s leader, Mohammed Yusuf
stressing that Kanu’s fundamental rights
should be respected.
In an interview with select journalists in
Enugu during the 47th anniversary
commemoration of Biafra Day, on May 30,
2014; Kanu projected that by September
30, 2015 Nigeria would cease to exist even
as he declared his readiness to fight all
the way until Biafra is carved out of
Nigeria as a separate republic.
He traced the killings of Igbo people,
whom he called the indigenous people of
Biafra; in the northern part of the country
to the lopsided development and federal
superstructure that tended to reward
mediocrity to the conspiracy against Igbo,
saying that, “injustice makes life
unbearable to our people.”
He regretted, for instance, that 47 years
after the war, war veterans from the
Biafran side had not been paid their
allowances like their colleagues, saying;
“These men fought under the Coat of
Arms of Nigeria. The war broke out and
they fought for their country Biafra and
they have not been paid. It is a great
injustice. It is a continuation of the same
injustice that led us to try to extricate
ourselves from this Luggard creation
called zoological republic of Nigeria. That
is why it is very disheartening that you
see old men in every blessed month
crying and wishing that their money will
come to them and nothing happens”.
“As long as the intention and purpose of
the amalgamation of North and South
were designed to cheat the South,” he
went on, “the nation would never move
forward, because any country that makes
injustice its watch word can never
prosper.”
“The Yorubas have been paid, the Hausa
Fulani have been paid; then those of them
belonging to Biafra have not been paid. It
is an injustice that must be addressed and
it is part of the reason why we are doing
what we are doing because in the new
Biafra we would not have this level of
injustice”.
He said no amount of national
conferences can solve Nigeria’s problems,
because of deep-rooted hatred among the
different nationalities in the country,
adding that the only panacea to Nigeria’s
problems is to split it into different
regions.
Kanu regretted that despite the
declaration of the “No Victor, no
Vanquished” outcome of the 30-month
Nigeria versus Biafra civil war in 1970,
“successive governments had continued to
deliberately marginalize and make life
unbearable for the Igbo nation and its
people”.
While calling on all genuine Igbo people
across the globe to rise up and join the
crusade of ensuring the emergence of the
Biafran Republic, Kanu maintained that it
was time for the Igbo to pull out of
Nigeria, which according to him is a failed
nation where nothing works.
He declared: “There is no going back, by
September 2015, Nigeria would have
seized to exist; we shall fight until we get
Biafra, if they don’t give us Biafra, no
human being will remain alive in Nigeria
by that time; we shall turn everybody into
corpses; you better go and buy your
coffins. I wonder how any right thinking
fellow would want to remain in a nation
where he or she has no stake or
recognition. The Igbos would soon move
from bondage to the promised land
where God has already prepared for
them, like the Israelites when they left
Egypt.”
Decrying the sufferings and agonies being
faced by ordinary Nigerians as a result of
corruption and bad governance, Kanu
asserted: “It is the watershed in the
history of the geographical expression
called Nigeria. It is the aftermath of the
mistake of the amalgamation of the
Northern and Southern protectorates by
Lord Lugard. Nigeria is doomed,
especially since the country is driven by
world-acclaimed selfish and corrupt
leaders, who do not believe in the
wellbeing of the poor masses.”
Battling Elite Aloofness
BEFORE his latest travails in the hands of
the DSS, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, had been at
war with his former comrades in the
Movement for Actualization of the
Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and
some Igbo elite, who saw his agitation as
juvenile attempt to rehash history.
Yet, despite elite public rejection of any
attempt to resurrect secessionist designs
in the South East geopolitical zone, the
resurgence of pro-Biafra organisations in
the area has continued with incredible
passion just as the Police and other
security agencies continue to clamp down
on them.
For instance, last year, barely 24 hours
after the South-East Governors’ Forum
(SEGF) rose from its meeting in Enugu to
condemn the attempt by another
separatist group, Biafran Zionist
Federation (BZF) to seize the Enugu State
Broadcasting Service (ESBS) radio and
television station to declare a Republic of
Biafra, the cenotaph built by Nnamdi
Kanu’s IPOB was destroyed by unknown
persons.
In a communiqué signed by Governors
Theodore Orji, Martin Elechi, Sullivan
Chime and Deputy Governors of Anambra
and Imo States, Dr. Nkem Okeke and Eze
Madumere respectively, the SEGF had
distanced themselves from activities of
the pro-Biafran group recalling how it
attempted to invade Enugu State
Government House to hoist its flag.
The then chairman of SEGF, Governor
Orji, who read the communiqué to
journalists said they were totally against
such a move to declare a State of Biafra
stressing that’ “We condemned the
attempt by the so-called Biafra Zionist
Federation led by one Benjamin Igwe
Onwuka, who earlier attempted to gain
entry into government house, for the
purpose of hoisting their flag and for
invading the ESBS on Thursday, 5th June,
2014 in an attempt to take over the media
house and declare the state of Biafra.”
Supremacy Battle
WHEN the Biafran Heroes Cenotaph at
Ngwo, Enugu; was destroyed accusing
fingers were also pointed I the direction
of the MASSOB, which leader, Raph
Uwazurike, was alleged to have sent the
over 30 young men that destroyed the
cement sculptures constructed by IPOB.
Though the MASSOB leader, Chief Raph
Uwazuruike could not respond to the
allegations that his men destroyed the
multi-million cenotaph, sources close to
the MASSOB leader disclosed that
Uwazuruike was peeved at the effrontery
of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to
raise a rival group to fight the cause of
Biafra.
The source alleged that Kanu’s offence
against Unwazurike was that he allegedly
embezzled the sum of N4 million given to
him by Uwazuruike to set up Radio Biafra,
adding that Kanu fled the country
abandoning his wedding ceremony when
MASSOB members invaded his hometown
in Umuahia to hold him to account for the
money.
But the IPOB leader, Kanu, denied the
allegations, saying that Uwazuruike sent
his men to destroy the cenotaph that cost
millions of naira out of envy, adding that
“Uwazuruike destroyed the Ngwo
monument because he could not build
one; he knows if he builds one he will die
because he is a liar and deceiver.”
While pointing out that he has done what
Uwazuruike could not do, Kanu stressed,
“we have raised Biafrans in over 88
countries while he is only relevant in
Okwe; he is a thug for politicians and not
a freedom fighter.”
On the allegation of embezzlement the
IPOB leader exclaimed, “Embezzled four
million naira? Lol! How can I embezzle
money to run Radio Biafra? Stupid black
people who can’t reason properly; I did
not embezzle any money. I became
bankrupt because of what I put into Radio
Biafra, lies and liars.”
Buhari Versus Igbo
RELATIONS between the Federal
Government headed by President
Muhammadu Buhari and Nd’Igbo have
not been smooth as a state of mutual
suspicion and disdain underpins the
relationship because while President
Buhari believes that Igbo do not like him,
Nd’Igbo accuse the president of punishing
them for not voting for him during
elections.
Igbo leaders, especially the Igbo Leaders
of Thought, led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze,
have continued to complain against the
lopsided appointments made by President
Buhari, saying that out of desire to pursue
vendetta against Igbo, the president has
been flouting constitutional provisions
and tenets of Nigeria’s federalism.
In a communiqué by ILT after its meeting
in Enugu Saturday, the group decried
President Buhari’s one man rule, saying
the president’s leadership style “had
generated much tension and retardation
as well as serious retardation of the
economy, social dislocation, insecurity
and polarization along ethnic and
religious lines.”
Part of the communiqué read: “The ILT
noted that five months since he was
sworn in President Buhari has not been
able to form a government but has
continued to rule alone. The ILT noted
that the President Buhari has violated the
Constitution of the country in so many
ways, including the appointments he has
made so far.
“The ILT noted that President Buhari’s
one man rule has generated much tension
in the land, and has caused serious
retardation of the economy, social
dislocation, insecurity and polarization
along ethnic and religious lines. The ILT
supports the fight against corruption
provided it is not selective and subject to
constitutional limitations on power,
especially limitations arising from our
federal system and the guarantee of civil
and political rights.
“The ILT reminds the President that the
main problem of the country today is the
national question, which demands, among
other things, the restructuring of the
federation, and calls on him to set up
immediately the machinery for the
purpose and for the implementation of
the 2014 National Conference resolution.
The ILT noted that Igbo young men who
are protesting against brazen injustices
against Ndigbo are being hounded. The
ILT would like to remind the President
that the constitution of this country
guarantees freedom of expression,
manifested particularly in lawful protests,
as a fundamental right.”
DSS Complicates Kanu’s Detention, FG
Mishandling Free Speech-Intersociety
CHAIRMAN of Board of Trustees of
International Society for Civil Liberties
and Rule of Law (Intersociety) Mr. Emeka
Umeagbalasi, has cautioned the Federal
Government not to repeat the mistake it
made in the extra-judicial killing of the
leader of the Yusufiyya Movement,
Mohammed Yusuf, which snowballed into
Boko Haram insurgency.
Commenting on the handling of the
arrest, detention and secret arraignment
of the leader of the Indigenous People of
Biafra (IPOB) and Radio Biafra (RB)
Nnamdi Kanu the Intersociety activist
disclosed that the mishandling and
persecution of the Biafran self-
determination activist has fueled much
international outcry and concern,
stressing that the “torrential calls made to
us and concerns expressed by millions of
Nigerians, the media and foreign
nationals and bodies over the ongoing
ordeal of detained Citizen Nnamdi Kanu”,
leave a mixed feeling of sadness and joy.
In a statement made available to The
Guardian, Intersociety stated: “We are sad
because a new potentially dangerous
dimension has been introduced into the
ordeal of the detained Biafran self-
determination activist. His detention has
now graduated from judicial detention to
extra-judicial detention.
“That is to say that he is no longer being
detained on the orders of the named
Magistrate Court upon the Court’s harshly
imposed bail conditions; rather, he is now
detained extra-judicially according to
administrative and operational whims and
caprices of DSS. These administrative and
operational whims and caprices lately
deployed by the DSS are totally unknown
to the principles of the rule of law,
constitutional democracy, the 1999
Constitution and local and international
human rights and humanitarian norms.”
The rights group added: “On the other
hand, we are happy because, it is
triumphantly necessary to inform the
world that the harsh and draconian bail
conditions so imposed have been met by
Citizen Kanu‘s lawyers and associates as
at Tuesday, 2oth October 2015, leading to
filing of all necessary papers and
completion of their processes in good
time.
“The DSS ought to or was expected to
have completed its verification process by
Thursday, 22nd October 2015 and caused
Citizen Nnamdi Kanu to be released in
compliance with the order of the Abuja
Municipal Magistrate Court, dated 19th
October 2015. This, the DSS failed
woefully to do till date.
“Upon meeting all draconian bail
conditions so attached leading to refusal
by the DSS to release the detained Biafran
self-determination activist, the Presiding
Magistrate made an express Production
Order on Friday, 23rd October 2015 for
the DSS to produce Citizen Nnamdi Kanu
before his Court same date and explain
why it failed to release the detained
activist upon meeting the imposed bail
conditions.”
While noting that Citizen Nnamdi Kanu
should be set free or be tried fairly before
a court of superior records or competent
jurisdiction under laws clearly written
with expressly defined penalties tailored
in international human rights and
humanitarian norms, Intersociety
declared: “Our heart is further gladdened
because Citizen Nnamdi Kanu was
allowed for hours to meet with his
lawyer, Egechukwu Obetta, in good health
with access to food of fair health, hygienic
and delicious standard as well as access to
physician.
Intersociety lamented that “various signs
of triggers of constitutional dictatorship
have continuously been on increase in
Nigeria since June 1, 2015 with the most
shocking being collective silence or
leprous opinions of the hitherto
mainstream civil society of the Southwest
zone.”
“Our several studies of the root causes of
African dictatorship clearly indicate that
dictatorship is often made possible by
collective silence or misguided quietness
and conformism of attentive public
including professional bodies in natural
and social science disciplines, labour
leaders, academia, church leaders, media
and rights based civil society
organizations and their leaders and the
Civil Society.
“Recent experiences have also shown that
the doctrine of checks and balances is no
longer situated among the executive, the
legislative and the judiciary arms of
government, but strictly between these
three arms of government on one part
and the civil society on the other. The
collective quietness of the civil society in
constitutional democracy is a clear recipe
for constitutional dictatorship,” the
statement further noted.
While noting that constitutional
dictatorship goes beyond elongation of
tenure of office to include rapacious
turning of the State coercive institutions
or establishment against the ordinary or
common citizens and members of dissent
community, Intersociety declared: “If the
excesses of President Muhammadu Buhari
administration are condoned and
shepherded by those destined to speak
out on account of civil society-opposition
(former) conspiratorial demographic
theory and national cake, their safety and
comfort are at risk.
“Running a government of vendetta or
vindictiveness clearly amounts to laying a
foundation of intractable sectional
discords and social fragmentation and
intractable violence of tomorrow. Nobody
stays in the corridors of power forever
and there is even a limit to political
harlotry or leprosy. Political wounds have
never been healed by their direct or
indirect perpetrators by running from
pillar to pole using vicarious liability
mantra placed upon the heads of their
former terror bosses as blame game.”
Filed under: NEWS, POLITICS 
