The Monday Sit At Home yesterday, the 13th day of September 2021 across Eastern Nigeria, came with an alarming video about a young girl claiming that ESN came to send them out of Examination Hall.
Accidentally, SS3 students are supposed to take the English examination in the ongoing WAEC Examination on the same Monday, which is also the people’s voluntary sit at home.
Sitting at home is a decision taken by the people after the leadership of IPOB suspended the proposed every Monday sit at home. They sit at home as a form of protest to press for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was illegally abducted in Kenya and rendition to Nigeria. Something adjudged a crime in the international community.
The Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) is a group from the Eastern part of Nigeria demanding a separate Biafra State. Recall that in 1967-70 Biafra and Nigeria engaged in a civil war. A war that Britain and other world powers like Russia and Egypt helped Nigeria to execute. Biafra fought like never seen in the world, but what can they do when world powers supply Nigeria with modern weapons. The civil war left Biafrans in sorrow, with about more than 3.5 million Biafrans dead.
Under the leadership of the then Deputy Leader of Biafra, General Philip Effiong, Biafra surrendered to Nigeria on 12 January 1970.
But up until now Nigerian government, through their actions, have refused to welcome the former Biafrans as fellow countrymen. As a result, they were both politically and economically marginalized.
It might interest you to know that even though the region of Biafra remains the bedrock of the Nigerian economy, yet no government presence in entire Eastern Nigeria was previously Biafra. No working international Airport, Seaport and Embassies in Eastern Nigeria.
The marginalization of the East gave rise to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a prince from Afaraukwu in Abia State and a British citizen. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has demanded equity and fairness in the Nigeria project, something the Nigerian government wasn’t ready to give into, hence his demand for a separate Biafra State.
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who has suffered extraordinary rendition, remains in the DSS dungeon till this very day.
On the one hand, Nigeria Secret Police refused to bring him to court, citing a lack of operational vehicles as an excuse. But, on the other hand, IPOB, the organization formed by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is still waxing stronger since his abduction and incarceration by the Nigerian government, though not without some minor expected problems.
IPOB being a grassroots organization has posed a significant danger to corrupt Nigerian politicians.
In a bid to disorganize and cripple IPOB, the Eastern governors, with the help of their Northern counterparts who control the Federal Government of Nigeria, have been making extortion attempts against the group.
A case in point is the incident at a secondary school in Okporo, Imo State, yesterday, Monday, 14 September 2021. Some government officials released a video in which a student said ESN, a group formed by IPOB leaders to protect Biafrans from Fulani herdsmen terrorists, came to her school to stop her from taking her exams.
A critical examination of the said video produced some unanswered questions. Where did a female student of about 15 years old found the courage to stay inside the compound busy videoing an ongoing attack from the alleged ESN, even with the heavy gunfire heard from the video?
Why is it that no student was seen running away as schools in Imo state usually have above 100 pupils taking WAEC? Such an attack would have created chaos or even a stampede, but non was witnessed.
Is it not expected that the said girl ought to have taken to her heels, or could she know the people shooting in the backyard? How come she mentioned junior WAEC instead of senior WAEC?
Why did ESN send students back home who only succeeded in one school? Why is it that no other school is reporting the same news?
The answers to the above questions will reveal one thing: the scene in question was staged by those who wanted to turn the IPOB leadership against the people. More blackmail may be in the offing. Only recently, IPOB was accused of setting fire to a transport vehicle with a passenger inside.
This same allegation has been proven to belie as those accused IPOB refused to present the identity of the burnt girl. So what happened was that they attacked a bus and lied IPOB did it.
Some years back, during IPOB sit at home, a priest from Nnewi was attacked and beaten up, and again, they blamed it on IPOB. They wanted to use religion to cause problems against Easterners, and they kept failing.
South-East Governors have been threatening the people and trying to force them to come out every Monday. With the many blackmail facing IPOB, it is possible for the accusers of IPOB to burn a market and, as usual, blame them on IPOB.
These governors have recruited many dubious people who will always wrongly accuse IPOB to serve their corrupt masters.
With the awareness created by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu through his Radio Biafra network, I doubt if this blackmail sticks for Easterners are now politically awake. But, for sure, the blackmails will make the people hate the government and love IPOB all the more.
Elochukwu Ohagi, Philosopher, Teacher And Activist, 2021.
