By Elochuchkwu Ohagi,
The Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) have with the just concluded Monday Ghost Town, instituted by IPOB DOS to press for the release of their leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to prove that it is they and not Eastern leaders that are in charge of the East.
Eastern leaders were seen dishing out unnecessary threats to workers to force them to disobey the IPOB sit at home order. Threats ranging from losing a month salary and position were issued by both Anambra and Ebonyi state governors. Yet, upon all these threats, the people stayed at home in respect of IPOB and utmost disrespect to them that claim to be political leaders in the Eastern Region.
IPOB is a peaceful movement demanding a referendum for a separate state of Biafra. Biafra, in 1967-70, fought a brutal civil war with Nigeria.
In a battle, Britain took side with Nigeria to decimate Biafrans. Not less than 3.5 million Biafrans died in that war.
About 2 million of them were children and women. Since after the war, Biafrans have been suffering grave injustices and marginalization from successive Nigerian governments till this very day.
They are treated as third-class citizens in a country they call their own. This circumstance and many other strategies aimed at strangulating Biafrans economically have led Biafrans to seek a referendum so that their people can decide where they want to be through a popular vote.
Nigeria government have been brutal in trying to stop the movement. IPOB members, primarily youths who didn’t experience the 1967 war, have been gunned down by Nigerian security operatives during their many peaceful protests across the East.
Amnesty International has reported many bloody clampdowns on the movement by Nigerian soldiers and police, resulting in the killing of many innocent Igbo youths.
Recently, the Nigerian government have abducted the IPOB leader from Kenya back to Nigeria. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu escaped Nigeria when a combined team of Nigerian security operatives invaded his father’s house in Afaraukwu Ibeku of Abia State, SOUTH-EAST Nigeria. Even though Nigeria Soldiers killed about 29 people in that compound, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu escaped and appeared in Israel after one year.
The extraordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has caused lots of tension in the South East Region of Nigeria. The youths are restive and have been demanding that their leader should be released unconditionally. Killing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in prison or holding him any longer will cause more problems for Nigeria.
Nigeria already is suffering from lots of internal crises. Many terrorist organizations already ravage the Northern region of Nigeria. For example, there are Boko Haram Terrorists who are fighting the Nigerian government and Kidnapping school children. Some bandits are also kidnapping citizens and forcing them to pay the ransom.
Fulani herdsmen terrorists are also domiciled in the North. They are wiping off villages and claiming lands belonging to indigenous people.
With all these problems, it did be disastrous for the Nigerian government to start another unrest in South East of Nigeria.
IPOB have more than 90% acceptance in the South East and should not be disregarded. It is unreasonable for the government to rely on what the political leaders and their supporters are telling them.
You can’t fight a war on two fronts and succeed. You can’t resist the people and win against them, no matter how sophisticated the government is. Nigeria government have lost the people of the East. They should trade with caution concerning Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
