BIAFRA : Current developments make Biafra inevitable — South-East, South-South monarchs

Traditional rulers from the South-East and the South-South geopolitical zones have said current developments in Nigeria have made Biafra an inevitable option for the people of the zones.

The monarchs said this when they visited the Afaraukwu Umuahia country home of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to condole with the family over the death of Kanu’s parents.

According to the monarchs, the people of the South-East and South-South have been made the targets and victims of bad government’s policies and misrule.

While pledging their support for the struggles towards the actualisation of the sovereign state of Biafra, the monarchs called on the people of the zones to join the struggle, saying Nigeria no longer held the hope for anyone from the eastern region.

They particularly urged the political elite to stop attacking Kanu but synergise with him towards the peaceful restoration of Biafra, pointing out that restoration of Biafra did not require another war but sustained peaceful agitation and unity of purpose.

The monarchs appealed to the United Nations, the United States and the international community to prevail on Nigerian leaders to stop the wickedness perpetrated against the people of the region by the cabal at the centre.

Spokesman for the monarchs, Gideon Ejike, said every prediction by Kanu about Nigeria had come to reality, thus confirming that Nigeria had no plans but perpetual enslavement of the regions.

Eze Ifeanyichukwu Okeke of Ekwulobia in Anambra State said, “Nigeria has expired and can no longer bind together as a united entity.”

The king of Alumili, the Ohazurumee VIII, HRM Onyenweal Igwuocha, condemned the Federal Government for treating the people of the old Eastern Region, particularly Ndigbo, as conquered slaves.

He said, “We are here today to tell the nation that what we need is our nation because the nation is already before us. We are not Hausa, we are not Arewa, not Oduduwa and we cannot be them.

“So, you don’t force water and oil to be together. We cannot be together. So, I want the whole world and all the world power to listen and hear us.

“We can’t live together. We have been living for over 500 years and that is the reason the Ezes, the real owners of Biafra, land have stood up and said enough is enough! This thing has to stop and what we need is Biafra!”

The Public Relations Officer of the Council of Ndieze in Biafraland, HRM Eze Nnamdi Ochor, praised Kanu for his uncommon sacrifices towards the restoration of Biafra, which, according to him, are the reasons he lost both parents at the same time.

He added that Kanu’s highwired international diplomatic consultations and other strategic efforts would make Biafra restoration a reality sooner than expected.

BIAFRA : Biafra group reveals why Jonathan’s house was attacked

THIS IS OUR OWN , The Biafra Nations Youth League, BNYL, has condemned the attack on former President Goodluck Jonathan’s residence by unknown gunmen.

The Chief Press Secretary of the group, Richard Odung, in a statement to DAILY POST on Tuesday, said that youths in Bayelsa had decided to allow themselves to be used for politics.

The group wondered why there is always a do or die politics in the Niger Delta, especially in Bayelsa State.

The pro-Biafra group said it suspects that the lost of the ruling party to All Progressives Congress, APC in the State which Jonathan was accused of working against his party, was the reason for the attack.

DAILY POST reported that about three of the gunmen were also killed by the soldiers, who foiled their attempt to break into the former president’s house.

The BNYL’s spokesman said, “i think it is the suspicion that Jonathan sold his party out to APC when he visited Buhari that is leading to this nonsense some of our youths who have decided to allow themselves to be used as political thugs.

“To us , we feel that lack of understanding of what politics is all about is why we cannot record progress and unity in the South-south

“in 2019 they were ready to die for Jonathan, but today they are after him, Politicians knows where they meet, they create problems for personal interests.”

The group also drew the attention of the group that threatened the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, over attack on Chibuike Amaechi, adding, “the group who called themselves Concerned Niger Delta Group should first educate themselves, unite their people before coming out publicly to exhibit their stupidity because Amaechi was allegedly beaten.

“The truth is that some of our South-south politicians especially in riverine Rivers State and Bayelsa are using these their political militants disguising as freedom fighters to haunt themselves for selfish moves.”

BIAFRA ; 4 IPOB members arrested for selling Biafra newspaper

Four persons, suspected to be members of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra have been arrested in Aba Market by Nigerian soldiers for selling a banned Biafran newspaper.

The men were picked up under the Nigerian Army “Exercise Atilogwu Udo 1’’, now ongoing in the South eastern states and Cross River.

Col. Aliyu Yusuf, Deputy Director, Public Relations of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army said on Tuesday in Enugu, the four vendors were arrested by troops of sector 2 in Abia on Nov. 19.

He gave the names of the vendors as Sunday Elom, Martins Ogwuchukwu, Chineme Obiechifula and Innocent Mike.

Yusuf did not indicate the name of the newspaper.

But he said they have been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further action.

Yusuf said the military exercise has nabbed 86 high profile criminals since it began on 1 November.

BIAFRA : US watchlist Centre writes Trump, demands apology within 72 hours

The United States, US, President, Donald Trump has been asked to counter the religious right violation tag placed on Nigeria by US authorities.

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency, CESJET, made this request in an open letter addressed to Trump on Sunday.

CESJET joined the Federal Government to rubbish the religious violation tag on Nigeria, especially as there is no tangible evidence that suggests that Nigeria is intolerant of religious organizations, and promoting violent extremism.

The Centre’s Executive Secretary, Comrade Ikpa Isaac, in the letter noted that the claim by the US authorities was watery considering the fact that the country’s constitution guarantees the freedom of association and the right to change/switch religions without any form of sanction or punishment.

The centre also demanded that an unreserved open apology be tendered to the Nigerian government and her citizens within a 72 hour period in the interest of peace and tranquillity.

The letter reads: “Dear Mr. President,

“Religious Intolerance and Extremism: The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Boko Haram, should be held responsible.

“The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) is one of the prominent civil society organizations in Nigeria dedicated to the entrenchment of the freedom of expression, association of all Nigerians regardless of their social status, religious and ethnic affiliations.

“CESJET, as an organization, has also been at the vanguard of ensuring that government at all levels in Nigeria is accountable to the citizens by respecting the Letter and the Spirit of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

CESJET informed Trump that it was constrained to write the “Open Letter” in protest of the purported listing of Nigeria on the watch list of one of the countries promoting religious intolerance and extremism.

The group expressed “shock” as to how such conclusions were arrived at in the first instance without any tangible evidence that suggests that the Nigerian authorities are intolerant of religious organizations, and promoting violent extremism.

CESJET said: “Mr. President, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, guarantees the freedom of association by all, as well as the right to change/switch religions without any form of sanction or punishment. This much has been the order of the day as evident in the way and manner citizens of Nigeria freely practice religions of their choices.

“This is on the heels that Christianity and Islam have the most significant number of followers in Nigeria. Traditional religion has massive followers in Nigeria but not as organized as Muslims and Christians, and in most cases, they identify themselves with one of the two religions.

“Mr. President CESJET, as an organization, has, over the years, raised the alarm of how some terrorist organizations are hiding under the umbrella of religion to perpetrate violence in the country.

“Mr. President, it must also be stated that in Nigeria, these groups have continually used the umbrella of religion to unleash mayhem in the country. Such organizations are the Islamic Movement in Nigeria and the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (Boko Haram). They have maimed and killed security operatives with impunity; they have also killed and abducted women and children and used the same for suicide and other demeaning endeavors against their wish.”

CESJET stated that Boko Haram terrorist group has, in many documented instances, kidnapped pastors and held them in captivity for several years. They have kidnapped schoolgirls and forced some of them to convert to Islam as against their wishes.

It also noted that the IMN has also carried on with impunity, running a parallel government in Nigeria by refusing to subject itself to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They have engaged in acts inimical to the interest of others that do not share in their ideology.

“Mr. President, it must be stated that it is on record that in Nigeria, there are various institutions in place that ensures that the rights of citizens to practice and partake in religious activities of their choices and without any form of interference or disturbance. And CESJET can authoritatively confirm that there has been a continuous interface between government and civil society organizations in this regard.

“Mr. President, we are therefore constrained to state that the listing of Nigeria was done in poor taste and not a reflection of the realities on the ground. So much so that we are tempted to believe that members of the opposition in Nigeria might have infiltrated key officials of the American government under your watch to issue such a false report/classification.

“Mr. President, it must also be noted that Nigeria is amongst the countries in the world that embraces and encourages peaceful coexistence amongst all religions, including conservative, traditional believers.

“It is also on record that Nigeria has played host to prominent religious preachers all around the world for seminars, crusades, and other religious functions. And it is on record that there has never been a time where these religious preachers were denied the right to mingle with their religious faithful’s.

“Mr. President, we are consequently questioning the methodology used in arriving at the watch list because it is indeed not correct, and the direct opposite of what is the case in Nigeria. We as a result of this express reservations.

“Mr. President, you may wish to acknowledge the fact that the consequences of the report/classification would have adverse effects on the image of Nigeria before the international community and with the possibility of discouraging investors.

“This is also cognizant of the fact that if such half-truth is allowed to thrive; there is a likelihood for fake news merchants to embolden their trade and mislead members of the unsuspecting general public.

“Mr. President, the Centre for Social Justice, Equity, and Transparency is as a result of this demanding an immediate withdrawal of the statement/classification credited to the U.S. Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, for lacking in objectivity and merit.

“We are also demanding that an unreserved open apology be tendered to the Nigerian government and her citizens within a 72hour period in the interest of peace and tranquility.

“Mr. President, we are consoled that you would use your good office to ensure that in the future, due diligence is adhered to on issues of sensitivity, at the risk of insulting the sensibilities of a people and a country.

“The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, as well as the Boko Haram terrorist group, is indeed responsible for religious violations in Nigeria, and this fact must be stated for all and sundry.

“While we anticipate a favourable response, please accept the assurances of our best regards.”

BIAFRA : Drop all charges against Sowore, others, Amnesty International urges FG

Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has urged the Federal Government to drop all the charges preferred against the convener of #RevolutionNow protest and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the February 2019 general election, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.

The nongovernmental organisation also made the same demand on behalf of Sowore’s co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, aka Mandate; and another detainee, Agba Jalingo, a journalist.

Until Thursday evening, Sowore had spent 125 days in Department of State Service’s detention, having been arrested last August when he was accused of planning a forceful takeover of government through nationwide protests tagged #RevolutionNow.

Reacting to his Thursday release, Amnesty International had tweeted,

Amnesty International welcomes the release of Omoyele Sowore and Olawale Bakare. We again call on authorities to drop all charges against them. We are also calling for the release of Agba Jalingo. All of them were detained solely for exercising their freedom of expression.

— Amnesty Int. Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) December 6, 2019

 However, Sowore was rearrested on Friday, barely 24 hours into his release.

The re-arrest at the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, led to confusion as gun-wielding operatives of the DSS invaded the court, disrupting proceedings.

The activist’s online medium, Sahara Reporters, alleged that the DSS had already declared his co-defendant, Bakare, missing.

BIAFRA : Nigeria, US and the Question of Religious Freedom

The statement goes further: “…These designations underscore the United States’ commitment to protect those who seek to exercise their freedom of religion or belief…Our actions have been and will continue to be, consistent with our position on religious freedom. 

No country, entity, or individual should be able to persecute people of faith without accountability. We have acted, and we will continue to do so.”

ON December 20, the United States government issued a statement, speaking through the US Department of State and US Secretary of State, Michael R. 

Pompeo, designating Nigeria “a country of particular concern” with regard to religious freedom and the freedom of thought and conscience. 

The statement opens with the patronizing declaration that “the protection of religious freedom is a top Trump Administration foreign policy priority.” It adds that: 

“The United States continues to work diligently to promote religious freedom and combat abuses. These recent designations continue that important work.” We are further told: 

“…The Department renewed the placement of Comoros, Russia, and Uzbekistan on a Special Watch List (SWL) for governments that have engaged in or tolerated 

“severe violations of religious freedom” and added Cuba, Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Sudan to this list. 

Sudan was moved to the SWL due to significant steps taken by the civilian-led transitional government to address the previous “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom…”

The enabling reference for the American government’s position is the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Our interest is the inclusion of Nigeria in the Special Watch List and the response that this has generated over the weekend, and whether this has been useful or not. There has been a variety of responses.

One: the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says Nigerians enjoy unfettered freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and in his view, the United States Government is wrong because Nigeria does not deserve to be on any watch list for religious persecution or the violation of the right to the freedom of thought. He adds that failed politicians and disgruntled elements are the ones latching on to the tag and narrative of religious persecution in Nigeria as a “trump card”. Let’s unpack the Minister’s claims. Yes, constitutionally, the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 as amended, upholds in Section 38 that every citizen shall enjoy the freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The only caveat that is inserted here is Section 38 (4) which says no public official is allowed to be a member of a secret society or take part in its activity. But the problem with this provision is that it is ambiguous as to what constitutes a secret society or its membership. In addition, Section 10 of the Nigerian Constitution is of interest. It says: “the Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as state religion.” So, in responding to the US State Department, on the question of religious freedom in Nigeria, the Minister of Information may have had at the back of his mind, Nigeria’s constitutional provisions which can be tendered as textbook evidence. But the question that has been asked is: does Nigeria respect these constitutional provisions or the rule of law generally? Is there religious freedom in Nigeria or the freedom of thought and conscience?

Alhaji Lai Mohammed avoids this question in attempting to respond to it. The truth is that religion remains a complex issue in Nigeria, and when the state supports, tolerates, condones or promotes one religion against a particular religion, it sows the seeds for organized intolerance, religious conflict, violence and discord. The US Department of State specifically cited Boko Haram as “an entity of particular concern” because its ideology is rooted in the politics of religion and hate. The Nigerian Government in its own National Security Strategy (2019), a 60-page document, only recently disclosed that the Boko Haram is linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and that it poses a fresh risk with its plans to deploy Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) weapons. Boko Haram is opposed to Western education and seeks to hoist an Islamic Sharia flag in every part of Nigeria. To the best of everyone’s knowledge, the Nigerian government has not been able to stop the Boko Haram menace.

Another problem that we tend to have is that depending on who is in power, Nigerian governments have been known to violate Section 10 of the Constitution by adopting either Christianity or Islam as “de facto State religion.” Nobody may ever say so publicly or admit any bias, but it is often the case that there is mistrust in parts of the country on the basis of nothing else but religion. This is currently the position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), for example, in response to a situation whereby most prominent positions in the country, at the Federal level are occupied by Muslims from a particular part of the country.

The conflict between herders and pastoralists in the country that has resulted in the killing of thousands and the destruction of properties, may in reality be a conflict over land and economic power, but it has also been interpreted from a religious dimension with particular accent on the failure of the government to sanction the guilty. However, religious conflict may not always be inter-religious. It could be intra—religious and sectarian. For example, the continued detention of the leader of the Shiitte Islamic sect in Nigeria, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky and his wife, has also been seen as the victimization of a rival sectarian group by a Sunni-dominated Nigerian ruling elite. The Nigerian Government says the problem of the Shiitte movement in Nigeria is of a criminal nature but the predominant narrative is that this is a case of religious persecution.

Beyond these recent and topical examples, over the years, Nigeria has had to deal with issues of religious persecution dating back to the Maitasine riots between 1980 and 1992, and the repeated religious riots in Bauchi, Plateau and Southern Kaduna, characterized by Muslim-Christian conflict, the destruction of lives and properties, worsened by the politics of ethnicity. Christians claim to be the worse victims. Muslims also insist that they have suffered losses over the years and that Nigerian Christians cannot claim to be innocent. The key issue is: how well do our leaders deal with the problem? Is the ruling elite neutral? Nigeria is a country of very religious people. People pray as if their entire life depends on it. They worship clerics and pastors. The best business in Nigeria is the business of religion. But does religion unite us or divide us? Has it helped us?

The Minister of Information’s additional riposte that “failed politicians and disgruntled elements” from Nigeria are the ones instigating an iniquitous narrative against Nigeria sounds rather easy and familiar. Is he suggesting that the US Government is acting as an agent for some Nigerian politicians? And disgruntled elements? Earlier in the year a group called Nigerian Christian Elders’ Forum petitioned the UK Parliament urging its members to compel the UK to take action against the Nigerian Government for tolerating religious persecution. That protest which was signed by General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) – (when is he going to carry out his threat to talk by the way?) – and General Zamani Lekwot (rtd) was supported by the Middle Belt Forum and other concerned Nigerians. Incidentally, a year earlier in 2018, the UK House of Lords had discussed the issue of violence and religious persecution in Nigeria.

It is also instructive that just as the US Department of State placed Nigeria on a Special Watch List on December 20, the Christian Broadcasting Network and a UK-based Group – the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART) issued a report accusing Nigeria of tolerating religious persecution. Are these the disgruntled persons and groups the Minister has in mind? Rather than dismiss feedbacks on religious freedom in Nigeria as untrue, the Nigerian Government should pay attention. Could there be something that we are overlooking?

Two: in addition to the reaction by the Minister of Information, the Presidency also reacted through the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu who equally dismissed the US position, noting that it carries “no immediate implication” for Nigeria. On the contrary, it does. It is a subtle threat to Nigeria and a cautionary note of warning. Other Western countries may be tempted to toe the US line and place Nigeria on similar watch lists thus branding the country negatively within the international community. The US position on Nigeria has also further strengthened the hands of the Christian community in Nigeria, which through the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has already welcomed the US position as a correct characterization of a planned Islamization of Nigeria. CAN insists that the US Government has more facts than the Nigerian Government. Human Rights Groups in Nigeria are echoing the same narrative. The Muslim community represented by the JNI has accused the United States of bias and discrimination against Muslims. Meanwhile, Garba Shehu says Nigeria would meet with the United States to discuss ‘areas of concern” early next year.

Three: while the suggestion by Garba Shehu that the Nigerian Government will discuss its position with the United States may seem like a subtle back-track, his colleague, Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity had something entirely different to say. Adesina has been reported has having told the United States Government to stop interfering in Nigeria’s activities because nobody has appointed the US as “the policeman of the world”. He added, we are told, that the US has its own issues and should face those issues. Femi Adesina said precisely the same thing when, less than a month ago, the US, UK and EU expressed concern about Nigeria’s respect for human rights and the rule of law and the continued detention of activist, Omoyele Sowore. Adesina claimed that Nigeria is protected by its own sovereignty. He forgets however, each time he says this, that Nigeria is a member of the international community, bound by rules of international conduct and rules and conventions to which Nigeria is signatory. No country may cherry-pick as to which standards are most convenient for it, particularly with regard to the rule of law, due process and human rights.

No one may have appointed the United States “the policeman of the world”, but the US as a global superior power (note that I have not said super-power but superior power – there is a difference) operates a rewards and sanctions foreign policy process that is beyond the counter-poise of other nations including China, Russia and Japan. Is Nigeria in a position to tell the US, EU and the UK to shut up? Femi Adesina would probably have been better off pointing out the hypocrisy at the heart of the Trump administration’s foreign policy process. Can that administration legitimately accuse Nigeria of condoning religious persecution when under Trump, Muslims from six Muslim-majority countries were blacklisted from entering the United States were it not for the intervention of the courts? Or is the Trump administration waxing lyrical about religious freedom in order to appeal to the Republican, pro-Trump, conservative, Christian base for election purposes?

By now, it should be obvious that the Nigerian Government responded through three different persons in three different directions to a single statement by the US Department of State, all within 24 hours. This has become standard practice on recent issues, be it the rule of law, or the DSS and Sowore, the Punch Editorial on President Buhari or allegations of religious persecution in Nigeria and we wonder why key government spokespersons blow hot and cold at the same time in an un-coordinated manner. There should be greater harmony in the Presidency’s public communication process. With three different reactions on the US position on religious freedom in Nigeria, what exactly is the US expected to react to? And is there still a Ministry of Foreign Affairs? If there is, does it have any say in this matter?

Allegations by the American Government that there is indeed evidence of religious persecution in Nigeria are too serious to be treated so perfunctorily. Religion is a very sensitive issue not only in Nigeria but all over the world. It has been exploited for political purposes with grave consequences. In Nigeria, political leaders exploit religion as a tool of manipulation. The combination of this with ethnicity and sectarianism has created some of the most terrible moments in Nigerian history. This is the enlightened context in which we should consider the word of caution from the United States.

BIAFRA : 2023 Igbo presidency cannot stop Biafra – MASSOB

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign States of Biafra (MASSOB) has declared that nothing can stop the struggle for the actualisation Biafra nation, not even Igbo presidency in 2023.

Uche Madu, leader of the group was quoted by The Sun to have disclosed this in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

According to him, the suffering, pains and torture of MASSOB members over the years cannot be healed by electing an Igbo President in Nigeria.

“We are not agitating for Igbo president. Our 20 years of existence full of persecutions, arrests, tortures, mesmerization, killings, detentions, rejections are not for Igbo President.

Though, MASSOB is not against the agitators of Igbo president but its manifestation will never stop Biafra actualization and restoration.”

Madu reiterated that the struggle for Biafra could be actualised through non-violence because, according to him, “black Americans and India achieved their freedom through non violence. We shall remain consistent, unshaken and resolute in all our approaches towards our freedom from Nigeria.

“The Biafra self-determination struggle has reached the point of no return. The consciousness and reality of Biafra has sunk very deep in the minds and thoughts of every Igbo person irrespective of his or her political, economical, social, religious and business affiliation or service with Nigeria.”