Charles Ogbu.
Yesterday,
the 26th day of August, 2017, the OHANEZE Ndigbo President General, Chief John
Nnia Nwodo, released a statement in which he fiercely rebuked the minister of
Justice and Attorney General of Nigeria, Mr Abubakar Malami for calling for
Nnamdi kanu's re-arrest even while the genocidal quit notice-issuing Arewa
Youths and the composers and distributors of the anti-Igbo hate songs yet walk
the earth as free men and even enjoy protection from security agencies.
For
those who are yet to fully grasp Chief Nwodo's message, let me break it down in
my own words:
Chief
Nwodo was simply saying, Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB and by extension, Igbos, are not
orphans. They have a father in me. We are republican in nature and as such, we
can disagree and even quarrel amongst ourselves but it doesn't change the fact
that they are my children and I their father. If you come for one of them
UNJUSTLY, we will close ranks and you will have all of us to contend with.
Chief
nwodo's message is loud, clear and very timely. And it represents the views of
every Igbo man and woman on this particular issue.
And
just so we are clear, Ndigbo through Chief Nwodo, are not opposing Kanu's
re-arrest because we think he's above the law. Not at all. We are opposing
Nnamdi Kanu's re-arrest based on the two reasons below.
1.
We believe that a govt which woefully failed to arrest the Arewa youths who
issued an open threat of genocide against Igbos living in the North has no
moral right whatsoever to even mention the name 'Nnamdi Kanu' not to talk of
re-arresting him.
By
openly promising to arrest the Arewa Youths only to turn around and provide
them with maximum security as they assembled to SUSPEND (not even withdraw) an
atrocious quit notice which they had no right to issue in the first place, the
security agency simply confirmed our suspicion that the quit notice was
actually issued by Northern establishment with the prior knowledge of the
Buhari led govt with a view to blackmailing Igbos into denouncing the Biafra
agitation. The choice of "Arewa House" for the so called Kaduna
declaration says it all. Ndigbo are no fools!
2.
Just like a certain Igbo socio-cultural group, Nzuko Umunna, once said, Nnamdi
Kanu is not above the law but he must equally not be treated beneath the law.
After
Kanu was arrested and detained for months, on December 17th, 2015 there was a
ruling by an Abuja high court presided over by justice Adeniyi Ademola ordering
the Nigerian govt to release the IPOB leader UNCONDITIONALLY. It is settled in
law that even if a Judge gives a ruling while visibly under the influence of
alcohol, that ruling must either be obeyed or appealed at a higher court. But,
the Buhari led govt neither obeyed nor appealed Justice Ademola's court ruling,
thereby setting a very bad precedence.
On
what ground does the same govt now expect Nnamdi Kanu to obey Justice Binta
Nyako's legally outrageous bail conditions depriving him of his
constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights to freedom of speech,
movement and association even when he has not been convicted of any crime????
Between
Nnamdi Kanu who flouts his bail conditions because he believes those conditions
violates his fundamental human rights AND President Buhari who choses which
court ruling to obey or disobey, who posses a bigger threat to law and order
and who should a responsible citizenry tackle first????
Between
the Arewa Youths who, not only publicly asked their fellow citizens (Igbos) to
quit the North or be visited with genocide but equally released anti-Igbo hate
songs AND Nnamdi Kanu who is asking for a referendum with civil disobedience as
his only weapon, who should a responsible govt arrest first???
If
President Buhari's fixation on Kanu and Biafra was about keeping Nigerians safe
and united, why is he releasing the dreaded boko haram terrorists from Prison
and gifting them with a juicy amnesty offer even when the terror group has
killed thousands of Nigerians and still counting, displaced millions and even
hoisted their flag on Nigeria's territory???? And why is the president currently
protecting his kinsmen, the marauding Fulani herdsmen with a strong army
taskforce rather than prosecuting them for their number-less acts of terror
across the country???
Why
does it seem like under President Buhari, Nigeria operates two set of laws: One
for people who share his religion (Islam) and ethnicity (Hausa/fulani) and
another for those who don't??
Under
Buhari, is Nigeria officially George Orwell's Animal Farm??
We
would recal that this same Buhari exhibited exactly this kind of hate-induced
ethnic bigotry some 3 decades ago when he overthrew the democratically elected
govt of Shehu Shagari and Alex Ekwueme but went ahead to keep his fellow Fulani
Muslim, Shagari, who was the President in a cozy apartment in the name of house
arrest while the Igbo Christian, Ekwueme who was the vice president was thrown
into Kirikiri maximum security prison.
To
Ndigbo, I have words for you:
President
Muhammadu Buhari is hate made flesh. He is a prisoner to his own hate. He
harbours a generational hatred for not just you but all other people except
hausa/fulani SUNNI Muslims. Stop trying to appease a man who hates you for no
reason. It was the seeming disunity between your elders and the Youths that
emboldened your Oppressor in the first place. Now, Let his mindless hatred
serve to unite you into a common front. You survived Buhari before. You will
survive him again!
To
President Buhari, I have something to tell you sir:
If
you continue to make injustice a law under your administration, Ndigbo will be
left with no choice than to activate resistance as a duty!
For
other Nigerians, I wish to break words with you:
Look
for a place and weep yourselves to sleep. But weep not for Kanu or the Igbos.
Weep for your country which has since been hijacked by morally bankrupt men hellbent
on taking everyone to Golgotha.
Indeed,
There Was A Country!
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