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A must read: bilie registration; how it started - Politics - Nairaland

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BILIE Emerges As New Biafra Group / Bilie Files Case With ICC Against Nigeria For Genocide Against Biafra/igbo / Biafra Human Right Initiative (BILIE) Gets Registered With United Nations (2) (3) (4)

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A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 8:57pm On May 12, 2012
To:
All Indigenous people of Biafra
I have observed the attitude of
many Ibos and heard their
comments on the Biafra Question
and it has become necessary for
me to write elaborately on the
matter of confidence in the
Biafra Struggle for
Independence. Many have lost
their confidence in the struggle
and the attitudes of others
are not helping the matter. When
I hear the stories of sacrifices
made by some people in the
Struggle for Biafra
Independence, I am humbled as I
regard myself as a late comer to
the Struggle. Nevertheless, this
Struggle is like a Relay Race in
Athletics where the first athlete
hands over the batton to the
next athlete until the final athlete
who will reach the finishing line.
I therefore encourage all the
Biafran Activists (those who
started the struggle at first and
those who joined later) to
uphold the vision of Biafran
Emancipation without losing the
steam. I would like to restore the
confidence of the likes of Mazi
Odera who said he had become
skeptical about the Biafra
Struggle. No doubt, there are
many people like Mazi Odera who
have been disappointed by what
they experienced in this struggle.
Some have experienced
betrayals, insults, abuses, and
heartbreaks caused by the
same Igbo people they were
trying to help. Most often, the
people you are trying to save will
not even want to be saved. Like
the Israelites, some will
remember the fish and
cucumbers they ate in Egypt and
would like to return to the house
of bondage. Sometimes, one is
tempted to abandon the Struggle
because of the attitude of others.
There will be some things that
cause frustrations in the journey.
This is the irony of the struggle.
It is like the wilderness
experience of the Israelites on
their way to the Promised Land.

1 Like

Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by bittyend(m): 8:59pm On May 12, 2012
Biko, we're all Nigerians.
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 9:05pm On May 12, 2012
2. Perhaps I am the first Solicitor
of England & Wales and Barrister
& Solicitor of the Supreme Court
of Nigeria to have identified
openly with the Biafran Struggle
for Independence. I became
interested in the Biafra Question
in 2004 following the question
posed by the TELL Magazine in
Nigeria: "BIAFRA OR PRESIDENCY-
What do the Igbo want?" It was
an interesting intellectual and
practical question arising from
the Sit-at-Home Order of MASSOB
in August 2004. I was then the
Spokesman of Igbo Lawyers
Forum and I commenced a
research work on that question.
The following year, the Federal
Government of Chief Obasanjo
decided to arrest Ralph
Uwazurike but made a
camouflage order to arrest the
leaders of the ethnic militias so
that it would not appear that
Ralph Uwazurike was the one
solely targeted. The leaders of
OPC (Dr Frederick Fasheun and
Gani Adams) were arrested first.
Then, Asari Dokubo of the NDVF
was arrested next. Ralph
Uwazurike was arrested last. All
the militia leaders except
Uwazurike were violent and
unrepentant of violence. But the
discrimination became clear
when Chief Obasanjo released
the OPC leaders from Yorubal
tribe but left Uwazurike in
prison. President Yar' Adua took
over and released Asari Dokubo
of the Ijaw tribe but left
Uwazurike in prison. Oddly
enough, no Igbo Leader or Igbo
Group challenged the Federal
Government in court for that
discriminaltion.
3. Consequently, in my capacity as
the then Public Relations Officer
and Spokesman of Igbo Lawyers
Forum, I brought a Motion dated
27th June 2007 on the floor of
Igbo Lawyers General Council to
rise in defence of Ralph
Uwazuruike and all his MASSOB
members. The Motion was
debated and passed as a Policy
Instrument of Igbo Lawyers and
served personally on President
Yar’Adua in Aso Rock, thus
bringing Igbo Lawyers Forum
into the battle with the Federal
Government of Nigeria against
injustice. Pursuant to this
Motion, the Igbo Lawyers Forum
briefed Chief (Dr.) Chimezie
Ikeazor, S.A.N., to lead in the case,
and sent me to Abuja and Keffi to
solicit for the release of the
MASSOB leader and his members
from detention. I bore all the
expenses of the journey for the 8
days I stayed in Abuja. When
Ralph saw me, he embraced me
and made a comment that this
was the first time that Igbo
People had come as a group to
show their solidarity and support
for him. He said that only two
Ibos, Onyeagocha and Ziggy, his
personal friends, had shown any
sympathy for him before the
Igbo Lawyers came as a group. It
all sounded good but I never
knew that we would be
disappointed. It was in the Keffi
Prison, Nasarawa State, that I had
a meeting with Ralph
Uwazuruike and the other
MASSOB leaders for about 45
minutes regarding their hearts’
desire and intention in the
struggle to actualize the
Sovereign State of Biafra. I
appeared with Chief Chimezie
Ikeazor, SAN, and other Igbo
lawyers who joined our team in
the Federal High Court Abuja on
Monday 16th July 2007 to solicit
for Uwazuruike’s release. It was
an opportunity the Igbo learned
men had been waiting for to join
issues with the Nigerian
Government and re-open all
other cases of injustice and
discrimination against the Igbo
people. The continued detention
of Uwazuruike whose agitation
was non-violent while the
unrepentant violent activists
from the Yoruba and Ijaw tribes
had been released was sufficient
evidence of discrimination and
insult against the Igbo Nation for
which the Igbo Lawyers arose to
defend and protect the honour
and integrity of the Igbo Nation.

1 Like

Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 9:35pm On May 12, 2012
4. The Judge granted an
adjournment and directed us to
file the necessary papers since
we had just entered into the
matter. However, as we were
preparing to file the necessary
documents, Ralph Uwazuruike
and his co-accused MASSOB
members wrote a letter to us and
forwarded a copy to the court
asking us not to appear in court
again to represent them! We
were actually embarrassed. We
could not understand why
Uwazuruike should dump us and
shun Igbo Lawyers at the time
the Judge was expecting us in
court. Ralph Uwazurike's attitude
turned off all the Igbo Lawyers
who had come out for the
Struggle. But I continued with
the research work I commenced
in 2004 to answer the question
posed by TELL Magazine: BIAFRA
OR PRESIDENCY- What do the Igbo
want?
I have now concluded the
research work that started 7
years ago and written a 300-
page book that answered the
question with verifiable statistics
and evidence. The book is now
awaiting publication.
5. In the meantime, the Biafrans
from EKWE NCHE group instructed
me to carry out researches and
go through some documents on
actionable wrongs and
crimes committed by Nigerian
Government against the Igbo
people for which they would like
to sue the Nigerian Government
on behalf of the Igbo nation.
When I finished the work and
was ready to file the action in
court, I asked for the name I
would use as the Plaintiff/
Claimant/Applicant for whom I
would stand in
court. Unfortunately, Ekwe Nche
Organization was not registered
as a legal entity in Nigeria and
therefore could not sue Nigerian
Government. It would have been
an embarrassment for me in
court if I had filed the case in the
name of an entity not recognised
by law. Ekwe Nche promised to
give me the name of their sister
organization registered in
Nigeria in whose name the case
would be filed. But the matter
died as they did not give me the
name of any pro-Biafra Group
registered as a legal entity in
Nigeria.
6. As God works in mysterious
ways, few Biafrans in exile who
heard about my activities in the
Igbo Lawyers Forum contacted
me and instructed me to act
as their legal adviser and solicitor
for the actualization of the Biafra
Republic. I accepted the
instruction but on coming into
the matter I found many things
that ought to have discouraged
me and caused me to withdraw.
The first problem was lack of
organizational
leadership and administrative
controls. I thought of how
difficult it would be for me to
handle clients that were not
organized. The next problem was
lack of proper approach to the
struggle as many Biafrans did
not know what next to do. The
last was general confusion with
skepticism and loss of
confidence as many people had
turned the Biafran Struggle into
an avenue to make money for
themselves. I discovered that
pro-Biafran Groups had
multiplied into thousands and
millions- all pursuing the same
goal. The group that instructed
me was not yet properly
organized at that time but they
were serious minded Biafrans in
exile as I was told that some
of them had never gone back to
Biafraland since after the war.
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 9:38pm On May 12, 2012
7. Then I embarked upon the
basic organizational structure
formation starting with creating
the legal frameworks for the
struggle. They said their name
was Biafra Liberation in Europe
(BLIE) but I coined the name as
BILIE to mean "ARISE" or "STAND
UP" in Igbo language to make it a
clarion call, using "BI" to stand
for the first two alphabets in
Biafra. I applied to the United
Nations and registered it as a
Civil Society Organization under
the United Nations Department
of Economic and Social Affairs
(UNDESA) to advocate for the
rights of the indigenous people
of Biafra. After due consultation
with some UN officials, it became
necessary to change the name so
that it would not be confined
only to Europe but to become the
mouthpiece for all Biafrans in the
United Nations. This was why the
name was changed to Biafra
Liberation in Exile (BILIE). The
next thing I did was to
register BILIE as a human rights
organization with the Federal
Government of Nigeria. This was
why BILIE is registered as a legal
entity in Nigeria as BILIE HUMAN
RIGHTS INITIATIVE with power to
sue and be sued, to defend and
advocate for the rights of the
indigenous people under the
United Nations Charter and
under the African Charter on
Human and Peoples Rights
(Ratification and Enforcement)
Act, Laws of the Federation of
Nigeria 1990. The right of the
indigenous people under the
Laws of Nigeria is their right to
self determination. I confirm that
the members of BILIE who
instructed me are the best
people to work with as they are
men of integrity in professional
callings who are ready to take my
legal advice and follow the legal
approach I adopted. We have
always walked as a team. I can
confirm that none of them is in
the struggle to make money. The
few members of BILIE made all
the sacrifices to get the
Organization duly registered.
Their sacrifices for the Biafra
Cause are a challenge. I have
seen some Biafrans who have
sacrificed so much that their
families disowned them for
being poor and wretched for the
sake of Biafra! Therefore,
anybody who wants to donate to
the Biafran Genocide Case Fund
should not be afraid because the
money will be duly accounted for.
In fact, it is the requirement of
the UN that BILIE must submit its
audited accounts before it would
be admitted into the Consultative
Status of the United Nations
ECOSOC. Thus, there is no room to
avoid accountability in BILIE
Organization.
8. At the moment, BILIE is taking
a proper shape. Many lawyers are
being attracted to the Biafra
Struggle because it is now going
into the legal dimension under
international law to decide the
issue of self determination and
independence by the rule of law.
In the United States of America,
Attorney Paschal Ukpabi has
taken up the assignment to
gather the Biafrans together
under BILIE. He is one of the
lawyers who will represent BILIE
in court. Other Igbo lawyers in
Nigeria and Europe are also
getting involved despite the
previous experiences of
disappointments in the hands of
some pro-Biafra Groups. We still
need more Igbo Lawyers to
identify themselves with this
Struggle. I have taken time to
write this mail because of the
need of the hour. As I have
already said, this struggle is like a
relay race in athletics. It follows
the spiritual principle of the
deliverance of a people as
exemplified in the ministry of
Moses who passed the batton to
Joshua. The person who started
the struggle may not be the
person who will reach the
finishing line. But in the end, all
of us will win as a team. Each
person will be rewarded by God
according to the person's works.
9. I have noted and condemned
the unguided utterrances of
some Biafrans who rain insults
and abuses on one another. I
would like to remind those
people that BILIE will discipline
and expel any person who is
not a fit and proper person to
carry the Membership Certificate
and Identity Card of BILIE. All
indigenous people of Biafra are
advised to be respectul to one
another and obedient to all
lawful authorities. No Biafran
should insult or abuse the
Government of Nigeria or any
leader at all. If any Biafran
disagrees with any policies of the
Nigerian Government, he should
make constructive criticisms on
the issues and not attack
personalities. The unresolved
issues between Biafra and
Nigeria shall be resolved in Court.
This is the work for lawyers. I
therefore encourage everyone
who has been in this struggle
not to give up now. Be
courageous to make the history
which others will read. The
Independence of Biafra will
neither be the first in modern
history nor the last. It is a fact
of history that nations rise and
nations fall and the map of the
world is redrawn from time to
time. Biafra does not seek to
destroy Nigeria but to be free.
Egypt did not collapse when
Israel left and became free.
Ethiopia did not collapse when
Eritrea left and became free.
India did not collapse when
Bangladesh left and became free.
Therefore, Nigeria should not
fear to let Biafrans go. We expect
that the Nigerian Authorities will
do the right thing when the
matter comes for hearing in
court. Nevertheless, even if
Nigeria opposes our application,
it means that both parties have
joined issues for the Court to
decide. We do not know how
long it will take to go from one
level of court to another on
appeals, from national to
international courts, but one
thing is certain: The case will end
one day.

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Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 9:42pm On May 12, 2012
10. I was touched to hear that
many Biafrans who went on self
exile after the war have not
returned to Biafraland up to this
day. They have got their families
in many parts of the world and
passed the Biafra Story to their
children. Some have died leaving
the children in foreign lands
while others are still alive but old
and about to die. Their children
are looking forward to seeing
the Land of the Rising Sun before
their fathers die. The children
taken to Gabon and Ivory Coast
have grown and become adult
nationals of Gabon and Ivory
Coast. Though they do not speak
Igbo language, they still know
that they are Ibos. Truly, a great
tragedy happened to the Igbo
Nation and this is the time for
our healing and deliverance.
Please forward this mail to all
Biafrans who are afraid,
confused or skeptical, so that
they may know that the time of
their deliverance is near. Our
legal argument is that what
Biafra lost after the war was its
sovereignty and not its people.
Therefore by the rule of law, the
remnants of the indigenous
people of Biafra who were not
consumed by the war are
protected by law to exercise their
right to self determination. They
have fulfilled the scriptures as it
is written: "We are troubled on
every side, yet not distressed; we
are perplexed but not in despair;
persecuted but not forsaken;
cast down but not destroyed." (2
Cor. 4 : cool. Yes, they were cast
down but not destroyed. Nobody
should be ashamed or afraid to
identify himself as a descendant
of the indigenous people of
Biafra who was not consumed
by the war. At the moment, all
Biafrans have been accorded
Nigerian Citizenship but their
indigenous tribal identity
remains. It is just like the Scottish
people who are British by
Citizenship but retain their
indigenous tribal identity as
Scots. The Map of Biafra had
been on the Map of the
African Continent since the 15th
Century before Nigeria was
created in 1914. The book I have
written tells the story of how the
word "Biafra" came into
existence.
The matter between Biafra and
Nigeria will be decided in Court.
The Ancient Map of Africa shall be
produced in Court when the time
comes. It is an offence and a
crime against humanity to
destroy the identity of a
people. All Biafrans are advised to
pray without ceasing until justice
prevails. In my honour as
Solicitor of England & Wales and
BILIE Legal Adviser, I give a word
of promise that BILIE will never
fail if you are submissive and
obedient to the leadership of
BILIE without betraying the
cause. Like Nehemiah and his
brethren rebuilding the walls of
Jerusalem, let us work as one
man and get the job done
without further delay.
Please comfort one another with
these words. You may forward
this mail to other Biafrans in your
mailing list.
Remain blessed
Emeka Adolf Chigozie Emeka, Esq
(Pastor)
BILIE Legal Adviser
Solicitor of England & Wales
Barrister & Solicitor of the
Supreme Court of Nigeria

1 Like

Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by kingkoboko: 10:02pm On May 12, 2012
WOW!!! Ekene diri Chineke! Thank u BILIE!

D whole world must read dis.

BIAFRA SHALL BE FREE!!

*wavin Biafran flag*
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 10:29pm On May 12, 2012
Yes, we will get there. Biafra shall be free. Pls lets pass this mail across. You can visit www.bilie.org for more information
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by kingkoboko: 11:19am On May 13, 2012
On wat frequency can I get Radio Biafra here in Lagos?
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Mynd44: 11:25am On May 13, 2012
The OP definitely has too much time on his/her hands
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Yeske2(m): 12:21pm On May 13, 2012
^^^
Is the registration for diasporan Biafrans alone?
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 12:33pm On May 13, 2012
Mynd_44: The OP definitely has too much time on his/her hands
as long as it is biafra issue, i am ready to sacrifice all that i have. I intend making the announcement about radio biafra broadcast next week during mass. (i'm a catholic)

1 Like

Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 12:40pm On May 13, 2012
Yeske!:
^^^
Is the registration for diasporan Biafrans alone?
NO, any Biafran can register.
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Mynd44: 12:59pm On May 13, 2012
Ogbonaikenna: as long as it is biafra issue, i am ready to sacrifice all that i have. I intend making the announcement about radio biafra broadcast next week during mass. (i'm a catholic)
Have fun
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 1:47pm On May 13, 2012
You too
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by aljharem(m): 1:52pm On May 13, 2012
it is time we biafran form allies with our neighbours.

we shall be free !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by aljharem(m): 1:52pm On May 13, 2012
for disporas here is biafra radio

http://www.radiobiafralondon.com/ cool
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by aljharem(m): 1:55pm On May 13, 2012
alj harem: for disporas here is biafra radio

http://www.radiobiafralondon.com/ cool
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by abouzaid: 5:46pm On May 13, 2012
@alj haram, what are u upto now? U have claimed nupe from niger state, yoruba from lagos, igbo from anambra, now it's biafran. Better don't derail this thread o cos i'm watching to see the response it will generate.
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by abouzaid: 5:59pm On May 13, 2012
Biafrans in nigeria can't pay their registration fed through paypal, the service is not even known in this country.
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 7:45pm On May 13, 2012
All things being equal, a pro independent case for Biafra will be filed in nigerian court and probably moved to the international scene. It sounds great
Re: A must read: bilie registration; how it started by Ogbonaikenna(m): 7:45pm On May 13, 2012
alj harem: it is time we biafran form allies with our neighbours.

we shall be free !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you are so funny sir

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