Agatu-The Kobane of Idomaland?
On June 25th 2015, ISIL detonated three car bombs in Kobane, close to the Syrian-Turkish border crossing and launched a surprise assault on the town. At least 200 Kurdish civilians were massacred. There was international outrage which saw Kurdish youth from all over the world (some as young as 14) pouring into Kobane to fight ISIL and liberate the town from her devilish grip. After several weeks of hard street to street battle, victory was achieved, and ISIL was routed. Fast forward to 25th February 2016 when a similar event happened in Agatu and twice the number of the casualties in kobane were lost, the global Idoma response has beenlets say “Quasi-Cowardly in the Nigerian context. Or maybe not.
As we hear of further killings of our people and feel the bile rising up our throats, I suggest we sit down, pick up a Dictionary and look up the meaning of the word “Cowardice” after which we should thoroughly peruse this article and judge ourselves if we deserve the dishonor of bearing that shameful badge.
The Oxford advanced learners dictionary defines Cowardice as[i] “lack of bravery, faintheartedness, timidity, pusillanimity”[/i]
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Cowardice as “the fear that makes one unable to do what is Right or expected” .
Wikkipedia (which is most accessible by all of us in this age) defines Cowardice as “[i]a trait wherein self-concern over-ride doing or saying what is right, good and of help to others or oneself in a time of need”
[/i]The recent happenings in Agatu have raised a lot of social, religious, political and anthropological questions regarding the Idoma Identity, most especially after the conclusion of the most important event in the Idomaland which pitched a Young Turk with huge support from idoma youths versus a Veteran with massive Rural, Urban middle and upper-class support leading to the emergence of the latter as the undisputed leader of the idoma nation once more. Also, the appointment of some of our sons into strategic positions in this administration also brought some relief to us. While these and other Elite have come under tremendous pressure to
solve the myriads of problems of the Idoma people and may or may-not have delivered as expected, it is imperative to ask the urban Idoma middle class group who have steadily grown to occupy a significant percentage of the entire Idoma population what their contribution has been towards the advancement of the plight of our people and charting a clear national course for all and sundry. A uniting Banner, a watchword, a mantra, a code of conduct for all born and unborn.
Apart from the countless meetings of various Idoma villages, LGAs, and political affiliations which border mainly on individual development of various communities, nothing largescale bringing the everyone together (like the Ahiajoku Lecture of the SE or Sardauna Memorial Lecture of the North) is seen, hence leaving Idoma land as nothing beyond a collection of villages and towns bound only by tribe with each pursuing her agenda, fighting her battles and weathering their storms individually.
While this may not be a problem in a Modern 21st century state, It is potentially deadly in a complex state in Nigeria were the strong prey on the weak all day.
There is undoubtedly a amongst between various segments of the Idoma community-the young versus the old, the urban versus the rural, the educated versus the illiterate, the elite versus the bourgeois, the geek versus the punk etc, and all you see is a formidable column matching in haphazard formation.
-Have we been too cowardly to do what is right regarding the Agatu massacre for fear we may lose our Political, social or religious relevance?
-Have we been too occupied with our well-paying jobs and good lifestyles to notice the existential threat posed by the turbulence in Agatu?
-Or perhaps we are irked by the lassitude of the village leaders whose myopic governing methods fall below tolerable standards and we’ve decided to let them do what they like and leave us in peace.
-Maybe the incessant calls from Ole for financial commitments has taught us to just stay away, minding our immediate businesses.
While these may be feebly justifiable reasons to prefer concentrating on our peaceful suburban lifestyle, without Ole disturbance, the coldblooded
murder of more that 300 of our own defenseless people is enough to jolt us out of complacency, out of the delusion that the Nigerian state can or will solve our problems for us.
In the aftermath of the AGATU killings, the Idomas went on public to display their outrage (which was commendable), put pressure on the Government and brought the conflict to limelight (way to go), did their best at rallying all together. then did the unthinkable in Nigeria, we went soft, Lost the initiative! Lost venom! resorted to issuing appeals to an FG and Security Agents completely desensitized to death, proclaiming to the World that the invaders were still present in the villages with 5000 cattle, and the Govt should send soldiers to dislodge them from our own Ancestral Lands. This has been the most humiliating episode of my life as an Idoma man. That we, a Nation of about 700,000 people cannot effectively organize a militia to dislodge the enemy from our ancestral lands? How absurd! How scary! How many tribes sneered at us? Uncountable! How many jeered? Millions. When our kids read about these events in the future and turn to ask us innocently “Daddy, Mummy!when it happened, what did you do?” what shall our responses be? That we cried ourselves hoarse? Or we came together and made sacrifices that redeemed our battered Ego as a tribe.
Effective resistance lies in unity of purpose and this is never better easier to forge than in moments of adversity. The entire Idoma must see the defence of every inch of our ancestral lands as a paramount responsibility of every young Idoma male, educated or not, rich or poor, old and young. And the sanctity of Idoma blood be respected and avenged any time it is spilled. The fact that Idomaland lacks an Asari dokubo, Nnamdi Kanu, El-Rufai, Gani Adams, etc who are the unofficial but revered mouthpieces of their Ethnic Hegemony shows our lack of unified resistance in a jungle with so many belligerent predators. All of a sudden, Idoma lawyers have gone mute. Idoma Academics nko? Loudly Mute! Celebrities? Deafening Silence! Errm, didn’t I read somewhere that a brother of mine promised to beat up another Musician when he sights him again? Oyinem, We need your strength and stamina for the Agatu front.
Come to think of it, if a Kurdish feels proud to be martyred for Kurdish freedom, an Igbo proud to be killed for Biafra, a Jihadi proud to be martyred for Wahhabism, a Zionist proud to die for Israel and a Fulani willing to die for his perceived grazing rights, what has stopped the Idoma from given themselves a Cause so powerful to die for?
Our weaknesses are being exposed for all to see, and if we do not plug the cracks in our defenses, we are literally speeding on the tribal extinction highway. Hence, we must stop being cry babies and take the bull by the horn through a comprehensive review of what it means to be Idoma both home and abroad with the aim of collectivizing our challenges and facing them with one voice. Evidently, the duration of this crisis coupled with huge rural-urban migration of men of fighting age has taken a huge toll on the defenders, leaving the women, children, and aged to bear the brunt of the enemy’s repeated assaults. Idomaland must as a matter of urgency draft men from far and wide to converge on Agatu for the sole purpose of liberating the motherland. We have seen the enemy mobilizing fighters all the way from Chad, Sudan, Burkina faso and Guinea to undertake their heinous crimes. We have also seen people travelling half way round the world to converge on Syria to fight for a cause they believe in. of course, the Libyans couldn’t have gotten Ghaddafi out by crying daily on twitter and facebook or the people of Kobane expel ISIL by demonstrations and media rants. They rallied from all over the world and kicked Daesh out by brute force. We must give the idoma youth a battle cry, a rallying point and a sense of purpose by collectivizing the struggle militarily.
-Where are the Idoma Thugs who so displayed their skills during the just concluded elections?
-Where are the Idoma young men in all the major cities and towns with violent propensity-fighting in clubs and parks?
-Where are the Businessmen who can bankroll the defence of the motherland?
-Is anybody coordinating this effort?
-How prepared militarily are we as an ethnic entity confronting the 4th deadliest terrorist group in the world?
The need for an overhaul of the Traditional leadership system has never been more apparent. With mainly illiterate chiefs who feed on the largesse of our politicians and exact only nominal roles in their communities, there’s much that is left to be desired. Traditional institutions of several ethnic groups today are being led by distinguished Professionals, Business Tycoons, Academia etc who are equipped with enough exposure, resources, and grasp of contemporary problems facing the ever-dynamic people with the view of proffering long lasting and acceptable solutions to them. Ours shouldn’t be different. For Example, the sultan of Sokoto is a retired 2-Star General, the emir of kano-A seasoned banker, the Obi of Onitsha-a Professor,etc. Modernizing the qualification standards for traditional Idoma leadership is a step in the right direction. I don’t see why Idoma sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves shouldn’t be urged to mount the traditional stools to bring their tremendous exposure to bear in leadership of our great people (as observed in the entire Major ethnic groups)
In the end, we should come out of this episode better united, focused and determined to defend what we believe in with the last drop of our blood. With this, I will leave you with this quote from the most famous Confederate General during the American Civil war-General Robert Lee who opined that “Duty is the Sublimest word in our Language, do your duty in all things, you cannot do more, and you must never wish to do less”.
Thank you.
Written by
Clement Inalegwu.
An Idoma Cultural Enthusiast.

hmmm

I only pray, and pray I never wake up in this country called nigeria. Coz I know I m dreaming of being in a land full of barbarians. I can't just take it anymore. I remember when it was only the Tiv that where facing this fooolanis and they were tag WAR LIKE PEOPLE. BUT TODAY EVERYONE IS FEELING THE HEAT.

IdomaLikita:
Agatu-The Kobane of Idomaland?
On June 25th 2015, ISIL detonated three car bombs in Kobane, close to the Syrian-Turkish border crossing and launched a surprise assault on the town. At least 200 Kurdish civilians were massacred. There was international outrage which saw Kurdish youth from all over the world (some as young as 14) pouring into Kobane to fight ISIL and liberate the town from her devilish grip. After several weeks of hard street to street battle, victory was achieved, and ISIL was routed. Fast forward to 25th February 2016 when a similar event happened in Agatu and twice the number of the casualties in kobane were lost, the global Idoma response has beenlets say “Quasi-Cowardly in the Nigerian context. Or maybe not.
As we hear of further killings of our people and feel the bile rising up our throats, I suggest we sit down, pick up a Dictionary and look up the meaning of the word “Cowardice” after which we should thoroughly peruse this article and judge ourselves if we deserve the dishonor of bearing that shameful badge.
The Oxford advanced learners dictionary defines Cowardice as[i] “lack of bravery, faintheartedness, timidity, pusillanimity”[/i]
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Cowardice as “the fear that makes one unable to do what is Right or expected” .
Wikkipedia (which is most accessible by all of us in this age) defines Cowardice as “[i]a trait wherein self-concern over-ride doing or saying what is right, good and of help to others or oneself in a time of need”
[/i]The recent happenings in Agatu have raised a lot of social, religious, political and anthropological questions regarding the Idoma Identity, most especially after the conclusion of the most important event in the Idomaland which pitched a Young Turk with huge support from idoma youths versus a Veteran with massive Rural, Urban middle and upper-class support leading to the emergence of the latter as the undisputed leader of the idoma nation once more. Also, the appointment of some of our sons into strategic positions in this administration also brought some relief to us. While these and other Elite have come under tremendous pressure to
solve the myriads of problems of the Idoma people and may or may-not have delivered as expected, it is imperative to ask the urban Idoma middle class group who have steadily grown to occupy a significant percentage of the entire Idoma population what their contribution has been towards the advancement of the plight of our people and charting a clear national course for all and sundry. A uniting Banner, a watchword, a mantra, a code of conduct for all born and unborn.
Apart from the countless meetings of various Idoma villages, LGAs, and political affiliations which border mainly on individual development of various communities, nothing largescale bringing the everyone together (like the Ahiajoku Lecture of the SE or Sardauna Memorial Lecture of the North) is seen, hence leaving Idoma land as nothing beyond a collection of villages and towns bound only by tribe with each pursuing her agenda, fighting her battles and weathering their storms individually.
While this may not be a problem in a Modern 21st century state, It is potentially deadly in a complex state in Nigeria were the strong prey on the weak all day.
There is undoubtedly a amongst between various segments of the Idoma community-the young versus the old, the urban versus the rural, the educated versus the illiterate, the elite versus the bourgeois, the geek versus the punk etc, and all you see is a formidable column matching in haphazard formation.
-Have we been too cowardly to do what is right regarding the Agatu massacre for fear we may lose our Political, social or religious relevance?
-Have we been too occupied with our well-paying jobs and good lifestyles to notice the existential threat posed by the turbulence in Agatu?
-Or perhaps we are irked by the lassitude of the village leaders whose myopic governing methods fall below tolerable standards and we’ve decided to let them do what they like and leave us in peace.
-Maybe the incessant calls from Ole for financial commitments has taught us to just stay away, minding our immediate businesses.
While these may be feebly justifiable reasons to prefer concentrating on our peaceful suburban lifestyle, without Ole disturbance, the coldblooded
murder of more that 300 of our own defenseless people is enough to jolt us out of complacency, out of the delusion that the Nigerian state can or will solve our problems for us.
In the aftermath of the AGATU killings, the Idomas went on public to display their outrage (which was commendable), put pressure on the Government and brought the conflict to limelight (way to go), did their best at rallying all together. then did the unthinkable in Nigeria, we went soft, Lost the initiative! Lost venom! resorted to issuing appeals to an FG and Security Agents completely desensitized to death, proclaiming to the World that the invaders were still present in the villages with 5000 cattle, and the Govt should send soldiers to dislodge them from our own Ancestral Lands. This has been the most humiliating episode of my life as an Idoma man. That we, a Nation of about 700,000 people cannot effectively organize a militia to dislodge the enemy from our ancestral lands? How absurd! How scary! How many tribes sneered at us? Uncountable! How many jeered? Millions. When our kids read about these events in the future and turn to ask us innocently “Daddy, Mummy!when it happened, what did you do?” what shall our responses be? That we cried ourselves hoarse? Or we came together and made sacrifices that redeemed our battered Ego as a tribe.
Effective resistance lies in unity of purpose and this is never better easier to forge than in moments of adversity. The entire Idoma must see the defence of every inch of our ancestral lands as a paramount responsibility of every young Idoma male, educated or not, rich or poor, old and young. And the sanctity of Idoma blood be respected and avenged any time it is spilled. The fact that Idomaland lacks an Asari dokubo, Nnamdi Kanu, El-Rufai, Gani Adams, etc who are the unofficial but revered mouthpieces of their Ethnic Hegemony shows our lack of unified resistance in a jungle with so many belligerent predators. All of a sudden, Idoma lawyers have gone mute. Idoma Academics nko? Loudly Mute! Celebrities? Deafening Silence! Errm, didn’t I read somewhere that a brother of mine promised to beat up another Musician when he sights him again? Oyinem, We need your strength and stamina for the Agatu front.
Come to think of it, if a Kurdish feels proud to be martyred for Kurdish freedom, an Igbo proud to be killed for Biafra, a Jihadi proud to be martyred for Wahhabism, a Zionist proud to die for Israel and a Fulani willing to die for his perceived grazing rights, what has stopped the Idoma from given themselves a Cause so powerful to die for?
Our weaknesses are being exposed for all to see, and if we do not plug the cracks in our defenses, we are literally speeding on the tribal extinction highway. Hence, we must stop being cry babies and take the bull by the horn through a comprehensive review of what it means to be Idoma both home and abroad with the aim of collectivizing our challenges and facing them with one voice. Evidently, the duration of this crisis coupled with huge rural-urban migration of men of fighting age has taken a huge toll on the defenders, leaving the women, children, and aged to bear the brunt of the enemy’s repeated assaults. Idomaland must as a matter of urgency draft men from far and wide to converge on Agatu for the sole purpose of liberating the motherland. We have seen the enemy mobilizing fighters all the way from Chad, Sudan, Burkina faso and Guinea to undertake their heinous crimes. We have also seen people travelling half way round the world to converge on Syria to fight for a cause they believe in. of course, the Libyans couldn’t have gotten Ghaddafi out by crying daily on twitter and facebook or the people of Kobane expel ISIL by demonstrations and media rants. They rallied from all over the world and kicked Daesh out by brute force. We must give the idoma youth a battle cry, a rallying point and a sense of purpose by collectivizing the struggle militarily.
-Where are the Idoma Thugs who so displayed their skills during the just concluded elections?
-Where are the Idoma young men in all the major cities and towns with violent propensity-fighting in clubs and parks?
-Where are the Businessmen who can bankroll the defence of the motherland?
-Is anybody coordinating this effort?
-How prepared militarily are we as an ethnic entity confronting the 4th deadliest terrorist group in the world?
The need for an overhaul of the Traditional leadership system has never been more apparent. With mainly illiterate chiefs who feed on the largesse of our politicians and exact only nominal roles in their communities, there’s much that is left to be desired. Traditional institutions of several ethnic groups today are being led by distinguished Professionals, Business Tycoons, Academia etc who are equipped with enough exposure, resources, and grasp of contemporary problems facing the ever-dynamic people with the view of proffering long lasting and acceptable solutions to them. Ours shouldn’t be different. For Example, the sultan of Sokoto is a retired 2-Star General, the emir of kano-A seasoned banker, the Obi of Onitsha-a Professor,etc. Modernizing the qualification standards for traditional Idoma leadership is a step in the right direction. I don’t see why Idoma sons and daughters who have distinguished themselves shouldn’t be urged to mount the traditional stools to bring their tremendous exposure to bear in leadership of our great people (as observed in the entire Major ethnic groups)
In the end, we should come out of this episode better united, focused and determined to defend what we believe in with the last drop of our blood. With this, I will leave you with this quote from the most famous Confederate General during the American Civil war-General Robert Lee who opined that “Duty is the Sublimest word in our Language, do your duty in all things, you cannot do more, and you must never wish to do less”.
Thank you.
Written by
Clement Inalegwu.
An Idoma Cultural Enthusiast.

If most of the youth are like Omenka, what do you expect from such people? To go out and fight?......you must be kidding me.

Mods. Push this thread to FP let idoma peeps see it na! Abi the Fulani herdsmen don pay you to marginalise any thing Agatu? Isn't the write-up intellectual enough to merit FP? Abi make op kill snake join am?

Omenka will never show up here he will rather crawl to Igbo related thread to spew nonsense.

I am sure the musician mentioned up there is Tuface.
That one no fit speak out sef?

coming out from a lengthy ban. the ZOO IS FALLING APART we remain resolute and fearless before our enemies as we continue to propagate and desemenate this very gospel of the restoration of the kingdom of GOD (BIAFRA) here ON earth.anything shot of total freedom is un-acceptable,the will kill us! but at the END BIAFRA will come

Maybe Idomas are Cowards afterall.