http://www.authorityngr.com/2016/03/Bishop-CD-others-give-Army-deadline-to-reopen-Niger-Bridge/


By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu and Gabriel Ejiofor On 25/03/2016 04:24:36 AM 

Share Bishop, CD, others give Army deadline to reopen Niger Bridge

Two months after the Nigerian Military closed the Niger Bridge to pedestrians crossing to and from the Asaba axis in Delta State and Onitsha in Anambra State, Bishop Ephraim Ikeakor, other clerics and civil society groups have given the Army seven days to reopen the bridge.

Since the closure of the bridge, the military in enforcing the order have meted out all manner of punishments to motorists and commuters accused of violating the directive.

The AUTHORITY learnt that a private car driver and a commercial bus driver were forced by soldiers to cut grass at the Asaba end of the bridge for allegedly disobeying their instructions.



But motorists and commuters who have been bearing the brunt of the activities of the soldiers stationed at the bridge after the protest by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) are not happy, describing their stay as that of “an army of occupation.”



The single lane left on each side of the expressway is not enough to accommodate the high volume of traffic that builds up on the bridge every day, hence traffic gridlock has become a recurring decimal.

Following the ban on pedestrians and the roadblocks mounted at both ends of the bridge, pedestrians, commuters and motorists have been facing hard times crossing to and from Onitsha and Asaba.

The Military from 302 Artillery Regiment under the Commander, Abdulahi Maigari, during the protests by the IPOB and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), barred pedestrians from crossing the bridge.

But since normalcy returned to the area, pedestrians have not allowed to use the bridge despite several appeals from civil society groups and non-governmental actors.

In the spirit of the Easter celebration, the Lord Bishop of Amichi Diocese, Right Reverend Bishop Ephraim Ikeakor, wondered why the Fulani’s killing of farmers in Agatu, Benue State and other parts of the country still had freedom of movement but pedestrians in Onitsha Main Market are not able to move freely.

Bishop Ikeakor demanded the Army authorities to soften their stance and reopen the Niger Bridge for pedestrians since there are no more security threats that warrant the closure in the first instance.



Also, the national body of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) yesterday said it was longer acceptable for the Army, in a democratic government, to continue to hold the people hostage.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, CD said the Nigerian Army has been given a seven-day ultimatum to reverse the punishment to pedestrians crossing from either end of the bridge, as the Nigerian Constitution gives freedom of movement to all Nigerians.

CD said: “Going by what the Army is doing, they are violating the Nigerian Constitution and it is unacceptable. We have given them, seven days to reverse it and allow our people enjoy themselves after Easter by having a choice of crossing over the River Niger on foot, rather than on vehicles. People should be allowed to move freely.”

The Intersociety Board of Trustees (BoT), Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, described the action of the military as sabotage to the Igbo economic hub and a punishment to innocent people going about their legitimate businesses. He alleged that the Nigerian Navy does same at Uga Junction, also in Onitsha, lamenting that he never knew where they got such powers from.

Umeagbalasi said the two military organs have turned themselves to extortionist agencies at the Head Bridge and Uga Junction as they both have contact persons the other members pay to, be it Okada or traders at the areas.



Okada members pay up to N2,000 per month. He lamented that they equally give people corporal punishments. He blamed the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy for such extortions and punishment to Ndigbo.

Meanwhile, the affected officials of the military did not pick calls put to their phones by The AUTHORITY to get their side of the issues at stake.

Motorists and traders making use of the Onitsha-Asaba Bridge have decried the highhandedness of the soldiers stationed at the both end of the bridge.


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Imagine the madness and impunity. Tomorrow they will invite their fellow herdsmen and give them cover to wreak havoc but my people must surely prevail. In this time of celebration and heavy movement these idiots constitute themselves as nuisances in the East. Useless reptiles!

Dnt knw why dis country have nt broken up

See the pain IPOD is causing Easterners. If they had not blocked the Niger bridge in the first instance, there would be no need for soldiers to protect the bridge from further sabotage.

Is that a priest?

Haha

Okay

fulanimafia:
See the pain IPOD is causing Easterners. If they had not blocked the Niger bridge in the first instance, there would be no need for soldiers to protect the bridge from further sabotage.

Leave em to wail,they will do nothing.

The insensitivity and impunity of Buhari and his Yoruba supporters is appalling.

There desire to humiliate and oppress the people of the south east is a disgrace to their one Nigeria slogon.

If u cannot tolerate people of southeast, kindly allow them a referendum to decide whether or not they want to continue to live as slaves or free to pursue their aspiration and self determination as mandated under international law by the UN and International Court.

Forced marriages produce unhappy children. If nobody is happy, a peaceful settlement is in order, whilst we can still walk away from this with our lives.

Empty chest beating as usual

sameer1212:
Empty chest beating as usual

Ur mate in Europe and Asia are busy making ground breaking progress.


U wake up to tell ur supposed country man that he is 'empty chest beating as usual.'

Where is the progress?

Let's not promote violence and let the federal government be aware of this development.

lalasticlala fp notice

fulanimafia:
See the pain IPOD is causing Easterners. If they had not blocked the Niger bridge in the first instance, there would be no need for soldiers to protect the bridge from further sabotage.

Lies of hypocrisy and propaganda to divert attention from the dastardly acts of you and your murderous Islamic jihadists!

You and your callous Boko-Haram sponsors shall soonest meet your Waterloo. You can't escape the doom at your doorstep...


On October 2nd, 2014 edition of Pointblanknews Magazine, Alhaji Aliyu Gwarzo, a prominent Fulani leader from Kano, said the following words
“when I say that the presidency must come to the North next year, I am referring to the Hausa-Fulani core North and not any Northern Christian or Muslim minority tribe.  The Christians in the North, such as the Berom, the Tiv, the Kataf, the Jaba, the Zuru, the Sayyawa, the Bachama, the Jukun, the Idoma and all the others are nothing and the muslim minorities in the North, including the Kanuri, the Nupe, the Igbira, the Babur, the Shuwa Arabs, the Marghur and all the others know that when we are talking about leadership in the North and in Nigeria, Allah has given it to us, the Hausa-Fulani.  They can grumble, moan and groan as much as they want but each time they go into their bedrooms to meet their wives and each time they get on their prayer mats to begin their prayers, it is we the Fulani that they think of, that they fear, that they bow to and that they pray for.
Some of them are even ready to give us their wives and daughters for one night’s sport and pleasure. They owe us everything. This is because we gave them Islam through the great Jihad waged by our father, the great Usuman Dan Fodio.
We also captured Ilorin, killed their local King and installed our Fulani Emir. We took that ancient town away from the barbarian Yoruba and their filthy pagan gods. We liberated all these places and all these people by imposing Islam on them by force. It was either the Koran or the sword, and most of them chose the Koran. In return for the good works of our forefathers, Allah, through the British, gave us Nigeria to rule and to do with as we please. Since 1960 we have been doing that and we intend to continue. 
No Goodluck or anyone else will stop us from taking back our power next year. We will kill, maim, destroy and turn this country into Africa’s biggest war zone and refugee camp if they try it.
Many say we are behind Boko Haram. My answer is what do you expect? We do not have economic power or intellectual power. All we have is political power and they want to take even that from us.
We must fight and we will fight back in order to keep it. They have brought in the infidels from America and the pigs from Israel to help them but they will fail. The war has just begun, the Mujahedeen are more than ready and by Allah we shall win.
If they don’t want an ISIS in Nigeria then they must give us back the presidency and our political power. Their soldiers are killing our warriors and our people every day but mark this: even if it takes one hundred years, we will have our revenge.
Every Fulani man that they kill is a debt that will be repaid, even if it takes 100 years. The Fulani have very long memories”. 
President Muhammadu Buhari himself in 2013 when he said that if what happened in 2011 during the presidential elections happens again in 2015 and he ends up losing to President Goodluck Jonathan, who happens to be a southern christian, “the dog and the baboon will both be soaked in blood”. 
Another Elder statesman of the North, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, said, before the presidential election in 2011, that “power must return to the North otherwise we (meaning northerners) would make the country ungovernable”. Jonathan went ahead to win the election and Lawal Kaita and co. went ahead to honour their word: from 2011 till 2015, making the country ungovernable they certainly did. 
These are shocking and deeply troubling utterances from these Fulani leaders and the implications of their threat-filled words are self-evident. They need no further analysis or explanation here.
They are using the Fulani herdsmen are a standing army. They are highly protected by the government in power.