WHEN the founder of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Ralph Uwazuruike, told The Interview in August that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, was being used to destroy Biafra, I thought it was their private fight playing out at last.


In the early days of MASSOB when Uwazuruike was planning to start Radio Biafra in the UK, he had reluctantly recruited Kanu to run the shop. One thing led to another and along the way the ambitious young Kanu had his own ideas. He supplanted his boss and took charge.



He has grown from pirate radio boy to something of a rock star and appears well underway to raising his own army, a fantasy that might, in the end, prove Uwazuruike right.

Before Kanu went into hiding last week, he had started reviewing a “guard of honour” as part of his daily routine. He announced the formation of the Biafra Secret Service (BSS) when he was receiving Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, a disciple who, after posting his bail bond, ought to have taken the young man to the hospital.

With support from a section of the Igbo elite led, surprisingly, by constitutional lawyer, Ben Nwabueze, Kanu has gone much farther since he formed the BSS. He paraded a Turkish tout who was supposed to have endorsed the Biafra state and deluded himself into believing that it is just a matter of time before other foreign governments will line up behind his ambition.

Bogus Promise

If he was in too much hurry to read what happened to Biafra 1 when Odumegwu Ojukwu needed global support, he should have simply Googled South Sudan and Eritrea for a current version of treachery and international politics.

Kanu has rallied hundreds of young people to his cause and managed to sell them on a fool’s paradise – a promise of heaven on earth, once Biafra is realised.

Regrettably, he has worked his supporters to a lunatic fringe; and the horrific videos from Aba and other parts of the South East in circulation last week showed how dangerously close the country was to the outbreak of another major bloody conflict.


We can argue all we want about who cast the first stone – IPOB supporters or soldiers deployed in the operation code-named Python Dance. Much has also been said about the propriety and motive for the deployment of the soldiers and whether or not IPOB should be banned.

Anyone who has been following Kanu recently, anyone who has listened to him demand the excision of parts of the country to make up his Biafra fantasy or heard him say it would not take him two weeks overrun Sokoto in the event of a war; anyone who has listened to his vile and inflammatory comments about those who don’t agree with him or other ethnic nationalities, and still thinks he’s just a wayward Boys Scout leader is free to sign up, just like Abaribe and co have done.

Two Wrongs

But no responsible government will fold its hands and allow the breakdown of law and order or watch aggrieved persons take the law into their own hands.

There were incidents of serious concern on both sides last week: the video of soldiers making unarmed youths roll in the mud and lie facedown at gunpoint in the mud or the video of suspected IPOB members in secret locations beating some folks believed to be from the North with planks and frisking commercial vehicles for “non-Biafrans” were like scenes from the early stages of the Rwandan war.

These were extremely dangerous and frightening spectacles, and as they unfolded, Kanu the pirate radio warrior, who had been praying for war, was busy looking for a place to hide. The attitude of the soldiers identified in the video was deplorable and should be punished; but God knows that if soldiers had not been deployed it would have been an answer to Kanu’s prayer for mayhem.


If you think it’s an overstatement, then you haven’t seen the videos yet.

We must, by all means avoid a repeat of Odi (1999) and Zaki-Biam (2001), where the deployment of troops after gangs clashed with the military led to the sacking of several villages and the killing of over 200 civilians. But those who are egging Kanu on must keep in mind that if they start a bush fire they can never tell how it would end.



Proud Heritage

Is there any merit in Kanu’s claim that the Igbo have been marginalised and unfairly treated, especially under President Muhammadu Buhari?

Sure. Buhari is the only presidential candidate in recent memory who would win an election with near-zero support from two major blocks – the South East and the South South. He should have seized the moment to broaden his base and run an inclusive government.

He didn’t. Yet, if Kanu thinks only Igbos are marginalised he only needs to look at Buhari’s “other room” to see that Igbos are in good company. Before Kanu formed his BSS, Aisha Buhari had sounded a public warning that her husband, the President, risked rebellion in the ruling All Progressives Congress by leaving those who worked to elect him out in the cold. She obviously felt marginalised.

Discontent inside the ruling APC is so real and touchable that if an elective convention was held today, it is uncertain that Buhari would win; yet he has surrounded himself with a few influential persons who will neither let him see the danger that he is in nor permit steps that could save him or his government. Buhari is a victim of his own choice.

It’s OK if Kanu or his supporters think that they are at the worst end of a bad deal. But he must keep in mind that the victims of the sort of mindless violence sparked off by his insane rhetoric are ordinary people – across ethnic lines – just trying to eke out a living.

The Igbos have done well for themselves and continue to well in spite of government. They have, over the years, built a heritage that should shame those who think that you can keep a people down by exclusion and spite. They don’t need Kanu to remind them of their achievements and the great work that still lies ahead.

Long Road

Self-determination is a long, arduous and often costly journey. The Scots have been at it since 1853, the Catalans since 1922, and the people of Western Sahara for nearly four decades now. If Kanu is mad about achieving Biafra in his own lifetime as his wife said in a newspaper interview, those who love him should help him find a method for his madness or keep him on a leash.

I don’t subscribe to the view that anything is settled or that the current federal structure is serving citizens well. Those pretending otherwise know they’re deceiving themselves.

While the contest of ideas continues, however, I agree with the senior advocate Femi Falana, that serious state governments can, starting with matters that affect their residents the most, claw back acres of autonomy lost to Abuja within the ambit of the law. To act outside that ambit is to invite anarchy.

Azu Ishiekwene is the MD/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine and board member of the Paris-based Global Editors Network.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/09/kanu-biafra-disciples/

Mmmn.

While I agree that self determination can be long and painstaking trip, and that can b gone with subtler strategies than KANU did, I must submit that u were not hard enough on this govt for avoiding the issues and focusing in the propaganda in dealing with IPOB.

BSS, national guard, were all propaganda machines as no one was seen with any weapon, and I dint see any videos of road blocks or extortion (maybe there are). While conceding that govt should not fold its arms, all it should v done was put d groups on strict surveillance, and let the police clamp down, arrest and detain anyone with evidence of violence or breakdown of law, and only call in the military if they're overwhelmed. That's what the (so-called) law says (viz section 217).

And please, please, don't compare Scots with Biafrans. Aberdeen and Enugu are not the same, neither is Barcelona and Umuahia. These are places where things work. If u were in Edinburgh you'd have as much comfort as someone in London, sometimes even more. So many British military bases, resources and presence are based in scotland. This week typhoon jets of RAF intercepted a Russian fighter off the Scottish coast with agility. What has Nigerian govt done for Bakassi people displaced in their peninsula by Cameroun? The referendum in those places are so bitterly fought (as seen in the last scotexit and brexit about 51/49%) because people there know either way things work for them (for the large part). So there's that sharp divide in opinion. BUT IF YOU CONDUCT A REFERENDUM IN BIAFRALAND TODAY, NIGERIA WOULD LOSE WOEFULLY (I estimate by at least 70%). Ask me y.

Because the presence is simply not there. Because the scars of war and hatred are still very fresh and open, and virtually nothing is done to heal them for 50 years now. You carry amoured personnel carriers to confront villagers who may not have eaten for 2 days and u expect them to clap for you? Just after threatening to expel their brothers from the north by October 1? What kind of govt sef do we have in this country?

wonderful write up.
they will soon be here to label him afonja

TherWasACountry:
Mmmn.

While I agree that self determination can be long and painstaking trip, and that can b gone with subtler strategies than KANU did, I must submit that u were not hard enough on this govt for avoiding the issues and focusing in the propaganda in dealing with IPOB.

BSS, national guard, were all propaganda machines as no one was seen with any weapon, and I dint see any videos of road blocks or extortion (maybe there are). While conceding that govt should not fold its arms, all it should v done was put d groups on strict surveillance, and let the police clamp down, arrest and detain anyone with evidence of violence or breakdown of law, and only call in the military if they're overwhelmed. That's what the (so-called) law says (viz section 217).

And please, please, don't compare Scots with Biafrans. Aberdeen and Enugu are not the same, neither is Barcelona and Umuahia. These are places where things work. If u were in Edinburgh you'd have as much comfort as someone in London, sometimes even more. So many British military bases, resources and presence are based in scotland. This week typhoon jets of RAF intercepted a Russian fighter off the Scottish coast with agility. What has Nigerian govt done for Bakassi people displaced in their peninsula by Cameroun? The referendum in those places are so bitterly fought (as seen in the last scotexit and brexit about 51/49%) because people there know either way things work for them (for the large part). So there's that sharp divide in opinion. BUT IF YOU CONDUCT A REFERENDUM IN BIAFRALAND TODAY, NIGERIA WOULD LOSE WOEFULLY (I estimate by at least 70%). Ask me y.

Because the presence is simply not there. Because the scars of war and hatred are still very fresh and open, and virtually nothing is done to heal them for 50 years now. You carry amoured personnel carriers to confront villagers who may not have eaten for 2 days and u expect them to clap for you? Just after threatening to expel their brothers from the north by October 1? What kind of elite are we cursed with sef in this country?

you guys celebrated when he announced the BSS and told us how they'll bring the zoo down in 2hrs, what is the propaganda now?


You know something? The government does not need propaganda to kill kanu and be celebrated for it. Kanu has given them everything they needed to crucify him. No terrorist group has ever armed the constituted authority against itself like kanu did.


When the writer called attention to Eritrea, s/sudan etc, you ignored that part, but chose Edinburgh, or where favors your argument.

captleonerd:
wonderful write up.

they will soon be here to label him afonja

those upright Ibo people don't care what those miscreants call them.

TherWasACountry:
Mmmn.

While I agree that self determination can be long and painstaking trip, and that can b gone with subtler strategies than KANU did, I must submit that u were not hard enough on this govt for avoiding the issues and focusing in the propaganda in dealing with IPOB.

BSS, national guard, were all propaganda machines as no one was seen with any weapon, and I dint see any videos of road blocks or extortion (maybe there are). While conceding that govt should not fold its arms, all it should v done was put d groups on strict surveillance, and let the police clamp down, arrest and detain anyone with evidence of violence or breakdown of law, and only call in the military if they're overwhelmed. That's what the (so-called) law says (viz section 217).

And please, please, don't compare Scots with Biafrans. Aberdeen and Enugu are not the same, neither is Barcelona and Umuahia. These are places where things work. If u were in Edinburgh you'd have as much comfort as someone in London, sometimes even more. So many British military bases, resources and presence are based in scotland. This week typhoon jets of RAF intercepted a Russian fighter off the Scottish coast with agility. What has Nigerian govt done for Bakassi people displaced in their peninsula by Cameroun? The referendum in those places are so bitterly fought (as seen in the last scotexit and brexit about 51/49%) because people there know either way things work for them (for the large part). So there's that sharp divide in opinion. BUT IF YOU CONDUCT A REFERENDUM IN BIAFRALAND TODAY, NIGERIA WOULD LOSE WOEFULLY (I estimate by at least 70%). Ask me y.

Because the presence is simply not there. Because the scars of war and hatred are still very fresh and open, and virtually nothing is done to heal them for 50 years now. You carry amoured personnel carriers to confront villagers who may not have eaten for 2 days and u expect them to clap for you? Just after threatening to expel their brothers from the north by October 1? What kind of elite are we cursed with sef in this country?

jaundiced opinion.
so the government should wait until BSS becomes armed before taking action? BSS was already threatening to stop anambra election. kanu himself already told his followers to bring down the country if the court orders his arrest yet you expect the government to wait before taking action.

you deluded folks keep blaming Hausa Fulani for ruining the country but no Hausa man has been president and we've only had two Fulani presidents. all other northern presidents have been from minority ethnic groups. the same hausas have virtually nothing to show in development when compared to the south. our elites have robbed us as southerners bit their elites have robbed them even more. instead of KANU to advocate for good governance and a restructured country or pursue his biafra agenda peacefully by using his followership to form a political movement he keeps screaming about burning down the zoo. he has been insulting other ethnic groups except those who come to pay homage to him like ffk and the guy from southern Kaduna. KANU is creating more enemies for the ibo with his utterances yet you crybabies will be wondering why other ethnic groups don't love you. did he consult with the south south minorities, benue and kogi state groups he's trying to drag into Biafra before drawing his map?
no president will fold his arms and watch one stupid man drag the country into another civil war under his watch.
the same mor9nic kanu that got bail on health grounds is busy travelling up and down with his brainwashed followers issuing threats and causing division.
deploying soldiers and killing innocent civilians is too extreme but the DSS should have picked up KANU and locked him up without killing people in the process. it will only take one surprise operation at mid night to make KANU disappear into the government custody.

BALLOSKI:
you guys celebrated when he announced the BSS and told us how they'll bring the zoo down in 2hrs, what is the propaganda now?


You know something? The government does not need propaganda to kill kanu and be celebrated for it. Kanu has given them everything they needed to crucify him. No terrorist group has ever armed the constituted authority against itself like kanu did.


When the writer called attention to Eritrea, s/sudan etc, you ignored that part, but chose Edinburgh, or where favors your argument.

First, I disapprove of the hate speech and propaganda methods of Mr. Kanu and I made that pretty clear in the beginning of my comment. And maybe u misunderstood that part. Govt so far has heavily dosed us with attention on IPOB propaganda, which is BSS, etc. But has said virtually nothing about issues he raised such as lack of roads, infrastructure, inherent injustice, joblessness, etc. Why are they afraid of engaging him on these? The man even offered to debate them and nobody responded to that.

Second, I didnt bother with South Sudan and Eritrea because the peculiarities are not the same. And the writer too failed to cite peaceful separations which are the other of the day. Britain just left the EU without a single bullet fired, oga op ignored that. Old USSR disintegrated and the countries are doing just fine. Have u heard of Karzacstan before? Georgia, Serbia and Montenegro. These countries separated recently and they doing just fine. So why not Biafra? Why dint op cite these examples?

Thirdly, what do mean by "terrorist group"? Do u really know the meaning of the word? Seriously?

Freedom is natural human right as breathing, eating etc. All we need is freedom..

Kanu is far from being intellectual.

captleonerd:
jaundiced opinion.
so the government should wait until BSS becomes armed before taking action? BSS was already threatening to stop anambra election. kanu himself already told his followers to bring down the country if the court orders his arrest yet you expect the government to wait before taking action.

you deluded folks keep blaming Hausa Fulani for ruining the country but no Hausa man has been president and we've only had two Fulani presidents. all other northern presidents have been from minority ethnic groups. the same hausas have virtually nothing to show in development when compared to the south. our elites have robbed us as southerners bit their elites have robbed them even more. instead of KANU to advocate for good governance and a restructured country or pursue his biafra agenda peacefully by using his followership to form a political movement he keeps screaming about burning down the zoo. he has been insulting other ethnic groups except those who come to pay homage to him like ffk and the guy from southern Kaduna. KANU is creating more enemies for the ibo with his utterances yet you crybabies will be wondering why other ethnic groups don't love you. did he consult with the south south minorities, benue and kogi state groups he's trying to drag into Biafra before drawing his map?
no president will fold his arms and watch one stupid man drag the country into another civil war under his watch.
the same mor9nic kanu that got bail on health grounds is busy travelling up and down with his brainwashed followers issuing threats and causing division.
deploying soldiers and killing innocent civilians is too extreme but the DSS should have picked up KANU and locked him up without killing people in the process. it will only take one surprise operation at mid night to make KANU disappear into the government custody.

Umm, OK.

Obviously we can hardly have a meaningful conversation because u r already biased, and you've got a bunch of facts twisted. But know this:

Just like agitations before it, and may come after it, this Biafra thing is not going away unless the ISSUES underlying it are addressed! How long, how many deaths and "dances" it takes doesn't matter. For from ancient Jews in Egypt, to the emasculated Muslims in Myanmar. If history has taught us anything, it is that oppressions and suppressions don't last forever!

Take that home with you, sir.

ExpiredNigeria:
Freedom is natural human right as breathing, eating etc. All we need is freedom..

Go back and spell "militry" and "inalible" correctly then we can take your propaganda serious… gala sellers

How can Buhari broaden his base to include the SE & SS when even commoners who voted for him are assailed with invectives and vituperation on a near daily basis? The children of hate know only one thing and that is to hate. If Buhari likes kills himself today just to please the Igbos, they will still hate him for taking from them the joy of having killed him themselves. Person wey hate you hate you and that's the fact.

TherWasACountry:


Umm, OK.

Obviously we can hardly have a meaningful conversation because u r already biased, and you've got a bunch of facts twisted. But know this:

Just like agitations before it, and may come after it, this Biafra thing is not going away unless the ISSUES underlying it are addressed! How long, how many deaths and "dances" it takes doesn't matter. For from ancient Jews in Egypt, to the emasculated Muslims in Myanmar. If history has taught us anything, it is that oppressions and suppressions don't last forever!

Take that home with you, sir.

I'm twisting facts yet you can't point to the facts I'm twisting. is the north not more backward than any other region? who is oppressing ibos? was Jonathan not there for 6yrs? yorubas were marginalised under Jonathan yet we didn't set the country on fire. was it buhari that also stopped the last administration from developing the south east and even his own state? the system is corrupt and it's not working. we can either restructure or go our separate ways. you have the right to leave but do it the right way within the ambit of the law. why does Biafra needs a secrete service within the sovereign Nigeria? kanu shot himself in the leg. accept it

BTW I'll be waiting for you to point out where I twisted facts

ExpiredNigeria:
Freedom is natural human right as breathing, eating etc. All we need is freedom..

yes but seek your freedom without constituting a nuisance and burning the country. move the motion for referendum

TherWasACountry:


First, I disapprove of the hate speech and propaganda methods of Mr. Kanu and I made that pretty clear in the beginning of my comment. And maybe u misunderstood that part. Govt so far has heavily dosed us with attention on IPOB propaganda, which is BSS, etc. But has said virtually nothing about issues he raised such as lack of roads, infrastructure, inherent injustice, joblessness, etc. Why are they afraid of engaging him on these? The man even offered to debate them and nobody responded to that.

Second, I didnt bother with South Sudan and Eritrea because the peculiarities are not the same. And the writer too failed to cite peaceful separations which are the other of the day. Britain just left the EU without a single bullet fired, oga op ignored that. Old USSR disintegrated and the countries are doing just fine. Have u heard of Karzacstan before? Georgia, Serbia and Montenegro. These countries separated recently and they doing just fine. So why not Biafra? Why dint op cite these examples?

Thirdly, what do mean by "terrorist group"? Do u really know the meaning of the word? Seriously?

You can't say the government does not acknowledge the infrastructural decay in the country - it's not only in the SE . What you guys want is to make SE the center of attention and, it can't work that way. No region is without the challenges you see in the SE.

Buhari on a national TV addressed the issue of Ibo marginalization by asking the question: who's marginalizing who? You guys haven't provided an answer yet.

Tell me one ingredient in Eritrea or s/Sudan's that makes the one in the SE different? The hate for everyone? The insult? The frisking of travellers bus to pick non-biafrans for execution?

Those countries that broke up peacefully had a different arrangements; color , similarities in tribe, religion, etc. Trust us, going by the hatred IPOB display towards other Nigerians, the breakup won't be peaceful. You can say they're better now, but struggling in many sense. In fact, they became sissies after the split. Don't forget to tell us how South Sudan and Eritrea are doing today. Have you read the piece by DSP ekweremmadu? Please, read.


Britain exiting the EU can't be compared to a secession. It's like saying if we leave AU , we've broken out of Africa. The brexit proponents are not even proposing a better option. It's a failure too.


Wait until northern England or London says they want out of England, then you'd know the reaction will be like.

Yes! IPOB is a terrorist organization by the definition of law.

ExpiredNigeria:
Freedom is natural human right as breathing, eating etc. All we need is freedom..

see the spelling sef. Declare a sit at home and see what will befall you.