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HeroicMeastro:Well he fought for his freedom for three years before running away Those who cannot fight for their freedom for even 3 minutes, to even talk about getting to the stage of running away, think he is a coward Wonders shall never end ![]() |
The Biafran Nations League, BNL, are a group of armed militants who operate mainly in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States. They are made up of ethnic Ibibios, Efiks, and Orons. They are agitating that the two States be part of Biafra when it emerges. Although the group is not associated with with other Biafran groups such as IPOB and MASSOB, they have demanded in the past that all Biafran agitators held by the Nigerian government, including IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, be released. The group also does not recognize the authority of Cameroun over the Bakassi peninsula, part of which they control, and have had clashes with the Camerounian Army. Another odd thing about BNL is that they like to hoist the Biafran flag sideways, rather than upright. Nobody is sure who leads the group
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What if Nigeria never had oil? These three things would have happened 1. Northern Nigeria would have been the first area in Nigeria to secede and declare independence 2. The civil war would not have been fought 3. Nigeria would have been richer than it is today |
Mr Chukwuemeka is an indigene of Mbieri in Imo State. He is also a journalist and proprietor of Nnamehn Tv that espouses the "Unify Igbos Now" project. Basically, what Chukwuemeka does is to visit Igbo speaking areas outside the South East to relate and discuss their Igboness, and interview the indigenes So far, he has been to Ika in Delta State, Igbanke in Edo, Oha-obu in Akwa Ibom, Obigbo, Ndoki, Etche, Ahoada, Ikwerre in Rivers and many more However, Chukwuemeka has come under a barrage of online attacks, not from the people he visits, but from mainly Ijaw and Bini elements who are claiming that the places he is visiting are their territory. The Binis are claiming that all the Igbo speaking areas of Delta state, as well as Igbanke and Ikwerre, are their Descendants, and are thereforr Bini people, while the Ijaws are claiming that much of the Igbo speaking people of Rivers state such as Ndoki, Egbema, Etche, Omuma and even Oha-obu in Akwa-Ibom are their descendants. They have threatened Chukwuemeka's life, reported his channel for hate speech when he never used hate, claimed that he was distorting history and forcing people to become Igbo Chukwuemeka took to his YouTube channel in the video below to question why people are threatening his life just because he goes to interview people he shares language and cultural affinity with. He wondered how he is forcing people to be Igbo when he only has a microphone and Camera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aoqp9BfQr9A |
The first picture is Wike shortly before he became Governor of Rivers State 8 years ago The second picture is Wike Shortly before he handed over some months ago Power can dry person
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HUNDREDS of women from Ekakpamre community in Ughelli South local Government Area of Delta State, have called on the federal and state governments to rescue them from the incessant attacks and gang raping of women by suspected Fulani herdsmen. The mostly aged women during the protest weilded fresh leaves and placards with inscriptions such as, “We do not want Cows in our bush” “They Graze on our land” “We are being raped and chased from our farms”, they accused security agencies of supporting the herdsmen against them. The Leader, Mrs. Loveth Boyi while addressing newsmen said, “For over 3 years now, Fulani herdsmen have been troubling us, chasing us from our farmlands. “Just last week, five women were raped in their farms and as a result, we can no longer access our cassava farms, either to plant or harvest. “The herdsmen will harvest our cassava and other farm produce and give to their cattle, our husbands are not going to the bush, hence we are calling on the state and federal governments to rescue us from the shackle of herdsmen in the community.” Mama Blacky Raymond, an Octogenarian who twisted her kneel due to the herdsmen attack stressed that she can no longer get access to her farm after she was chased from her farm. On his part, the President General of the Community, Edafe Kpohraror said, “The women are on this protest because herdsmen have continued to chase them from their farmlands. “There is one Imam in the Community that is using the police and army to intimidate us, and as result, many people have fled the town because of possible arrest. “We are appealing to the State Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescue our community from the attack of herdsmen.” Edafe pleaded https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/09/delta-women-protest-herdsmen-attack-rape/amp/ |
I was surprised that Ikwerres, some of whom claim not to be Igbo, posted that they were going to celebrate New yam festival in Akpor Look at their poster below New Yam Festival - Iri Iji Ikhe Traditional ruler of Akpor - Eze Levi Ozonwunwo
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Ikwerre Peoples Association(IPA) have celebrated their New Yam festival in Houston Texas, USA. Amongst those who attended the event were the Chairperson of the event, Mrs Nneka Obi Wali, IPA Houston president, Dr Kemka Hekerem, Vice President , Dr Chisa Echendu, Secretary, Rosemary Amadi
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I dont know what is hard for Nigerians ti understand about IPOB? Nnamdi Kanu's message is simple, "Nigeria has irredeemably failed, seek a new beginning out of Nigeria" Can any Nigerian say that Nigeria is a success story? Nigeria is poverty capital of the world, 8th most terrorised and insecure country on earth Yet when Nnamdi Kanu says that his people should be allowed democratic referendum for them to peacefully exit this colossal failure of a country, some people will call for his head Why? Is 'one Nigeria' by force? If it is by force, how do you expect peace? If is not by force, give us referendum You cannot be in China and France at tye same time. Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB are not the problem, if Nigeria was working, they would not exist The problem are Nigerians who can see that Nigeria is an unworkable disaster but want people like Nnamdi Kanu to shut up and accept such failure as their portion in life Thats never going to happen, neither is 'one Nigeria by force' |
Favorisieren:This is to show you the fraud "one Nigeria" is. You are asking why Igbos left their Region develop other Regions? Really? What is "one Nigeria" then all about if all Nigerians dont make meaningful contribution wherever they reside in Nigeria? Go about in Nigeria and tell me any Region that managed to develop anywhere in that Region that does not have federal or state capital status? But the Igbo man developed Nnewi, Onitsha and Aba without any of them needing to be capital of anywhere. Tell us that place you developed in your Region that did not need to be capital? Igbos want to be President only during elections then talk about Biafra later? There are Yorubas agitating for Oduduwa Republic, did that stop a Yoruba man being President today? This Presidency you people keep talking about all the time as if it is gold dust from heaven, how did it benefit those who held it in the past? Has the Presidency helped the common man? Is life in Nigeria better? But everyday you people will be shouting about Presidency as if it is oxygen that gives life Igbos go to other Region's to do that the business you cannot do, to make that money you cannot make. You sit down in your comfort zone and criticise those who fearlessly cross seven seas to make their fortune because you know you cannot do what they do. Leave your area and go other areas and make money lets see the stuff you are made of Self determination is recognised in international and local laws and Igbos have every right to pursue independence from the disastrous failure called Nigeria, as Biafra |
Barrister Uche Okwukwu is an Ikwerre man from Elele, Ikwerre Local Government. He is also a former Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. When former Governor Wike denied being Igbo in 2020, Uche Okwukwu wrote this open letter to him which was widely publicised The statement attributed to His Excellency, Barrister Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State was shocking. He said an illustrious Igbo son, and I believe he was referring to the Honorable Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, was only claiming to be Igbo to further his ambition of becoming Nigerian president come 2023. Wike further disclaimed being Igbo himself. Agreed, Wike has the right to hold any view so far as it is within the ambit of the law and not counter-productive. He can define himself in any manner he deems fit. But Amaechi, who holds the traditional chieftaincy title of ”Ochi Ariri Ikwerre,” meaning the Defender of Ikwerre in Times of Difficulty, also has the same right to see and define himself as Igbo. Wike does not enjoy the prerogative of determining himself and at the same time defining others. Amaechi was former National President of the National Union of Rivers State Students, NURSS. He was former Speaker of Rivers House of Assembly, Chairman of the Conference of Speakers in Nigeria, two-term governor of Rivers, Chairman of the Governors Forum of Nigeria, GFN, and two-term Minister of Transportation. He is the first Nigerian to be appointed Minister of Transportation and first Ikwerre to be appointed full-fledged Grade A minister. As an Ikwerre, I am proud of Amaechi. As an Igbo, I am also proud of him. Coming from the humanities, Amaechi is conscious of history and social anthropology. He said, “Look, I’m Ikwerre. But I’m also Igbo.” By so saying he did not in any way stop any Ikwerre from presenting himself as non-Igbo. Such an Ikwerre who denies his Igbo identity would have to explain himself to the gods. Amaechi’s assertion of his Igboness on the BBC should not cause anyone a headache. The Ikwerre Is Igbo It is important to state for record purposes that historically Ikwerres fully identified themselves as Igbos without suffering harms. Chief Joseph Wobo, member of the Council of Chiefs of Eastern Nigeria, clearly stated he was an Igbo. Nobody can dismiss him as he defended Ikwerreland in colonial Nigeria. Sir Jackson Mpi, first and last Ikwerre to be conferred with Knight of the Order of British Empire, OBE, by Queen Elizabeth II of England in 1960, identified himself as Igbo. From the ancient Kingdom of Isiokpo, Sir Mpi worked tirelessly for Igbo advancement. Dr Obi Wali was the first Ikwerre PhD holder, senator and university lecturer. He was also the only Ikwerre in the 1978 Constituent Assembly where he was selected one of the 50 Wise Men that drafted the 1979 constitution. The great Dr Wali identified fully with his Igbo heritage and was gruesomely assassinated defending it. Okogbule Wonodi, first Ikwerre registrar of any university, first and only Ikwerre poet and Paramount title Holder of Eze Ohiaemeru. Ohiaemeru, where you have present-day Comprehensive College in Borokiri, was his ancestral home before the British vacated them between 1913-1923. Wonodi remained a respected member of Nzukor Igbo and Ohanaeze Ndigbo till the end of his life. Patriot Emmanuel Aguma was former Mayor of Port Harcourt. As Principal of St John College, Diobu, he was the first Ikwerre to head any college. One of six pre-independence Ikwerre University graduates, former administrator of Port Harcourt Province in the defunct Peoples Republic of Biafra, first Ikwere minister in 1979, Aguma remained a member of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Emmanuel Oriji was a respected local government administrator, traditional ruler, a commissioner in old Rivers and core Igbo nationalist. The immediate past Deputy Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Isaac Wonwu, is an illustrious Ikwerre son from Elele. He is known to assert his Igbo identity. Equally valid, Chief Jackson Womenazu from Rumukrushi in the Evo Kingdom is a member of the Elders’ Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. In colonial documents, written when Igbos had no capacity to influence anything, Ikwerres also defined themselves as Igbos. When Ikwerre leaders presented their case before the 1957 Sir Henry Willinks Commission, Wobo declared that Ikwerres were Igbos and Port Harcourt to Onitsha was Igboland. The cream of Ikwerreland have asserted their Igboness. Most illustrious sons and daughters. Tell me any Ikwerre whose CV can match those of Mpi, Wobo, Aguma, Wonodi, Dr Wali or Amaechi? The Ikwerre: Space and Survival We must resolve all outstanding issues occasioned by the military-inspired partition of Ikwerreland as war booty. Our irreducible stand includes: One, Ikwerres are Igbos and Ikwerreland is so important to the Igbo that they will never take any step to destroy Ikwerres or toy with their destiny. In geo-strategic terms, Ikwerreland is the tongue of the Igbo race to the sea. Two, we are aware there are plans to landlock the Igbo nation. These plans are rooted in history. My brother and personal friend, Wike, should not be a crusader for such plans because it will be resisted with the sword as no nation will allow itself to be landlocked. All legitimate, moral and spiritual means available to Ndigbo would be used to resist the excise of Ikwerreland from the larger Igboland. Three, “Obigbo,” means “Heart of Igboland.” It is the right name for that Local Government Area, LGA. “Oyigbo” means nothing and was never and will never be the name of Obigbo. The British met local people on ground who said their world was called Obigbo. Any researcher can go there and verify for himself. None should be persecuted for calling Obigbo its original pre-civil war name. I, Uche Okwukwu, call it Obigbo and I have no apologies for that. Four, “Ohiaemeru” is the original name for Borokiri. It was the British who removed the indigenous Ikwerre population there before declaring the place Crown Land between 1913-1923. Equally so, “Igweocha” or “Diobu” is the original name for Port Harcourt. We must set the record straight. Five, demographically and historically, Igbos constitute the majority in the Niger Delta. Wike’s idea of the region is flawed considering that nine states make up the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, namely, Imo, Abia, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, Ondo and Rivers. It is absurd and unacceptable stating that Umuagwo is not in the Niger Delta but Ogoja is. Be that as it may, there is now a statutory definition of the region manifest in the NDDC Act. Any definition that excludes the Igbo from the Niger Delta, or tends to disenfranchise them from the privileges thereof, is unacceptable. This is because there were plans in the past that destroyed any benefit coming to the Igbo. Boundary adjustments were carried out to remove oil-producing areas from the former East Central State. Six, in terms of ethnicity and language, Igbos are also in the majority in Rivers. It is fallacious that there are no Igbos here. Igbos are here because Ikwerres are Igbos. Ogbas are Igbos, Ekpeyes are Igbos. Etches are Igbos. Obigbos are Igbos. So no one can talk about Igbos coming in to cause trouble. Igbos are peaceful. Rivers is our home, and we are its autochthones. Seven, Binis have no cultural or historical link with Ikwerres. We worship different gods, have different market days with different monarchical structures. Our Kingship is not from father to son like the Binis. Our kingship is based on gerontocracy where the oldest person assumes leadership. What brought us together was the 1914 amalgamation. No pre-colonial or colonial record has it that Ikwerres migrated from Benin. The post-war purported claim that Ikwerres are Binis is parasitic, defeatist and self-hate. Eight, Ikwerreland is heavily garrisoned. Two million Ikwerres in four LGAs are tightly sandwiched by two naval barracks at Iwofe and Borokiri; two army barracks at Port Harcourt and Elele; air force base in Port Harcourt and an army shooting range in Igwuruta. Large swathes of land were appropriated for the building of the international airport, University of Port Harcourt and its teaching hospital, Rivers State University, Ignatius Ajuru University, Nigerian Television Authority, Area 1 Seaport, etc. We believe in the unity of this country but the Federal Government should dismantle the military formations and return their locations to land-bereft inner-city Ikwerres. Our burgeoning population has no living space and this could lead to the Oromo experience. Why is Wike denying his Igbo roots? Wike is an illustrious Ikwerre son. And for emphasis, he is an Igbo man. A kettle might call itself an electric kettle, but it remains a kettle. Wike will do himself great service to forget the purported prejudice of the past and assert his Igboness. You don’t deny your own roots because they may not be there anymore when later you need them. All those who deny their people have always regretted it. |
accordadoga26:Those that have produced President have nothing to show for it and are suffering on the same level as those who did not produce President If you guys are not happy with Igbos, allow them to go their way as Biafra, rather than keep Igbos in your useless 'one Nigeria' and be complaining about them all the time |
Emergingnation:What surprises me are the fools that will actually believe this nonsensical story by the Nigerian Army |
Look at the old pipe the Nigerian Army wants you to believe is a rocket launcher/Ogbunigwe Look at who the Nigerian Army wants you to believe are IPOB fighters, two teenage girls, a teenage boy and an old man Look at the jeep the Nigerian Army wants you to believe that IPOB are driving inside a thick forest, I can even see electric wires The whole thing is a laughing joke |
Yesterday the Nigerian Army pit out this statement accompanied with these pictures: TROOPS RAID IPOB/ESN CAMPS IN ANAMBRA/IMO, DESTROY HIDEOUTS, TRAINING CAMPS. In ongoing operations to deter enforcement of the illegal sit at home declared by Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN), combined troops of 82 Division Nigerian Army, sister Services, Nigeria Police and other security agencies have successfully raided hideouts and training camps belonging to IPOB/ESN in Orsomoghu Forest spanning Anambra and Imo States. The raid operation was carried out on Monday 31 July 2023, when troops were alerted to the violent activities of the irredentist group enforcing the illegal 2 weeks sit-at-home order in Onitsha, Nnewi and Iheme Obosi in Anambra State, as well as New Market in Enugu state. During the raid operations, the troops cleared IPOB camps in Ekeututu, Orsomoghu, Lilu and Mother Valley camps of the dissidents. Troops came in contact with the group's armed fighters, who detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) also known as Ogbunigwe and fired using locally fabricated mortar tube. The valiant troops however overpowered the irredentist group in the firefight, compelling them to abandon their position as they fled with gunshot wounds into nearby bushes. Further cordon and search of the hideouts by the troops, led to the arrest of five fleeing members of the group and recovery of one IPOB flag, one CCTV camera and 2 detonated IED bombs and a fabricated mortar tube. Sadly, five soldiers and two Nigeria Police operatives sustained varying degrees of injuries from the IED detonated by the criminals. The Nigerian Army encourages all law abiding citizens of the South East to continue to support ongoing operations with actionable information and to disregard the unlawful 2 weeks sit-at-home order by going about their normal daily activities and businesses. The Nigerian Army in synergy with sister services and security agencies will undauntedly continue to protect and safeguard lives and property of the good and enterprising people of South East Nigeria, within the ambit of the law and the rules of engagement. ONYEMA NWACHUKWU Brigadier General Director Army Public Relations 1 August 2023
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The Nigerian Labour Cobgress(NLC) is gearing up for mass protest. Ordinarily, peaceful protest is a constitutional right in a democracy, but in Nigeria it is democrazy they practice If NLC embarks on protest, there is a good chance the Nigerian government will roll out the Army or Police to shoot innocent protesters Therefore, rather than turn protesters into shooting targets for the Nigerian Army, NLC should consider using sit at home, as is done in the South East I have never heard that anyone was attacked in their home during sit at home, your house is the safest place you can be Please, if NLC cannot guarantee the lives of the people, let them consider sit at home and save lives. |
BERNIMOORE:How will this reduce the price of Garri? Abi na minister we chop? |
Whats the point of who will be the next President or vice President if hunger has killed all of us by then? |
Ibadanpikin:They couldn't develop anywhere without government help |
Cooly100:How can they be concerned? There only job is to use insecurity to demarket the South East You have pay them for them to be concerned that 100 people were killed in Plateau State |
imamuddeen:You people like to lament as if Nigeria was thr only country that had military coup, almost every country in Africa had military coup |
SOSinNigeria:There is no way Ohanaeze is going to join any effort to bring Simon Ekpa back to Nigeria, they know it will only make things worse |
Ezeama400:Broken English |
Razgas:As developed as any European country? You have no unity, no peace, No security, no rule of law. How will you develop as any European country? |
plaindealer:As I said, Dr Oby Ezekwesili will not bring her self down to the level if you guys that only care about using insecurity in a particular area, the South East, to play games, she has long passed that level If you cannot condemn insecurity in all parts of Nigeria it exists, like Oby Ezekwesili, and only expect people to condemn insecurity in the South East, then you need serious help |
plaindealer:She is not going to come down to you peoples level, those who only use insecurity for games. Those who are blind to insecurity all over Nigeria except the South East. Oby Ezekwesili has condemned insecurity in all parts of Nigeria several times on Twitter. She isnt you guys who who make insecurity a South East affair
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Strafudeen:If he is apprehended, the next person ti replace him msy declare 1 month sit at home |
As I expected, Yorubas ran away from this thread |
2002 Report by Human Rights Watch The OPC has been responsible for numerous acts of violence and its members have killed or injured hundreds of people. While many of their most serious attacks were directed against Hausa, or people suspected to be northerners, their victims have also included Igbo, Ijaw and people from other ethnic groups. There have even been cases where they have attacked Yoruba, both civilians and policemen. Most of their victims have been men. Numerous eye-witness testimonies gathered by Human Rights Watch confirmed that contrary to their leaders' denials, the OPC have used a variety of weapons, including fire-arms, machetes, cutlasses, knives and daggers, which they are often seen carrying openly. There have also been several cases where they have poured acid on their victims. Frequently they set fire to the corpses of those they had killed, sometimes after mutilating them. It has been difficult to confirm the sources of the weapons used by the OPC. Small arms proliferate in Nigeria and it is easy to purchase guns and other weapons. In addition, the OPC have sometimes seized weapons belonging to the police or to suspected criminals that they have apprehended during their vigilante activities. In the cases documented below, the victims and witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch confirmed that the perpetrators were specifically OPC members, as opposed to other Yoruba. They had been able to identify them in a variety of ways Sagamu In mid July 1999, there was a major clash between Hausa and Yoruba in Sagamu, Ogun State. Scores of people were killed. The violence began following an argument over customs observed during the Oro festival, an annual Yoruba event which had not been disrupted by any disputes either before or since 1999. Yoruba and Hausa had agreed to respect a traditional night-time curfew usually observed during the festival. However, according to local residents, a fight erupted between the Yoruba and the Hausa after a Hausa woman was killed by a group of Yoruba because she had broken the curfew. The fighting escalated and the OPC intervened to support the Yoruba. Both sides were armed. At least sixty-eight Hausa were killed, including three boys between the ages of ten and fifteen; some were killed with guns, but the majority were killed with cutlasses. A number of Yoruba were also killed, including one of the Oro leaders. Some people were burnt inside their house Ketu / Mile 12 Market On November 25 and 26, 1999, scores of people were killed when the OPC clashed with traders in Ketu / Mile 12 market in Lagos. The exact number of victims has not been confirmed, but is estimated to be more than one hundred. A senior police official who was at the scene said he saw an estimated two hundred bodies, but that others had already been buried in mass graves. The fighting is thought to have been caused by jealousy on the part of Yoruba about the perceived dominance of the market by Hausa traders Alaba Market In mid July 2000, a private dispute between a landlord and a tenant escalated out of control and several people were killed in the large Alaba electronics market in Lagos, as OPC members clashed with Igbo traders. The incident began when a Yoruba landlord, who had lost patience with a court case to resolve a dispute with his tenant, called in the OPC to deal with the problem instead. The tenant, an Igbo trader called Ike who dealt in electronic goods in Alaba market, returned from work one day to find his landlord and a group of OPC members waiting for him. On instruction from the landlord who pointed him out to the OPC, the OPC members attacked him, accusing him of being a criminal. Despite his denials, they beat him into a coma, allegedly in the presence of the landlord who did not respond to his pleas for help, even when the OPC set him on fire; he later died from his injuries. Some of the victim's neighbors, wanting to avenge Ike's death, set fire to the landlord's building. The market traders, the majority of whom are Igbo, also mobilized to protest the death of their colleague. According to one of the traders' representatives, when they went to complain to the Baale [local Yoruba leader], OPC members were assembled there and attacked them. Several traders were injured. The traders ran back to the market and tension escalated. The OPC members apparently sought reinforcements and within a short time had invaded parts of the market. They smashed many of the buses owned by the Igbos and barricaded the roads. The traders decided to fight back after they discovered the body of another Igbo man who had been macheted to death by the OPC at a nearby petrol station; he was apparently found dead, clutching a Bible. As the traders tried to defend themselves, and some of them took up arms, the OPC extended the attack to other Igbo residents in the area. The police, who were called to the scene by the chairman of the electronics market association, were initially unable to stop the violence and had to send for reinforcements. Eventually, the paramilitary mobile police brought the situation under Ajegunle There were two waves of clashes in Ajegunle, an area of Lagos. The first occurred in around September-October 1999, when Yoruba clashed with Ijaw, in what was seen as the aftermath of earlier, violent confrontations between Ijaw and Ilaje (a sub-group of the Yoruba) in Ondo State. Human Rights Watch did not carry out an in-depth investigation into these clashes, but spoke to some local residents of Ajegunle, who said that more than forty people were killed, most of them men. The victims included both Ijaw and Yoruba. Some were killed with machetes, others were burnt, others were shot dead. The report of the tribunal of inquiry set up by the state government into civil disturbances in Lagos State (see Section VII, 2 below) stated that the fighting did not appear to involve the entire Yoruba community in the area, but was more specifically "fighting between OPC members and Ijaw boys." Idi-Araba One of the more recent incidents of ethnic violence involving the OPC took place in Idi-Araba and surrounding areas in Mushin, Lagos, on February 2 to 4, 2002. Clashes between Hausa and Yoruba claimed more than seventy lives. Human Rights Watch spoke to many residents of the area and eye-witnesses of the violence, including members of the Hausa and Yoruba communities, and people from other ethnic groups who found themselves trapped by the violence. Most of them confirmed that OPC members had participated in the violence; however, Human Rights Watch has not been able to ascertain whether the violence was planned in advance by the OPC, or whether OPC members or supporters joined in to support the Yoruba once the fighting between Yoruba and Hausa had already started. A journalist who covered the crisis told Human Rights Watch: "The OPC galvanized people. They just provided the leadership and the others followed. The OPC was like a vanguard. It started off with a minor disagreement which escalated into an ethnic conflict. Many of the people involved didn't even know what had sparked it off until later." The incident which apparently sparked off the fighting on February 2 was an argument which developed after a Hausa man defecated in an area not intended as public toilet, close to where the OPC was holding a meeting. Some Yoruba (who may or may not have been OPC members) challenged the man and asked him to pay for use of the area as a toilet. The man refused and a fight ensued. He reported the problem to his community. A larger group of Hausa then returned with him to the scene and a fight broke out between them and the Yoruba. According to the leader of the local Hausa community, the OPC then came back in a big group, armed with guns, and started fighting the Hausa, who were also armed. The situation escalated and the fighting lasted for two days. According to residents of the area, the police did not have any visible presence until the evening of the second day. There were reports that several people were then shot dead by the police. Eventually, the military were also sent in to quell the violence and it was they, and not the police, who finally restored order.45 By that time, scores of people had been killed, both Hausa and Yoruba; more than a hundred others had been seriously injured; hundreds of houses and public buildings had been burnt to the ground. Most of the victims were adult men, but there were also several teenagers among them, and several women. The majority of deaths and injuries were inflicted with machetes; some people were also burnt to death. Some people were killed in their houses, others as they were trying to flee, yet others were shot at point-blank range or stabbed where they stood. The victims included both Hausa and Yoruba, but the evidence collected by Human Rights Watch indicates that a higher number of those killed were Hausa. Other Incidents of Ethnic Violence There have been several other incidents in which OPC members attacked people on the basis of their ethnicity, particularly Hausas, other northerners, and people suspected of being sympathetic to the Hausas. A Hausa trader in Lagos told Human Rights Watch how, during violent clashes at the Agege abattoir on the outskirts of Lagos, in late 2000, the OPC had targeted anyone suspected of being a Hausa: "They killed Alhaji Zubairu, a father of three from Kogi State. They asked him where he was from. He said Kogi. They said he was a Hausa man, and killed him. Actually he was a northerner, but not a Hausa. Full report below https://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/nigeria0203/nigeriaopc0203-03.htm |
Arapmoi22:Then that means Nigeria is no more than a prison holding people against their will. There can nevdr peace in such situation |
If Igbos want to go then let them go, abi one Nigeria na by force? |