₦airaland Forum

dadavivo:
. Afonjas

Guess Rev Fr Obidimma is also Afonja or better still an Aboki
You guys need to get a life

[quote authormenmen20100 post=59720046][/quote]Leave me alone and face your Biafran Rev father that made the statements and stop looking for who to blame
Your Victim's mentality is the cause of your UNENDING travails

The Parish Priest of the Blessed Iwene Tansi, Umudioka, in Anambra State, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obidimma, has said Igbos clamoring for Biafra were “selfish in nature.”

Obidimma who said this while addressing journalists after meeting with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, wondered on the maturity of the South Easterners to handle their affairs.

The cleric, who expressed his support for the restructuring of Nigeria, also frowned at the inequitable distribution of the nation’s wealth at the detriment of some regions of the country.

According to Obidimma, “In our country Nigeria, it is certain that there is marginalisation, nepotism and tribalism.

“We are one Nigeria but some people are being marginalised and that is why we have all these agitations, but in everything, let there be prudence as we also pray for divine intervention.

“Kanu must know that Igbos are clamouring for Biafra but an average Igbo man is selfish in nature and the question is, how mature are we to handle our affairs.

“Where are the Igbo cabals and stakeholders; like Nnia Nwodo, Peter Obi, Emeka Anyaoku, Ifeanyi Ubah, Prof Charles Soludo, Emmanuel Iwuanwaywu, and many others.

“There has to be a unifying umbrella where they will gather and register their protest

The Nigerian High Commission to Ghana has denied reports regarding the purported killing of some Nigerians in Ghana.

The high commission in a statement on Monday said although there were xenophobic attacks targeted at some Nigerians in Ghana, no one was killed.

It said on August 18, 2017, Nigerian nationals living around Sowutoun area in the Ga Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana, were allegedly targeted for attacks.

The foreign mission said the attack was in retaliation to the stabbing to death of a 27-year-old Ghanaian, Mr.Misbau Amadu, by 48-year-old Thompson Peters, a Nigerian national from Delta state in his residence around 11pm on August 17, 2017.

The statement added that the Deputy Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Kwabena Danso, revealed that the Nigerian, Mr. Peters, had on August 10, 2017, lodged a complaint at the Police Station at Lapas Area of Accra that Mr. Amadu broke into his apartment and stole some items.

It added that while investigation on the claim was ongoing, Peters again on August 17, 2017, called the police to report that Mr. Amadu went to his (Peter’s) house around 9am armed with a knife and attacked him for reporting the case to the police.

The statement read in part, “In the course of the fight that ensued, Mr. Peters claimed he overpowered Amadu and stabbed him in his head in self-defence. The victim was rushed to the Mary Lucy Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival by doctors. As a result, Mr. Peters was accordingly arrested by the police for investigations.

“Consequently, in the early hours of the next day, Friday, August 18, 2017, news quickly filtered out to Ghanaian residents of the area that a Nigerian had killed a Ghanaian following a misunderstanding over a girlfriend.

“Ghanaians therefore mobilised against the Nigerians in the area and carried out attacks against them and their properties. The Accra Regional Police reportedly intervened and brought the situation under control.

“Before it was curbed, some Nigerians had reportedly sustained injuries and their properties, including vehicles, damaged. There was, however, no confirmation of the death of any Nigerian as a result of the incident as alleged. Some Nigerians have reportedly moved out of the area for fear of further attacks on them.”

The high commission said the suspect is currently in protective custody at the Odokor Police Station while some Nigerian diplomats would be meeting with the police and the suspect later

It seems this guy is set for a sucide mission by the way he keeps depleting his fan base even amongst the people he claims to be fighting for. That's the result of an illiterate and uninformed mind trying to wage what should essentially be an intellectual battle. His mental deficiencies are sure to condemn him to self destruction

The Anambra State Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, ASLADD, have come hard on the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his followers for attempting to blame it for the crises that occurred at Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of the state.

The Nigerian Police reportedly clashed with the IPOB members who were said to be awaiting the arrival of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for a rally scheduled to hold in the town last week.

In a statement in Awka, the Anambra state capital, entitled, “Ekwulobia Crises: IPOB is confusing apples with oranges,” saying that as a professional body, it has all it takes to end Kanu’s agitation.

The lawyers said, “The attention of the Anambra State Lawyers in Defence of Democracy [ASLADD] has been drawn to a statement released by Emma Powerful for the IPOB on the clash that was reported to have occurred between the Nigerian Police and some IPOB members at Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

“In the said press release, the author labored strenuously to share the culpability of the crises between the DPO of Ekwulobia Police Station and “individuals hiding under non-existent Anambra Lawyers.

“We start by saying that the Anambra State Lawyers in Defence of Democracy [ASLADD] is composed of eminent Legal Practitioners from Anambra State who practice both within and outside the shores of the state. Without mincing words, the foremost consideration that propelled the coming together of these fine minds is to robustly protect democracy in Anambra State which has come under a massive threat by the extra-legal and anarchist method introduced by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in his push to carve out an imaginary fiefdom for himself where delusively he would be presiding over his serfs like a feudal emperor who must not be opposed by his subjects without fatal consequences.

“It is rather ridiculous that the author of the IPOB statement claimed that our group is both “faceless” and ‘non-existent’ and yet he labored profusely to apportion blame and culpability to a “non-existent” group. This is purely an inverted logic. It is a matter of ordinary knowledge that lawyers in every society [by virtue of their professional calling and standing] are public figures.

“True indeed, the Convener of this august assembly is Mr. Johnmary Chukwukasi Jideobi. This is a gentleman committed to the defence of human rights, rule of law and constitutionalism. It is on record that our Convener stood tall and firm in robust defence of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu since he was arrested in 2015. As a matter of fact, it was our Convener who put up a pro-bono appearance with Mr. Vincent Obetta on the 17th day of December, 2015 before the Honourable Justice A.F.A. Ademola where the Mr. Nnamdi Kanu was granted bail for the 2nd time.

“The records of proceedings in charge no: FHC/ABJ/383/2015 would reveal that our Convener has put up many pro-bono appearances in defence of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu before the Honourable Justices; A.F.A. Ademola, A.R. Mohammed and James Tsoho.

“Our Convener has equally on different occasions backed up his courtroom support with strongly-worded letters to President Muhammed Buhari, Chief John Oyegun, National President of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation urging them to see good reasons why the order of court granting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Rtd. Colonel Dasuki and El-Zakzaki bail ought to be respected in total obeisance to the dictates of rule of law and for the preservation of our constitutional democracy.

“These tons of letters are readily accessible as they were well published and documented at the offices of their recipients. This is quite apart from the numerous legal articles contributed by our Convener aimed at rallying the support of human rights activists to have Mazi Nnamdi Kanu freed from Kuje. While still in prison, our Convener has had to visit and meet with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on more than five different occasions all in a bid to strategize on how to use the instrumentality of the law to set him free from the gulag.

“What has our convener not done to have Mazi Nnamdi Kanu breathe the air of freedom he is enjoying today even at a great personal risk [even at a time when even the highest political office holders in the South-East region were shy of identifying with Nnamdi Kanu’s ordeals].

“We challenge the IPOB to controvert these hardcore and overwhelming facts. It was William George who once rightly posited that “ingratitude is a crime more despicable than revenge, which is only returning evil for evil, while ingratitude returns evil for good.”

“While Immanuel Kant [German Philosopher] appreciates that ‘Ingratitude is the essence of vileness’, James Thomas [Scottish Musician] rightly concludes that “Ingratitude is treason to mankind. It is not surprising to us that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu does not brook the word “gratitude” in his vocabulary of living just as he has sufficiently demonstrated that those core values handed down to us by our forebears that characterize Igbo civilization have evaporated from his menu of manners.

“It is therefore rather unfortunate that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu [a huge beneficiary of our legal prowess and professional benevolence] could turn around and accuse our noble body of being responsible for Ekwulobia crises. Yes we dared to challenge him on the futility of his attempt at truncating Anambra election where he has no legitimate interest in whatever becomes the outcome of that democratic exercise.

“In our considered view, his home state [Abia], with deep humility and respect, needs more help to rescue her from dilapidated infrastructures than our dear Anambra State that currently shines the light in most indices of governance. All this madness being orchestrated by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is ultimately aimed at possibly setting the polity ablaze [using the fuel of hate and intimidating speeches] in the phantom hope that the weighty criminal charges hanging on his neck would drown in the ensuing melee. In achieving this devious intention [which is a mere fishing expedition in the desert], Mazi Nnamdi Kanu would not mind using as many uniformed and less-privileged compatriots as are available as his canon-fodders.

“We are compelled to state for the umpteenth time that we shall never fold our alms and watch Mazi Nnamdi Kanu pull our sacred constitution apart, pollute the system with rotten speeches of putrid hatred, acrimonious vituperations and denigrating venoms while pouring acerbic expletives on the foundations of our democracy in a manner that is capable of bringing an organised society to a perilous end.

“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should be rest assured that if we could use our legal arsenal to rescue him from the Kuje gulag after waging a very deadly and fierce legal battle on his behalf against the Federal Government of Nigeria [amidst all odds], we equally have more than what it takes [in our legal armoury] to decisively end his impunity and defend democracy [from his tyranny, imposition and buffoonery] in Anambra State which is our primary constituency.

“Participating in an election is purely discretionary on the part of the citizens. But we can never accept a situation where Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB is deploying violent means to scare law-abiding Anambrarians away from the polls even to the point of the Kanus repeatedly issuing assassination threat to our Convener for which human rights communities around the globe have adequately been put on notice.

“We hereby re-iterate our call on the relevant authorities to urgently commence a high-powered clinical investigation into the activities of the IPOB. Biafra is a sacred ideology which is not commodious enough to admit acts of outlawry, criminal intimidations and charlatanism under its canopied ambience.

“In signing off this statement, we find it so unfortunate and discomforting that the conducts of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has forced us to address him in the very words we addressed President Muhammed Buhari when we wrote him on the 6th of January, 2016 condemning his refusal to free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu despite an existing Court Order. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should listen to this:

“Sir, all the existing Supreme Court authorities and our penal books lean heavily in support of the long-established postulation that disobedience of Court Orders (otherwise called contempt of Court) is an abomination of the rankest specie just as it is an anathema in every democracy worth the name as it holds the key to the floodgates of anarchy and societal destruction. Condemning this cancerous vice, our own Supreme Court, in the case of Hart v. Hart (1991) 21 N.S.C.C. (Pt. 1) 184 at 199, had these unkind words for those who disobey Court orders (contemnors);

“I would like to state that obedience to Orders of Courts is fundamental to the good order, peace and stability of the Nigerian nation. The ugly alternative is a painful recrudescence of triumph of brute force or anarchy, a resort to our old system of settlement by means of bow and arrows, machetes and guns or, now, even more sophisticated weapons of war.

“Disobedience to an order of Court should, therefore, be seen as an offence directed not against the personality of the Judge who made the Order, but as a calculated act of subversion of peace, law, and order in Nigeria society. Obedience to every Order of Court is therefore a duty which every citizen who believes in peace and stability of the Nigerian State owes to the nation.

“To allow Court orders to be disobeyed would be to tread the road toward anarchy. If orders of the Court can be treated with disrespect, the whole administration of justice is brought into scorn…If the remedies that the Court grants to correct wrongs can be ignored, then, there will be nothing left for each person but to take the law into his own hands. Loss of respect for the Court will quickly result in the destruction of our society.

How time flies! The same impunity and disobedience of Court Order levied against our president last year is what Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is gleefully practicing today. If Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had obeyed the Ruling of the Court anchoring his bail to many conditions [most of which he has violated even though he earlier agreed to them], the Ekwulobia tragedy would not have occurred. It was in the process of disobeying the Court Order [banning him from organizing and/or attending rallies] that Ekwulobia tragedy eventuated. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, his IPOB and the whole world can now see where the culpability of Ekwulobia tragedy lies. Unlike Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB that offered no word(s) of sympathy, encouragement and condolence to the deceased and victims of the 6th August gruesome, mind-boggling and ghoulish butchery at Ozubulu, we [on our part] humbly pray the Good Lord to show mercy to the victim(s) of Ekwulobia tragedy, graciously lift the light of His countenance upon the departed and grant the dead a kind admittance into his kingdom.”

Whatever rocks his boat. Am not a hater neither an Ipod thug but one thing i know is that the level of unfair monopolies and Govt concessions this guy enjoys is crazily obscene. Till now cement is #2700 That's almost $9 while the world's average for any serious country is less than $5. We don't import we produce locally. Even the ones he exports are sold at about half the price at which it's sold to Nigerians.
Ibrto was frustrated out of the cement market just to give Dangote absolute monopoly. Ibeto said there is no economic reason why cement should be sold above #1000 (ie $3). Forget about our epileptic power supply, he has a power transmission plant. In as much as i pray to be as rich,if not richer, i don't pray to get it at same cost to fellow Nigerians as he has and is still getting it. He practically bought all the Govt cement plants at giveaway price, the press are constantly being compromised both with cash and advert placements, so technically he is above reproach. All his achievements are largely a product of both you and my common patrimony. He operates an economic model that steals #1000 from you and me and give back #10. We hail him for the paltry sum not knowing we have been robbed of #990 for every #10 he gives back
As excited as i ought to be about his refinery project in my home town,Epe,am not because i know it's going to be the most expensive fuel in the world thereby impoverishing the people the more . True we need local investment but not from someone using the money that ordinarily should be ours to boost his own personal empire
The amount of import waivers and tax concessions Dangote has enjoyed is enough to make all roads in the country and connect every state by fast rail and still do much more, with that analogy you will begin to appreciate the level of damage this 'humble man'has done to our collective wellbeing
Like i said am not a hater so i congratulate him on his many achievements but i will say i respect people like Innossin, Adedoyin,Ibeto and millions of small,medium and big Entrepreneurs out there struggling to make it without Govts spoon feeding and his own utterly distasteful business practice
May God bless our hustle

Nnamdi Kanu's Nuclear Weapon and the Road to Self-Destruction
onlinenigeria.com Aug 18, 2017 7:21 PM
Nnamdi Kanu's Nuclear Weapon and the Road to Self-Destruction
IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu
Following the call for Republic of Biafra, popular political and social commentator, Kayode Ogundamisi has attempted an analysis of the destructive path which IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu is toeing.

Sadly, it isn’t the so called “marginalisation” that may lead to another civil war in Nigeria. It is IGNORANCE. The weapon of FEAR is being deployed across the Nigerian space.

Imaginary enemies are being created from North, South, East and West. The creators of the imaginary enemies are protected from the implosion that will emerge from misleading an IGNORANT mass.

How else can you describe the claim by IPOB’s Nnamdi Kanu and his Biafra travellers of possessing a nuclear weapon. Misleading a couple of young people into untimely death, making them believe they have some spiritual capability to defeat any force in the universe.

I experienced same with the Oodua People’s Congress. When you advise the young cadres not to overestimate or rely on some charm that will turn bullets into water, they laugh you off as the ‘grammar speaking’ Secretary General, sadly several young people did not live to see if the charm worked or not.

The claim of the possession of a nuclear weapon and the manipulated photo of a Deactivated soviet era SS-4 missile posted on Radio Biafra Facebook claimed to be an active Biafra missile may be funny to some, but it isn’t funny at all, Ialso laughed it off, but looking at the comment section, hundreds of young Igbo men and women believed it, some even calling for the immediate deployment of the weapon on Northern Nigeria.

Nnamdi Kanu and his co-travellers are threading a very dangerous path, they are experimenting with something very dangerous, but the Igbo are threading a more dangerous path of self-destruct, they fail to learn from Northern Nigeria, the Northern political elites introduced Sharia, they defied then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

All the States in the North introduced Sharia, most created private militias to enforce the law, when they were reminded Sharia was already part of the Nigerian constitution, they protested, to them it was a convenient political tool, religion was deployed for political gains, they claimed they had a right to self-determination, a right most of them later opposed when the OPC and others demanded for a Sovereign National Conference.

The move by Northern political leaders emboldened radical elements within the North, they planted the seed for Islamic militias who acted as Sharia police, that metamorphosed into hate preachers, that gave birth to Boko Haram, Boko Haram appointed commissioners in Borno State, they had funding’s from state governments across the North, then the monster started consuming the people, today Northern Nigeria is a war zone, that region can never survive the after effect of Boko Haram even if the evil group is defeated, will Ndi-Igbo learn from the North? I pray so.

The Frankenstein Monster called IPOB is now claiming to have a private army, performing military drills, displaying ‘photo-shopped’ nuclear missiles, claiming to possess war weapons never imagined, yet one clash with the police the so-called Biafra Secret Police are unable to protect themselves, neither are they able to protect the innocent by stander in South East Nigeria.

I weep for Nigeria. Newly independent Southern Sudan is exporting over a million refugees to her neighbour after independent from Sudan, will Ndi-Igbo put a leach on its Frankenstein Monster? Or are they pleased they finally have a mad man who can face that imaginary enemy? War is not a tea party, those who survived Biafra 1 should know better, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu also bragged, told his people they have all the weapons, at least Ojukwu did have some weapons, he deployed the resources of his wealthy father Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, KBE.Ojukwu deployed propaganda, his people bought it, they had a reason to, they had legitimate grievances, they had just faced a horrible pogrom, Ojukwu gave them hope, but hope does not win wars, preparation and a long standing strategy does, when the dream failed, Ojukwu had a plan B, a plane to take him away from the war zone, he did not forget to go with his Mercedes benz car, his immediate family and enough foreign currency to give him a comfortable life in exile, he lived in a mansion facing the sea side, his people are still traumatised till today. He came back from exile, joined the party of the so-called enemy, he joined National Party of Nigeria a party perceived to be ‘Northern’. He died a Nigerian, buried with the green white green flag wrapped around his casket. Hundreds of wounded Biafra soldiers still litter Enugu-Anambra roads till today begging for alms to at least have one food a day.

Today the new sef acclaimed Igbo messiah, self-styled spiritual leader who claims to heal the sick Nnamdi Kanu is going down the same path Ojukwu took, he seems to have studied Ojukwu’s mannerism and use of propaganda and exploitation of genuine grievances and Igbo’s are watching and relishing the drum beat of war.

When the rain falls, it won’t fall on the roof of Kanu’s fathers compound in Abia State. It will fall on us all. The irony is that most of those playing the drum beats of war have dual nationality, they have their immediate families far removed from ground zero, it is the poor of North, South, East and West who will pay for the madness.

The Nigerian government are also failing in tackling the scourge, they are dismissive of Kanu, they underestimate the power of propaganda, they fail to understand that Nigeria is blessed with an Army of unemployed people, this rejected and oppressed people will fall for anything, in the absence of a responsible government any psychopath who speak the right language will get the loyalty of millions of vulnerable people, mostly young with a lot of energy.

Nigerian government must look at the demands of all groups, engage with them, they should also increase the capacity of the security to tackle insurgency with limited violation of the rights of citizens.

Report a problem.




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No matter how we feel Kanus bail will definitely be revoked, he has shot himself in the foot by his foolishness. The court will feel compelled to prove that it can both bark and bite.
Secondly elections will not only hold in Anambra but winner will be declared and losers will head for the tribunal. You know why? Kanu is bereft of both tact and Wisdom, the silence of the FG all the while was ğiving him a long rope to hang himself and he fell so cheaply for it.
Above all his conduct is a greater threat to the Igbo elites than it is to the Nigerian state and even his guarantors will definitely be feeling threatened in thier minds. Wisdom which is the most important part of valour is one thing his limited intellect can't get a grisp of.
Except you aren't discerning, it's obvious that both his childish tantrums and the whole Biafran dream has come to an inglorious end,the undertakers are all that's being expected to perform it's funeral rites and this undertaker is no other than the Abuja judge

Mark my words!!!!!!!

hedonistic:
Atiku wouldn't get anywhere close to the presidential nomination under the APC. His best bet is the PDP. Don't forget that a very small coterie of powerful hawks have constituted themselves into a cabal controlling the affairs of the presidency, and by extension the party (APC). As always, they would prefer to anoint a manipulable dark horse (who they believe they can control) than concede power to an independent, self-contained colossus like Atiku, who they simply can't come close to if he gets into office.

The reins of power within the core of the APC at this moment are far beyond Atiku's reach, and I don't see him getting the ticket.

If he is desperate enough for one last shot at the presidency, then he must retrace his roots in the PDP.

In as much as i see some sense in your arguments i still disagree on the PDP option being his best bet. Don't forget that APC isn't same as it was in 2015, the 3 tripod stand holding it is Buhari, Tinubu and Atiku (forget about Saraki he's a feather weight in the national power equations). All Atiku needs is just ability to form an alliance with the Tinubu faction and the Buhari faction won't be able to stop him. Also don't forget that Buhari himself isn't likely to run personally and even if he does a lot of people know how depleted his fan base is compared to 2015, that will in no small way affect his performance in the primaries.
I still strongly believe that Atikus best bet remains the APC with a water tight alliance with the ACN faction, the CPC isn't invincible and their reach isn't outside of the North West and North East,even at that it's not as TOTAL as it was 2yrs ago
I might be wrong but I seriously doubt that i am , it will be a waste if Atiku bungles his last shot at the presidency as a result of another error in judgement just like he did in his abandonment of Ac then for the PDP. It will portray him as one without a deep knowledge of political calculations
Cheers

Atiku,of all the presidential hopefuls, comes across as the most prepared, like or hate him he is very coherent in his vision and plans for the country. The only thing holding him back and making him unsellable has being his perceived desperation and unstable character. If paradventure he attempts to cross to the PDP for a presidential ticket,he is sure to lose disgracefully. His best bet remains staying in the APC and struggling for the ticket which is not impossible considering the health of PMB and the state of our economy
It's rather too early for Nigerians to trust the PDP with power considering the level of corruption experienced under GEJ , this is the only reason PMB seems to be getting away with so many faltering moves an Atiku under APC will likely get a more favourable consideration than under the PDP
This is my personal opinion of the Atiku adventure[color=#006600][/color]

[quote author=Babymuchendu post=59396633]i d't know abt any one but am ibo and i rep isreal.[/quote
]

OmoAregbesola:
c shame, na wa 4 dis pipu o, only God knows how angry there ancestors would b now, when dia own children dey deny them and laying. claim 2 a strange ancestry. What. an inferiority complex. Igbo why? ehn maka why? why u dey fall una ancestors hand.

I'm proudly Yoruba Omo Oduduwa d great . People 4rm Brazil, Argentina, Cuba , infact all over d Caribbean and d America ar tracing their origin back to Yoruba land. We don't possess any inferior gene.
in fact we are d GREATEST.

Of course we suffer no INFERIORITY COMPLEX like the p*gs n p*glets whose only hope of relevance is ancestry of a foreign land

naifizzy:
Does Okija shrine ring a bell?

If OKIJA doesn't OTOKOTO might
Stupid MOFO

Ibrahim505:
Only Kwankwaso has the quality and ability to leads Nigeria into progress. Kwankwaso can solve majorities of the problems bedeviling this country.

Lie !!!!!!!, Mile12 and Ile-ife crisis has shown Kwakwanso for who he truly is: A Religious ligious and Ethnic Bigot

This guys are so confused, it's no longer Herdsmen again but your Gov. SMH
Someone needs to deliver Biafrans from their madness

totit:
No! Personal opinion my bombom he wrote the mind of an average ibo man. I guess you are new on NL. Anyways, my wish is for the message to spread as it will go a long way to reawake the consciousness of yoruba nation. I pray it's published today

Thank God the last Local Government elections in Lagos has shown that Yorubas have learnt their lessons and no Igbo pig and piglets will ever win an election in Lagos again, it was a loud statement but the pig and piglets arre too dumb to notice. Too aggressive to understand Wisdom

Ozubulu...death of the innocent

Yesterday gunmen stormed into a Catholic church in Ozubulu and gunned down members of the congregation who were attending Sunday mass. As the drama unfolded and social media was agog with gory pictures, the rumour mills started grinding and the blame was immediately directed at all sorts of terrorist groups. As the day progressed, however, the truth filtered through and it was revealed that the source of this massacre was an enemy within otherwise known as Greed.

It is said that innocent people lost their lives in the incident but let us ask ourselves, is anyone really innocent in this? Can any of us claim to be innocent? Are we really surprised that this incident occurred? Have we not been courting this enemy for several years now in Igboland? Is it something that started today?

According to reports corroborated by the governor of Anambra state, the incident was the outcome of a drugs war between two drug barons from Ozubulu who were fighting over a debt arising from a drugs deal. Having gone to the house of one of the barons known as “Bishop” and not finding him home, the gunmen proceeded to the church to seek him out and kill him. They marched into the church, saw his father and opened fire killing everyone who was in the way. What gave them the impetus to march into the church premises with their guns and open fire on ‘holy grounds’, committing an act that is a total abomination? They clearly did not recognize the holiness of the premises after all they were aware that the church was built from the proceeds of crime and drug sales. As far as they were concerned, they were home!

And that is where the problem lies. That is where we should begin to question our own innocence in this matter. Is there anyone in that town who was unaware of “Bishop’s” reputation or the source of his wealth? Didn’t the priests accept his blood money to build their church? Didn’t the villagers attend the church knowing where the funds came from? Didn’t they treat the donor and his father with deference because of his ill-gotten wealth? What other outcome could we then expect? How then can we claim to have been innocent?

I attended the funeral of my friend’s father in the East some years ago. At the end of the service, the priest began to name the ‘wealthy’ people in our midst and call them by name to come forward and make donations to the church. He thanked them all for being there and shamelessly badgered them for funds to renovate his church. Neither he nor the son of the deceased who assisted him in identifying the targeted donors saw it fit to thank the rest of us for travelling all the way from Abuja and assisting them in making the event a huge success. We were not important. The focus was on the wealthy people regardless of how this wealth was acquired.

I attended another funeral in Ojoto some years ago. During the proceedings, several men, clearly of questionable character strolled in, accompanied by armed policemen to emphasize their importance. Some were said to be sons of Igwes from neighbouring towns whilst others were clearly successful men of the underworld. One who looked like he was someone’s houseboy dressed up in an ill-fitting safari suit stepped forward with his gun and began shooting in the air. I was horrified and terrified at the same time, and I complained bitterly at the evident lawlessness on display. People around me including my friends, looked at me like I was some spoil sport. Couldn’t I see that this added colour to the event? No one was concerned that the indiscriminate shooting apart from being illegal, could have resulted in a serious accident. They all left at the same time, jumping into their SUV’s and shooting in the air. I was told that the purpose of this was to ward off potential armed robbers since they had ‘sprayed’ huge sums of money at the event. The children present looked on in admiration and awe. These were their heroes and role models approved by us, the adults. So why are we shocked by Ozubulu’s tragedy?

For years, young men with little education and no visible means of income, have come home and built palatial houses for their parents. How many parents refused to live in those houses? What message does that send to the youth? The same people come to the villages and install boreholes and build roads. Soon enough the villagers ‘beg’ them to run for office and before you know it, they are installed in the State or National Assembly or even run for the governor’s office. No questions asked about the source of their wealth. Why then should we be shocked?

Bishop, the drug baron who the gunmen were after celebrated his 36th birthday commissioning roads that he tarred in his community. Governor Willie Obiano’s picture was used to advertise the event, thereby validating this young man. It appears from reports that the governor and the commissioner of police even attended the event. Did they ask him where the funds came from? Hadn’t they heard the rumours? Did they investigate? Are they really shocked at the outcome?

Instead of exhibiting all this shock and sorrow, we should resolve today to end this cycle of greed and worshipping criminals. It’s been going on for so long and we are all guilty. The lesson learnt from Ozubulu is that we are all potential victims so we can no longer pretend that it does not concern us. Anyone of us could have been sitting in that church on Sunday. It was not an incident that just occurred, it was a disaster waiting to happen and it can happen again if we do not take steps to prevent it!
May the souls of all those lost in the incident at Ozubulu and all the faithful departed rest in perfect peace. Amen.

millionaireman:
Successful Igbo trader or business man - they make up less than 1% of Biafrans. Minority.

So only 1% of the so called Jews of Africa can be described as SUCCESSFUL.
Quite revealing

MrSly:
Youare tout an a miserable pier. APC and tribal bigot. Where did you hear the hate song in the East? Nonsense!

Pig kanu saying you should stone Pastor Kumuyi and pastor Adeboye isn't hate speech abi? You guys are sick

Kay17:
The most economical way of distributing power is through a national grid to avoid waste.

Please let them waste the funds if it will provide uninterrupted power supply to the nation after all most of the funds are embezzled

obiezed:
Lies and lies from someone who knows nothing about the war.
Col Hannibal achuzie just to mention one.
The nigerians lost far more soldiers than the biafrans,the biafrans lost more civilians.
The biafrans push the Nigerian army out of Onitsha once in '67and out of Owerri twice in "69.
The abagana skirmish just to mention a few.
Th

Out of Onitsha and Owerri!!!
Hear yourself, not an advancement but rather a defence , si with all your chest beating all the example you can site is fighting from a position of weakness . SMH

Okoyiboz3:
Which mission?

Mention 1 Igbo soldier who won an advance during the Biafran war.

You can't mention any cos the Biafran Army made only ONE advance during the war and it was led by Banjo.

You bloody ingrate come here and talk trash about Banjo.

I repeat, where was your father when Banjo was leading the Biafran advance? He must have been peeling yam for women to pound. Efulefu.

It's true o, Banjo's advancements was the only advancement of the ragtag Biafran army west ward. This people are just ingrates

OnowuOra:
Please can someone in two sentences summarize that epistle

My father is this and my granpa is that. I have no identity apart from their names and achievements
QED

computerwiz2:
https://web.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10155594627897210&id=62188827209

The ONLY thing FFK can boast of is his privileged background and in this his drug induced rants he has succeeded in proving Rochas right about his vanity and emptiness

lonelydora:
APC knows nothing about governance and courtesy. As they were waiting for Osibanjo, courtesy demands that Osibanjo should be the first person to step out before others. Why Amaechi and Magnus?

Remember when Patience Jonathan stepped out before GEJ her husband and the heat it generated around the world then? It is well.

Meanwhile, Police helicopter has been flying over my roof since morning. They are disturbing my sleep.

Edited: All you quoting me, I thought he came to Rivers because of Wike. Didn't read the news to the end.

Is English language so difficult for you to comprehend? Or is it that you never participated in an English comprehension class while in school? Let me help your ignorance a bit:
1) Osinbajo arrived in a presidential jet
2)Before his arraival Ameachi had been there with a chopper to take him to the venue of the commissioning
3)Osinbajo rather than divert to somewhere else insisted on following the prearranged chopper to the venue

Oga, where did you read that Ameachi came down from the jet before Osinbajo?
SMH

goodmorning40:
I know it was a lie because fayose had said so

Fayose is what represents your brain:SMH

yemmight:
Osinbajo fall my hand. You don allow inferiority complex set in and those idiots will capitalize on same.

That was meant to be a Joke,you need to work on your sense of humour