For the past 6 – 8 months killings and attacks on security facilities and personnel as well as on ordinary citizens have been ravaging the Southeast Nigeria. These acts have been attributed to the Eastern Security network (ESN), an armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
It is on record that on many occasion Nnamdi Kanu has called for violent attacks on Nigeria’s security personnel and on people from other ethnic groups, just exactly what we are occasioning presently. Unfortunately when Nnamdi Kanu was calling for such attacks the Igbos leaders and politicians rather than cautioning him against such actions turned a deaf ear.
One will wonder why the Igbo leaders always lost their voice when Nnamdi Kanu and his cohorts are committing crimes against Nigerians, but will display all sort of anger and accusation toward the Federal Government when it takes drastic measures to tame his activities and that of IPOB. What exactly is the interest of Igbo leaders in the activities of IPOB?
It is disheartening and shameful that some leaders form southeast are calling for release of Nnamdi Kanu and his cohorts from custody without allowing the judicial process to take its place. While it is common practice around the world to accept repentant members of terror organisations, by rehabilitating them and reintegrating them back into the society (only when there is high certainty that they will not go back to their terror activities) or utilising them to fight the terror organisation.
The Nigerian Federal Government has devised a carrot and stick strategy to fight insurgency in Northeast and banditry in the Northwest. Nonetheless FG cannot dialogue or rehabilitate unrepentant terrorists who are unwilling to do the needful. The Federal Government cannot and should not release an unrepentant leader of a terrorist organisation who has called for attack on Nigerian citizens and is responsible for attack on 164 police facilities and killing 175 security personnel without trial? No responsible government will follow such path of self-destruction.
It is on record that Nnamdi Kanu was previously released on bail and same Igbo elders and politicians stand in as his sureties. But nonetheless, he still went ahead and violated all the terms and conditions of his bail including arranging and participating in mass rallies and promotion of hatred against Nigeria and its citizens. And after the security agencies moved against him he jumped bail and left the country, where he continued to promote terror acts against Nigeria.
One will like to ask where are the Igbo elders when Kanu set up and commanded the Eastern Security Network (ESN) which is responsible for killing and maiming of Nigerians living in the Southeast especially Northerners and attacks on the security personnel. What have the Igbo elders ever done to curtail the terror activities of IPOB or bring Nanmdi Kanu to order? And if they cannot influence whatsoever to put a stop on the activities of Nnamdi Kanu and his terror organisation, why are they trying to blackmail the FG and judiciary in order to avoid prosecuting Nnamdi Kanu? Why are they afraid of allowing judicial process to take its place against Nnamdi Kanu? Or do they have anything to hide? Are their hands really clean in all these mess?
Otherwise, how can elders be bold enough to call for an unconstitutional release of an unrepentant terrorist like Nnamdi kanu and his fellow members of the IPOB terrorist organisation? What do Igbo leaders really want? Today they will call on FG to secure Igboland and tomorrow they will call on the FG to call off security personnel from Igboland. It is worth noting that when these leaders put on public statements at no point have they ever cautioned Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB members against their terrorist activities, instead they always opted to paint the Federal Government black in the eyes of Igbo people by crying marginalisation.
On the issue of marginalisation of Igbos, for many decades there have been strong claim by the Igbos mainly orchestrated by the Igbo leaders and politicians who found it to be a convenient weapon against Government that is not serving their selfish interests. You will never hear of Igbo marginalisation in administrations that have been dominated by such Igbo leaders (e.g. the Administration of Goodluck Jonathan) not because the Igboland received the best of infrastructures or social programs, but because the so called Igbo leaders and politicians have been provided access to the National cake as such driving the “Marginalisation Mantra” is not in their interest. It should be noted that each tribe in Nigeria can only complain of not having enough or exactly as wish but no tribe can convincingly argue of having the short end of the stick.
It is very clear that the promoters of the “Igbo Marginalisation” have succeeded in brainwashing people just to amass private wealth and or use it for political bargain. Because they use the fact that when you tell a lie over and over again and with confidence some people will start to believe in such a lie. And that is exactly what they have achieved with current set of hatred driven Igbo youth they have created.
However, blackmailing Nigeria with a victim mentality is actually not a long term strategy and will definitely backfire (and it has already started to back fire). One of such consequences of this blackmail is the Nnamdi Kanu and his fellow IPOB followers who are groomed with hatred and whose actions and activities are capable of bringing more destruction to Igbo than to Nigeria as a country.
Irrespective of the effort to sow hatred of Nigeria in the heart of many Igbos by some selfish leaders and politicians, even today Igbos are the biggest beneficiary of Nigeria’s diversity. They are welcomed in every nook and cranny of Nigeria, and are allowed to prosper and progress better than they could in their ancestral homeland. Igbos own businesses, houses, plazas, hotels, estates among others in Kano, Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna and Port Harcourt and basically every part of Nigeria.
Unfortunately, that is not the same for other Nigerians living or doing business in South East. It is difficult and to some extent impossible for Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Ijaw, Kanuri, Tiv man or woman to own businesses or landed assets in South East due to the unwelcoming nature of the environment.
For peace to reign in Southeast Nigeria, it is imperative for Igbo leaders to accept that they can no longer achieve personal interest through blackmailing the Federal Government and other Nigerian tribes. They need to accept that their continued backdoor support for Nnamdi Kanu and his cohorts will bring nothing positive to Igboland, and will create more foes than friends to Igbos.
*Alkali is National Coordinator, Non-State Actors Consultative Forum (NOSACOF)
