….opposes proposed military operation and federal tollgates
in Igbo Land
The Ekwenche Research Organization in Chicago, USA hereby
commends Intersociety for their tireless and selfless efforts
particularly by painstakingly carrying out three field research
works in one year that not only documented gross human rights
abuses and violations in old Eastern Nigeria particularly in Igbo
Land but also contained details of economic costs that came with
such state atrocities.
Ekwenche recalls that the International Society for Civil
Liberties & Rule of Law had in the past one year researched and
published reports on: military massacre operations in Eastern
Nigeria (Dec 2018), sectional headship of key military and policing
formations in Eastern Nigeria (Sept 2019); and how Easterners paid
N306b ($1b) at 6,900 police & military roadblocks in 50 months
in old Eastern Nigeria (Oct 2019).
The highlight of the three field research works was murderous
and atrocious militarization or military and police occupation of
the peaceful and defenseless region of the humanly cursed and
bastardized country and economic exploitation of the citizens of
the Region. Intersociety’s recent data have also vindicated
Ekwenche and confirmed her earlier reports.
As can be seen, Intersociety recent reports are very much in
line even more detailed than our last presentation to the United
Nations. It is unfortunately shameful that the State Governments of
the day in Igbo Land and the old Eastern Nigeria in particular and
the so called ‘Nigeria Federation’ in general have turned a blind
eye on these documented monstrously unchecked atrocities against
our defenseless and industrious people.
The Social Amenities The Officially Stolen N306B Is
Capable Of Providing In Eastern Nigeria
The staggering N306b officially robbed at gunpoint by military
and police at Eastern Nigeria roadblocks from our defenseless,
peaceful and industrious People can comfortably build six
universities in the Region at N50b each, or 6,000 standard
community secondary schools at N50m each, or 10, 000 standard
primary schools at N30m each. The amount can also comfortably
reconstruct 30 failed federal roads in Eastern Nigeria at N10b per
80 kilometers each.
If it is in the area of public hospitals, the amount can
comfortably build 1,500 standard community general hospitals at
N200m each and 600 standard urban general hospitals at N500m each;
and it is further capable of sinking 30,000 standard boreholes at
N10m or revamp 1,500 failed water schemes in the Region at N200m
each. That is to say that the officially stolen amount can
comfortably do any of the items listed or highlighted above.
EKWENCHE As Nostradamus
For years, Ekwenche, a premier, prophetic and bold Igbo group saw
these coming and has continued her sensitization of Ndi Igbo both
those at home and those in abroad, calling on them to join in the
nonviolent campaign for Igbo freedom and emancipation within
Nigeria or for outright independent State of Biafra or Ala-Igbo.
Had our clarion calls be heeded en masse and thoughtfully, the
present calamities including killings, maiming, lacerations,
incarcerations, disappearances, torture and economic strangulations
including vindictive border closures and official highway robberies
through military and police roadblocks; etc, would have been a past
tense or long forgotten. We saw the dangers much ahead and warned
of same at countless times.
Since past decades, Ekwenche Research Institute had made a mark
in the struggle for better Igbo Land and the entire old Eastern
Nigeria. We have harped on self vigilance, self defense, collective
security and service to humanity or selflessness, which is why our
name bears “Ekwenche”. This is because communal vigilance, security
and welfare were the key to successes recorded in the ancient Igbo
society, as opposed to today’s individualism including utter
selfishness, greed and accumulation of personal wealth and selfish
and slavish attitudes of the wealthy.
We had in 1994 made landmark or sweeping inputs during the
Constitutional Conference. These included highlighting the devious
plans of the North to subjugate the Eastern States and strangulate
the Region economically. In our submission to the Oputa Panel,
Ekwenche demanded that Nigeria stop her evil plans, apologize to
Ndi Igbo and treat them with respect and dignity. Sadly, all the
findings Ekwenche articulated in her Paper to Oputa Panel in early
2000 were not and have not been addressed till date.
Another submission was made by Ekwenche to the UN Human Rights
Commission (now Council) in which she called for the
Re-establishment of Igbo Sovereignty, Reparations and adequate
Restitution to be paid to the Igbo Nation for past atrocities
inflicted on her by successive Governments of Nigeria and other
politically oiled or backed violent entities including Fulani
terror groups, lately, or in recent times. Ekwenche had in her
submissions catalogued a host litany of evil treatments meted out
on Igbo by Nigeria and demanded for immediate remediation and
stoppage.
For past months or in the last one year, Intersociety, a
reputable outfit has been warning Ndi Igbo about imminent dangers
facing her and insisted they be frontally addressed before it is
too late. No state can succeed with the level of militarization,
economic strangulation and disruption, political sabotage and
arm-twisting Ala Igbo has been riddled with in recent times.
Intersociety had specifically in her latest report made it clear
that the money extorted at police and military roadblocks from Ala
Igbo and Ndi Mba Mmili in the past four years and two months or
past 50 months is nothing less than N306b or $1b.
The respected rights and democracy watchdog had earlier in
another field research report, released in Sept 2019 disclosed that
“out of 73 top military and policing commanding officers manning
key military and policing formations in Eastern Nigeria, only eight
are from the two regions while 65 are made up of Muslim
Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba officers with few non Muslim others from
outside the two regions”. Intersociety had attributed the gross
lopsidedness to rampant cases of ceaseless killings, maiming,
lacerations, incarcerations, disappearances, torture and economic
strangulations including vindictive border closures and official
highway robberies through military and roadblocks; etc, enveloping
the two regions.
We Remain Opposed To Proposed Military Operation &
Federal Tollgates In Eastern Nigeria
Ekwenche wishes to strongly oppose the above named proposed
genocide and economic sabotage friendly programs. The two proposed
programs are nothing short of height of provocation and declaration
of war against the old Eastern Nigeria by other means. By further
planning to flood the two regions with soldiers and military
hardware particularly under a state of nonviolent situation and
conflict, the Nigerian Government is pushing the two regions to war
and terrorization. This is as over 70% of the federal roads in the
two regions are in acute deplorable state. The situation is even
worsened by a ban placed on all the State Governments in the two
regions from repairing such failed federal roads.
Conditions For Allowing Federal Tollgates In Eastern
Nigeria
If federal tollgates must be established in Igbo Land or old
Eastern Nigeria, then all the failed federal roads in the two
regions must be fixed. The two regions must also not host higher
number of such tollgates. As a matter of fact, such federal
tollgates must not only be established across board throughout
Nigeria, but also according to kilometers of federal roadways
allocated. That is to say that if it is five kilometers per federal
tollgate, then it must be applied across board or evenly throughout
the country.
In other words and going by Nigeria’s land allocation per State
or region, there is no way the Southeast (29.525km2) and the
South-south (84,587km2) with total landmass of 114,000km2 can host
more federal tollgates than Borno and Niger States put together
with total landmass of 144,000km2. As a matter of fact, Southeast
Region, with smallest landmass of 29,525km2 should host the lowest
number of federal tollgates, in addition to repairing of all its
failed federal roads as well as dismantling, removal and
discontinuation of the 6,900 police and military roadblocks and
accountability for the N306b criminally collected at gunpoint.
Genocidal Military Operations In Eastern Nigeria Must Be
Discontinued
We are also opposed to planned military operation in the two
regions under whatever disguise or names called. The attitude of
the present leadership of the Nigerian Army which almost daily
basis now forms habits of describing the massacring of unarmed and
defenseless citizens of Eastern Nigeria and maiming and
incapacitation of others with live bullets during its previous
genocidal operations in the two regions as “successes recorded in
our past operations python dance” (now changed to “operation
peaceful dance”) is deeply condemned.
This shows that the secularity and national identity challenged
Nigerian Army is deliberately killing and maiming our people using
its personnel majorly catered for and military weapons and hardware
procured with natural, human and commercial wealth resources of the
citizens of the two regions. The Army is in disguise and under
false pretence, waging wars against the unarmed and defenseless
citizens of the two regions; pretending falsely of “fighting
domestic criminalities” (“bandits”, “armed robbers”, “cultists”,
“kidnappers”, “militants”, etc). Army are never trained for
controlling ‘domestic’ or ‘street crimes’ and are interlopers.
Army “Operation Dance Of Peace”/”Python Dance” Is
Riddled With Ulterior Motives
Ekwenche suspects strongly that the Nigerian Army military
operations in Igbo Land or the entire old Eastern Nigeria are
riddled with ulterior motives. Such operations are likely for
‘creation and protection’ of new and old Fulani settlements. The
recent alarms raised by Intersociety and Association of Southeast
Town Unions are a clear case in point. While Intersociety cited the
case of Umu-Ura, Ogwe Forest new Fulani Settlement in Ukwa West,
Abia State and two new Army checkpoints permanently created to
protect it, there was also an alarm raised by Intersociety, ASETU
and the media in August 2019, disclosing the takeover of not less
than 139 Igbo communities, villages and other locations by Fulani
Herdsmen; fully protected by the Nigerian Military particularly the
Army and Mobile Police Squadrons. About 56 of the 139 are found in
Enugu State and 24 in Anambra.
We hereby call on all Igbo Diaspora organizations to strongly
and timely support their Town Unions at home and seek better and
result oriented ways of working with them for purposes of beefing
up communal self defense and monitoring the movements and
activities of terror Fulani Herdsmen and personnel of the Nigerian
Military and Police. The Igbo Town Unions must specifically be made
to monitor and document cases of military and police invasions,
killings, abductions, rapes, disappearances, torture and property
destruction perpetrated in the course of any disguised operation as
well as the movements and activities of Fulani Herdsmen throughout
Igbo Land.
Suspicious Fire Outbreaks In Anambra and Edo: Igbo
Markets & Cities Must Be At Alert
The four major fire outbreaks in four days (16-19 Oct 2019) that
gutted Onitsha Upper Iweka, Ochanja Market, Omagba Layout and Agulu
all in Anambra State as well as Santana (“Fufu”) Market along
Benin-Sapele Road in Benin, Edo State are not to be treated with
kid gloves or be lightly seen as ‘mere fire outbreak’. Lives lost
are over a dozen while wares and fixed properties destroyed or lost
are in billions of naira. At Omagba fire outbreak, dozens of cars
parked in a major mechanic workshop were all burnt to ashes. In all
the four infernos, hundreds of lock-up stalls filled with wares
were also burnt to ashes; with several commercial buildings totally
or substantially destroyed.
In Anambra State in particular, there is supposed to a judicial
commission of enquiry to look into the suspicious infernos. This is
more so when the four fire outbreaks particularly those that took
place in the State all bore semblances of ‘fuel terrorism’. Till
date, the whereabouts and identities of the drivers of the
perpetrator fuel tankers have remained unknown. Nobody has located
any of their plate numbers or where the tankers and their drivers
come from. The fuel leakages, timing and locations of the fire
outbreaks are also utterly suspicious. Compounded by failed fire
service stations and personnel particularly in Anambra State, the
implication is that no part including market and street in the
cities of Igbo Land is safe particularly at night.
Ekwenche terefore calls on the Emeka Diwe led Association of
Southeast Town Unions, ASETU, leaders of all the markets and
landlords and city/street associations in Igbo Land to ensure that
security and monitoring of same are beefed up in all markets and
cities/streets particularly at night from 6.30pm in the evening to
7am in the morning. This is in addition to procurement of sets of
fire service equipment and recruitment and training of their
handlers. In doing these, the principle of ‘preventive security’ or
‘prevention is better than cure’ shall be adopted and applied.
Signed:
· Prof Justin Akujieze (+17732069401)
Chairman, Board of Committess
Ekwe-Nche Research Institute
· Maazi L. Nwannunu (+17732941997)
Chair Genocide Legal Committee
Ekwe-Nche Institute/Organization
Dr Moses Nwaigwe (+13616330988)
President, BiafraGenocide Survivors Int’l