By Chinonye Anyatonwu
Church leaders have called on the federal government to stop branding members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign States of Biafra (MASSOB) as terrorists, even as the Nigerian soldiers have continued to shoot at site members of the South east ethnic militia who are merely agitating for self determination and referendum.
In a special appeal, the Bishop of Diamond Church of Christ, John Adams urged the Nigerian government to listen to the agitating youths from the South east, arguing that agitation is a democratic means of pressing public demand on governments world over.
Adams condemned use of force on the youths of Igbo extraction, warning that use of force on a people who are demonstrating their socio- political rights will make the government further alienated from the people they govern.
He advised the President Muhammadu Buhari led government to pull Nigerian troops out from the South east to end the incessant massacre of the Biafra agitators in Nigeria.
Speaking in the same vein, Rev. Father Mbakar of the Adoration Ministry Enugu enjoined the Federal government to encourage investment in Nigeria with a view to creating jobs for the numerous unemployed youths, adding that when youths are gainfully engaged there would be less attraction to protestations and agitations
According to him, “When the economy is buoyant and fairness and equity is returned, the youths will have no reason to call for secession”.
Also, assessing the federal government attitude to the quest for Biafra nation, agitations and protestations in Nigeria, the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese Dr. Matthew Kukah also condemned government of Nigeria for selective attacks and killing of Biafra agitators. He slammed the government for the killing of 7 members of IPOB/MASSOB who returned from Israel and the United States of America recently.
Impeccable sources revealed that some committed members of the two agitating groups including those who ran away from Nigeria to Europe, Asia and America have been allegedly listed for elimination, with a fascinating promise to reward informants who can alert the Nigerian soldiers of their possible whereabouts.
Giving an insight into the sad development, an uncle to the MASSOB Director of Fund raising, Foster Okolie, who left the country for Europe since 2008 for fear of being assassinated, confided in The Emperor Global News that Nigerian soldiers had quizzed his family members a number of times with an intent to compel them to reveal the whereabouts of Foster.
Foster’s uncle who gave his name as Mazi Vincent Okolie, said they have been gripped with panic since 2008 when their son ran out of the country for fear of being killed, as there hardly passes a day in Nigeria without hearing cases of indiscriminate shooting of innocent and harmless agitators for self government and indeed, total emancipation of people of Biafra from Nigerian government.
Mazi Okolie disclosed that before Foster embarked on his oversea trip to Australia in 2008, the latter’s father’s house was invaded by some Nigerian soldiers who succeeded in killing Foster’s parents, his youngest sister and 10 other persons that were found in the Compound while MASSOB members were holding their meeting
Recall that the Nigerian police have declared some suspected IPOB and MASSOB members wanted.
The Police named some of the Biafra activists who are declared wanted.
They are Samuel Eke, Barr Obiora Chinwike, Jude Eziagu, Azubuike Ofodil, Nnadozie Agu and Pastor Mercy Ezeh.
Others are Simon Ekpa, Ernest Nwabuizu, Foster Okolie, Friday Anaedu, John Maduebo, Kingsley Ede and a host of other suspected Biafra activists operating under the aegis of MASSOB and IPOB respectively.
The Igbos in Nigeria had been facing all sorts of hostilities and human degradation from Nigerian Government since after the end of Civil war in Nigeria in 1970.Several attempts of the Igbos of the eastern Nigeria to be president of the country have overtly been resisted by political actors from Northern part of Nigeria, hence, they have remained highly marginalized in terms of citing of infrastructures and other valuable developmental projects.
The Biafra activists in Nigeria and Diaspora are obviously not comfortable that the federal government of Nigeria looks the other way when the Fulani herdsmen kill their fellow Igbo tribesmen who are predominantly business people and are scattered all over the country, making notable contributions to the development of the country.
It is in the light of these segregation and discrimination against the Igbos in all facets of Northern Nigerian dominated government since over 50 years that MASSOB and IPOB sprang up to provide platforms through which the Biafra nationality of Southern Nigeria could speak their minds as a way of expressing their inalienable rights as citizens.
Recall hat the audacity of the two Biafra agitating groups to press for self government by means of a referendum unfortunately did not go down well with the federal government who ironically branded them terrorist organisation which they are not.
