Reading the press statement by our spokesman- on behalf of IPOB; predicting or rather informing that Fulani herdsmen will focus on Biafra land as soon as they are done with middle belt. There was no measure, willingness or defensive motivation, to counter or curtail it; just an empty talk that will be used tomorrow for media parade.
One thing about the press statement is; our spokesman informed or made prediction so that the world would hear what IPOB said. When eventually Fulani herdsmen starts killing; He will run out again and supply press statements of how IPOB said it. All over the social media; our people will start shouting another prophecy fulfilled and that is the end. We will carry our dead loved ones and bury, the loss is ours.
To me; it appears more or less we have limited the agitation to a passive movement, in which everything ends with press release. The active thing we had to offer was protest but since proscription happened, everything fizzled out and no wonder the subsequent press release was pleading the government to lift the ban or cancel our proscription.
We cannot continue to use the lives of our people to push this struggle; if nobody dies, there won’t be any issue to talk about. Even the referendum we are waiting; we are aware of the risk, we might have the highest number of deaths ever recorded, but we are ready to take the risk, despite poor or exclusive build up, we will give it a shot.
As intelligence, prophecy or whatever came, that Southsouth and Southeast will be next in line of attack by Fulani herdsmen, what I expected from IPOB was to start discussing self-defense and communicating the people of Biafra on what to do and what not to do to protect their lives. I didn’t understand the idea of already trading blames over what is yet to come. We must rise to the challenge and understand that the sons of the governors will not be affected or their families, we are the people that will die.
We cannot afford to be Buhari who trades blame at any slightest opportunity; we must rise to the demand, the primary objective of every organization is the defense of the people. The people of Biafra must be defended and it falls on IPOB to do that hence the governors have been excluded. You don’t expect government to protect terrorists; or is our spokesman not aware we are terrorists in Nigeria, terrorists should be able to protect their selves.
The press statement further saying that the governors should be held responsible is uncalled for; the governors have nothing to do with us. We are IPOB; we boycotted them, did not give them mandate, passed vote of no confidence on them, we were proscribed and tagged terrorists by them, and they cannot be responsible. IPOB must show some maturity by taking responsibility of defense; it is when you put a man in position of leadership that you question such man. IPOB boycotted and did not put the governors and cannot hold them responsible. The governors are responsible for those they have their mandate. Boycotting election also means boycotting state governors and their securities; and by virtue of boycott, we should be capable of fending for ourselves.
Our leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in 2015 met World Igbo Congress and demanded arms; he made it clear that the people need to defend their lives. As the agitation went on; five years later, we are still five years backward on defense, by virtue of that press release, it appears the people of Biafra are vulnerable, they cannot be defended by indigenous leadership and an organization that cannot protect the lives of its people is not worthy of existence.
I could not imagine begging the government to cancel the proscription; a supposed terrorist organization begging the government. Every right thinking man must start praying that the government doesn’t lift the ban, so that we won’t continue to die. If IPOB is no longer proscribed; protest will start all over again and the killing by military will officially commence. If we have anything to offer for Biafra to be restored, this is the better situation to offer it.
Our lives are precious to us and we want to die with honor; we are done with U.S releasing reports that we are killed every day. We are done with senate saying those without guns are killed and those with guns are not killed. We are tired of people’s sympathy; we cannot be dying and getting only sympathy every day, enough of this. We are tired of Amnesty International releasing reports of how many of us Nigerian government killed; we don’t want to die again. Our spokesman battling with each report, reminding reporters that 1200 and not 150 died cannot help anything.
If our spokesman could not outline the measures IPOB have in place to protect our lives and cannot urge the people of Biafra to stand and defend their lives but only to tell us who we are going to hold responsible after they finished killing us, then is better the whole thing ends, let us run to anyone who can protect our lives. If Hausa/Fulani want us to turn to Muslims, we kindly do it and have our lives.
We have boycotted the governors; we have boycotted Nigeria and we have done everything, but when we cannot defend our lives, I don’t see any reason to take heed. IPOB should urgently start self-defense measure because we will not only hold the governors responsible, we will hold the leadership of IPOB for failing to establish defense budget and protect our lives. IPOB has majority mandate not only to enjoy our support but also ensure indigenous people of Biafra are protected.
The Hausa/Fulani will face us after middle belt, we will die but we won’t die cowards, we will die heroes, we will die fighting, we will die with honor and that is being a Biafran. Being a Biafran is not dying cowardly; we are Biafrans for Christ sake!
Ifeanyi Chijioke writes from Abuja
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