Biafra
ENUGU MASSACRE: How Nigeria security forces rained live bullets on unarmed civilians
ICONSNEWS-The residents of Emene community in the Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State are still in consternation following the killing of some youths by security agents comprising the soldiers, air force personnel, the police and operatives of the Department of State Services on Sunday, August 23, 2020, during a clampdown on members of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
IPOB members were said to be having Jewish prayers and training in martial arts when the DSS attacked them.
It was gathered that when a dozen patrol vans loaded with security agents armed to the teeth arrived at the community, they turned their guns on the IPOB members, who reportedly took to their heels.
Eyewitnesses said that in the ensuing confrontation, gunshots and teargas fumes filled the air between the St. Patrick’s Secondary School and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church along the old Abakaliki Road and the premises of St. Patrick’s Secondary School flowed with blood as fleeing IPOB members were pursued into the streets.
Scores of Catholic faithful, who were on their way to the 7am Mass, were said to have run helter-skelter, while those already in the church had to endure teargas fumes that enveloped the entire environment.
Members of the community, however, want those security men, who killed their sons and daughters, to be brought to justice.
Sunny Okoroafor is a retired soldier, who witnessed the carnage. He said the day could best be described as a ‘Black Sunday’ and the events would be engraved in the history of the community for generations, stating, “What happened was an unjustifiable action by Nigerian security forces against the Igbo.”
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The incident threw Emene and its neighbours into chaos and disrupted church services as worshippers at the various churches in the area ran helter-skelter to escape being fell by bullets.
“I saw six unarmed youths killed in cold blood in front of my house, other residents said more people were killed and that the military men took their corpses away before the police came and evacuated those I saw,” Okoroafor stated.
Narrating the incident, which he said was captured on camera, Okoroafor said the Emene Community High School was a major sporting arena in the entire community and different sets of people, including IPOB members, train and have their meetings there.
“My children used to stay at the school to study and play. IPOB members also come to the school to have their meetings and train in martial arts every Sunday. They have been doing that for several months to the extent that other youths got interested and were coming to train with them in martial arts.
“The previous Sunday, there was a rumour that the military would come to disturb them, but at the end, nothing like that happened and they held their training and left. So, on Sunday, August 23, 2020, I was in my house around 7.05am when my daughter ran into the house shivering. She said policemen came into the place where those children were having their meeting and one of them pointed a gun at her head.
“She said that the man allowed her to go when she told him that she came to sell water to those engaged in physical exercise, which the IPOB guys were part of. Over 50 people were there engaged in various sporting activities.
“So, I came out to observe what was going on and I saw two Hilux vans blocking the entrance to the school. I saw operatives of the DSS and some of the IPOB guys they seized in their vehicle.
“About three minutes later, those DSS guys started shooting and that lasted more than five minutes. I don’t know whether it was the people inside the school that they were shooting at, but the next thing I saw was the IPOB boys pursuing the DSS guys with stones, woods and bottles, while some of them were bleeding as they were running. Some strong ones among them continued the chase and finally sized one of the operatives, while the others jumped into their vehicles and zoomed off.”
Okoroafor added, “Unfortunately, one of the DSS guys missed their vehicle and he ran across the road looking for an escape route. I learnt he was one of those, who started shooting at the unarmed IPOB boys. So, the IPOB boys pursued him with sticks, stones and planks and eventually caught him; they brought him to the main road and stoned him.
“Those IPOB boys were not bearing arms, but what I observed was that some of them had charms, because when those DSS operatives were shooting at them, the IPOB boys were pursuing them and when the situation got tense, the operatives jumped into their vehicles and ran away. I am not telling you a story. I was there as an eyewitness.
“I learnt that the one person, who was killed and burnt, was filming them when they were protesting and when they wanted to take his phone, he resisted; that was what I was told.”
Mr Chijioke Ezeh, who lives adjacent to the Community High School, corroborated Okoroafor’s account, saying, “I was preparing to go for the 7am Mass at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church when I started hearing rapid gunshots. This lasted close to five minutes and I looked through the window and saw men clad in black attire with the inscription, ‘DSS’.
“They were shooting at the people inside the school compound; some fell down and some did not. The next thing was that they were running and IPOB boys were pursuing them to the gate with sticks and stones they grabbed in the school.
“About 20 minutes later, I saw many people bleeding from bullet wounds being conveyed to hospital. Angered by the development, after those DSS guys had run away, the boys started making bonfires in the middle of the roads to prevent vehicular movement, but people were allowed to trek.
“The IPOB guys started protesting and chanting, ‘What did we do to the government that made the DSS to come and shoot us where we are playing in our community? What offence did we commit?’ They were chanting and going up and down, but none of them bore arms, except a few with sticks.”
Eze added that the IPOB men started telling people living along the road to go inside their houses and their members, who were not strong enough, to find their way and even passers-by to stay off the road, because the security agents would come for them.
He stated, “My daughter filmed everything from upper floor of our house. After some minutes, the DSS guys reinforced and came with the military and the police, all of them numbering over 50, with over 30 Hilux vans and started shooting at the protesting IPOB members from different directions. They blocked all the strategic roads with armoured personnel carriers and were shooting unarmed youths and carrying their corpses away. They killed people going to church and tricycle riders.
“Those bodies the soldiers did not carry away during the shooting that lasted more than 30 minutes were lying on the roads after the incident. The pictures of those ones are all over the social media.”
Okoroafor also stated, “I saw four dead bodies lying on the main road in front of my house, and the security agents came and took the bodies away. They also went inside the street and came out with five IPOB members, whose hands were tied to their backs. I also saw two more corpses they were carrying in their vehicle.”
Another resident and an eyewitness, Mrs Onyekachi Asogwa, described the killings of unarmed Igbo youths by security forces as callous and unjustifiable.
She stated, “What those DSS guys did was wrong; you don’t come and kill unarmed citizens where they were holding a meeting. They had been having the meeting every Sunday for several months in the same venue and nothing happened. They had never attacked anybody nor has anybody complained against them. Every Sunday, if you come here this place, it is always filled up with vehicles and tricycles.
“The police have come here on several occasions to monitor what they were doing and after, they would go away. The boys don’t wear Biafra uniform or any insignia, so I wonder why the DSS men would come and start shooting unarmed civilians. I don’t know why they came when people are dying somewhere else, when herdsmen are killing people, kidnapping people for ransom everywhere in Enugu State and nothing was being done.
Another resident, Chukwuemeka Nishi, said that what pained him the most was that the persons being shot at were unarmed, stating, “Is it not madness? If you have arms, you shoot at another person with arms. You can’t shoot somebody who doesn’t have arms. It is an aberration and unethical to shoot an unarmed person. It contravenes the rules of engagement in the military and even in the police.
“The security men did what they did because Nigeria is an anarchistic state and nobody will speak for the dead; otherwise, they wouldn’t have done what they did. You can imagine the state governor came here and said nothing and the next day his pictures flooded pages of newspapers. Is it not sad that unprovoked security men killed your citizens and you came and said nothing to the people you claim to be governor over? It is very unfortunate.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Ahmad AbdurRahman, who spoke with The PUNCH on the telephone, confirmed the killings, but said only four persons died and that the police recovered their corpses after the incident, but he accused IPOB of being responsible for the death of the victims.
He, however, failed to account for those his men and soldiers killed when asked about the corpses the military took away.
AbdurRahman stated, “I was alerted that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra were on the rampage along the Ebonyi-Enugu Expressway by Emene, firing indiscriminately in the air and at the same time making bonfires on the road.
“It was an operation that was carried out by the DSS. They didn’t invite us. They thought they could do it peacefully. So, it was later that the operation turned unfortunately bloody, when IPOB took their men into custody.
But one of those arrested told newsmen that they were only having an exercise at the school, which was the practice every morning, when the DSS stormed the place and started shooting.
Meanwhile many Igbo individuals and groups, including the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinaya Abaribe, and the Ohaneze Ndigbo, have called on the Enugu State Government of to set up a panel of enquiry to unravel the truth surrounding the incident, describing the killing of unarmed Igbo youths by security agents as no longer acceptable.
Biafra
Tinubu Refused To Honour Our Agreement To Release Nnamdi Kanu After Election– Kanu’s Brother
Disclosing that the meeting had the blessing of the president, Emmanuel, however, lamented that Tinubu has refused to honour the pact by releasing his elder brother and the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the DSS dungeon in Abuja, Nigeria.
Emmanuel Kanu, younger brother of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has said they had an agreement with President Bola Tinubu for the release of his elder brother, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Emmanuel disclosed that he had the pact with Tinubu’s son, Seyi, in Abuja before the 2023 presidential election.
Disclosing that the meeting had the blessing of the president, Emmanuel, however, lamented that Tinubu has refused to honour the pact by releasing his elder brother and the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the DSS dungeon in Abuja, Nigeria.
According to him, it was agreed that IPOB would not bycott the polls on the condition that Tinubu would release Kanu if elected President.
Prince Emmanuel expressed disappointment that nearly two years after the emergence of Tinubu as President, his brother (Kanu), has continued to languish in detention despite the fact that the presiding Judge, Justice Binta Nyako, had since recused herself from the matter.
He said it was disappointing that those who claimed to be honourable, failed to keep their words.
The statement read:”Before the last election, I received a message from an ex-governor that Seyi the son of President Tinubu wanted to see me. I agreed to meet with him on the condition that the overriding priority and hence the fulcrum of our discussion will be the release of my brother. The meeting was held in Abuja in the presence of another individual whom I asked along to witness the deliberations and if need be provide independent verification should the need arise.
“Seyi confirmed to me that his father sanctioned the meeting and that I should consider any agreement we reach as binding on the then candidate Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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“In good faith we agreed that I shall relay the outcome to my brother to reinforce the long held tradition of IPOB not interfering with the conduct of elections, either through boycott or any other form of civil disobedience. This understanding was duly communicated to my brother and he reaffirmed his commitment not to stop the elections or order any boycott.
“When President Tinubu as a candidate visited Owerri during his campaign, he too reiterated his commitment to facilitate the release of my brother if elected. We took his public statement as a tacit reaffirmation of the understanding I reached with his son Seyi.
“At the end, IPOB did not call for election boycott despite having the capacity to do so. IPOB also made sure that discordant voices urging election boycott were overcome because election boycotts would not reflect well on the reputation of a global movement that prides itself on adherence to democratic tenets.
“It therefore, defies logic that nearly two years after President Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership in Nigeria, my brother is still in detention despite not having any charge against him. It’s been over three months now that Justice Binta Nyako recused herself from the case yet no new judge has been assigned the case.
“This is on top of the fact that Appeal Court had earlier discharged him of the sham charges and ordered his release which the previous regime of Buhari declined to obey.
“Supreme Court determination that his bail ought not to have been revoked has been ignored by the courts and the government. The latest insult is that Abuja courts of all persuasion are no longer willing to determine the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on merit but are rather relying on ludicrous and inapplicable technicalities to stall the timely determination of his cases.
“The truth is that Nigerian courts cannot, will not and do not have both the substantive and procedural jurisdiction to try him. His detention is without the backing of any known law in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world.”
The recent 90th birthday tributes to the Nigeria’s Former Head of State, who led Nigeria to war in defence of its unity against the young Biafra Republic between 1967-1970, General Yakubu Gowon, have attracted various reactions, condemnations and affirmations across the country.
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Gregory Peter Obi, was among other Nigerians who wrote glowing tributes to the Former Nigeria’s Head of State who presided over what is adjudged as the second worst genocide in world’s history, after the Hitler’s Holocaust against the Jews in Nazi Germany.
Below is the full read of Mr. Peter Obi’s tribute:
“I am privileged to join other Nigerians of goodwill to celebrate a highly respected leader and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, on his 90th birthday anniversary.
“In a time of hate, you stood for love. At a time of strife, you stood for peace. At a time of division, you stood for unity.
“Your life of service to our great nation, Nigeria, stand as one of sacrifice, leadership, and unity.
“Your steadfast commitment to preserving the peace and sovereignty of Nigeria during a challenging period in our history will forever be remembered and revered.
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“Your exemplary leadership and statesmanship remain an inspiration to younger and many generations of Nigerians.
“As we celebrate this milestone, I pray that God continues to grant you good health, wisdom, and the grace of true fruitfulness.
“May your legacy continue to guide us as we strive to build a more united, prosperous, and just Nigeria.
“Happy 90th birthday, Sir. -PO”
However, BARR Malcolm OMIRHOBO reacted in contrast to the glowing tributes accolades given to the Former military ruler, blaming the war of aggression led by Gowon against Biafra on his “poor and weak leadership style, youthful exuberance and immaturity.”
Barr. Malcolm accused Gen. Yakubu Gowon of “refusal, failure or negligence to stop the senseless killings of Igbos and their look alike throughout Nigeria, especially in the North, by civilians and members of the armed forces.”
The outspoken lawyer also accused Gen. Gowon of refusing the Aburi Accord without any good reason.
Full read of his reaction:
“It is not true that South-East desire to secede that led to the Nigeria/Biafra War but rather it was Gowon’s poor and weak leadership style, colonial mentality, youthful exuberance and immaturity that led to the Nigerian /Biafran war.
“Gowon refused , failed and/or neglected to stop the senseless killing of the Igbos and their look alikes through out Nigeria especially in the North by civilians and members of the armed forces .
“He refused to provide funds to the Eastern Region Government to cater for the injured and displaced Igbos that ran to their home land for safety from all parts of Nigeria .
*Gowon without any good reason refused the Aburi Accord .
“For the records the Igbo fought in self defence.”
In response to Mr. Peter Obi’s tribute to General Yakubu Gowon, DR. MO (MOSES PAUL) wrote this:
“As usual, I called Mr. Peter Obi after seeing some of the responses to the tweet on Daddy Gowon, and I said, “Some people are not happy, Sir.”
“Mr. @PeterObi responded, “Mo, I have always told you, never to dwell on yesterday, to agonize over it, or remain unforgiving. We cannot be trapped by the events of the past. Instead, we must be grateful to God for today and look forward to tomorrow with hope.”
“I understand the negative comments, and I deeply regret the painful history that took place over 50 years ago, though I know little firsthand, only what I have been told. It is a sad chapter for many, including my own family. My father, unfortunately, lost his thriving business during that period and passed away, which remains a deep personal loss for me.”
“My comment today, however, was about General Gowon’s removal from office and the grace with which he has handled those difficult events. It wasn’t about the war itself. The focus was on the life he has led since his removal, and his remarkable ability to remain prayerful and steadfast in his commitment to Nigeria.”
“When I was governor, he visited my state, and we spoke as father and son. He even led a national prayer for Nigeria in my state. Our discussions were never about the war—we spoke about the future of Nigeria, and his concern was always for the country’s progress, not his past or the people who removed him from office.”
“PO Mr @PeterObi has always shared with me his deep respect and personal closeness to ‘Ikemba’ Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. He regarded Ojukwu as a true hero, someone whose leadership and vision he admired greatly. @PeterObi’s loyalty to Ojukwu was resolute until his last days, and he took it upon himself to ensure that Ojukwu received a befitting burial, one that remains unmatched to this day, honoring his legacy with the dignity it deserved.”
“Mr. @PeterObi’s commitment goes beyond personal ties; he is determined to see a future that works for everyone. His vision for Nigeria is one of unity and progress, where the mistakes of the past do not hold us back or divide us. Instead, he believes in learning from history and building a better and greater future for generations to come.”
“Mo, tell me, is there any nation today that hasn’t faced civil war? From America to Great Britain, many have painful histories of war, yet they are not trapped by the past. Instead, they have forgiven, not forgotten, and used that healing to build successful futures.”
“People need to be closer to PO to truly understand how forgiving and loving he is. He is always looking ahead, desperately focused on building a better and greater future for all Nigerians irespective or tribe and religion and most importantly for the generations to come.”
-DrMo
Biafra
Uchechi Okwu-Kanu Showers Praises On Herself, Reveals What She Told Her Husband
“I constantly told my husband that anyone who spews hate on your children and wife hates you. Period!”
The wife of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mrs. Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, has showered praises on herself, expressing her qualities as she wrote on Facebook, highlighting challenges and what she told her husband, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Uchechi, who was referencing a post made by someone “about protecting ‘me'” (her), stated that she doesn’t blow her trumpets “even in competition.”
Her choice of words and written expressions reveals deeper sense of hurt in the heart, outright self validation and defense, hopes of victory and taunting of the perceived foes of her family amongst others.
She described herself as a “one-man squad, “Virgo” a “Full Moon Virgo” and “one of the most powerful “Empaths you will ever encounter.”
Uchechi, whose husband, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is still being incarcerated in the DSS Headquarters in Abuja following his extra-ordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021, said that she is a “warrior” despite the fact that her husband is not “helping out in the family front.”
She pointed out that she had constantly told her husband (Mazi Nnamdi Kanu) that “those who spew hate on his children and wife” hates him.
Mrs. Okwu-Kanu emphatically said that she warned her husband of “these workers of iniquity but hey, we are where we are now.”
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Below is the full read:
“I just saw a post yesterday about protecting me but it eluded me before I could re-post it.
I am not vain, I do not blow my trumpets even in competitions!
“I just move in my aura of grace.
I am a #Virgo, a #FullMoonVirgo, and one of the powerful #Empaths you will ever encounter. I am that woman who walks into a room and every unconscious mind becomes conscious.
“The unconscious morons should study on the above hashtags first. Then I will go ahead to outline what my ‘personalities’ are about and who I am. They will write a full book on just one personality.
“My academic background and what I have achieved in my career journey over the years is not for show off.
“The things I do in my day to day life despite the challenges of not having my husband helping out in the family front, is what makes me a #Warrior.
“I work hard so I can look after widows and helpless children. I run an educational charity in the Sub-Sahara Africa for pupils from Nursery 1 – Primary 6 from my light-weight personal purse.
Everyday, I lift one or two people out from a place of pain, oppression, darkness and confusion through coaching and guidance. People learn consciousness and #ArtofLiving from me, everyday.
“Thank you my brother for that post and thank you all for standing by me. That’s the love you have for #NnamdiKanu.
“All my life, I’ve always fought for the oppressed & for myself.
“I am what ‘you know as one man squad’ – physically, psychologically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
“I fight for the oppressed women, men, and children especially. And all my life, no individual has ever fought me without gathering a group.
“Some would bring their cousins, their ancestors, even their own enemies to fight me yet, Uchechigeme Anyanwụụtụtụ Okwu-Kanu has always stood tall in the presence of her enemies!
Ọkara mádu , ọkara nmuo! She who is of the waters, the Earth, the Sun and feeds off the Air. She who understands the rythym of the spirit dance called Sụrụgedé; she who understands the connotations of the 4 cardinal points of the earth, firmed within the 4 elements of the universe and the 4 market days of her Indigenous existence!
“I warned my husband of all these workers of iniquities but hey, we are where we are now!
But one thing they must understand is that their tittle-tattle is the absolute projection of their inadequacies, what they truly are and represent.
“I have a pending topic on the spiritual, psychological and emotional damage/impact of a mother’s adultery on their children and individual life of promiscuity – the reason these muppets are these damaged!
“I constantly told my husband that anyone who spews hate on your children and wife hates you. Period!
“I have never written about myself as this phase is not about me. At least, not yet.
“Those who sounded just like them in 2014 – 2017 eventually returned to the gutters where they came from. Some went into TV productions and talk shows. Ndị uchu!
“I am busy, fighting for the release of my husband #FreeNnamdiKanu and have no time to pay mind to these imbeciles who came from the lowest strata of the gutters. The lowest of the lows.
“People who are lower than the belly of a snake!
I am an Eagle, I soar high above mediocrity, pugnacity, impetuosity, impertinence and carnality. That is why none of you can keep your pained frustrations to yourselves.
“But like the snake you are, I will never come down to your harmattan taunted postern. I can never play in the mud with pigs because I abhor dirt.
“Rather, I will swoop down like the Eagle and take you to my realm. Swirl you 7 times and release you from the Air.
“My name is, Aha m bụ – Uchechigeme Anyanwụụtụtụ Okwu-Kanu.
“I speak ‘consciousness’, for that, is the #ArtofLiving.
Esemplastic
Eclecticist
LivingIsAnArt Life Coach.
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