A faction of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have vowed to sustain the Biafra struggle until the perceived injustice suffered by the Igbo is addressed.
The groups noted that besides the call for the release of Radio Biafra Director, Nnamdi Kanu, the country’s power structure and the injustice against the Igbo was another reason for the agitation.
A statement by the factional MASSOB Director of Information, Uchenna Madu, lamented that “Ndigbo had been on the receiving end of marginalisation, unprovoked ethno-religious violence, subjugation, intimidation and outright neglect in sharing basic social amenities.
“The Federal Government has committed so much to rehabilitating victims of the Boko Haram insurgency but has conspicuously ignored Igbo returnees, who form the bulk of the displaced persons.
“Another annoying issue is the threat by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, that Ndigbo would be drowned in the lagoon if they voted a candidate of their choice. This went without a reprimand to the monarch because Ndigbo were involved. They believe we are expendable.”
Dismissing the stand of some Igbo leaders, Madu said: “We have lost confidence in these self-styled leaders. Look at our infrastructure, nothing shows we are part of Nigeria. All the federal roads in the Southeast are death traps”.
The groups regretted that “while the Boko Haram sect was being offered amnesty and dialogue, MASSOB members, who have remained non-violent, are being murdered.
“As at today, more than 170 bodies of our members litter the mortuaries; many have been detained without trial.”
The Igbo Media Professionals (IMP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari against using military action against the protesters.
A statement by its National Coordinator, Apostle Sorokwu, observed that “while some sections of the country seemed to adduce to insinuations that the drumbeats of secession were politically-sponsored to discredit the nascent government and destabilise Nigeria, we dare to share a divergent view.
“We believe that the tribally-motivated mutual suspicion that is inherent in the ethnic groups gave vent to the current wave of agitation.
“If we reflect on the last electioneering campaign, we would observe the ethnically divisive voting patterns and the eventual outcome, particularly in the presidential polls.
“The exercise, more than any other development in our history, showed evidences of ethnicity and sectionalism. In fact, it could be likened to a war of the ethnic groups.
“We, therefore, implore President Buhari to borrow a leaf from General Yakubu Gowon and adopt the policy of “No Victor, No Vanquished” in reconciling the ethnic groups and unifying Nigeria”. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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As for me, I will never want Nigeria to devide and I want the protest to stop before it gets out of hands because when it escalades, other groups may use it as advantage to achieve their aims. The end product of the war might not be like the previous one because there may be more international sympathizers for the two sides now that we have Internet and easy social media that may make the war last longer just like in Syria now. Most of the things the agitators are saying here are what the government will look into and work on that, at least they have made their reasons known to them, the government should use the opportunity to address those things and tell them to stop the agitation for us to live in peaceful coexistence. Where is peace, there is progress. Don't overlook this agitation and have the perspective that you can win them easily through war and arms otherwise it may indeed destabilize the your good plan for Nigeria because we cannot prosper with war. Call the stakeholders for talk.
ReplyDeleteGod bless u
DeleteBIAFRA or NOTHING.
ReplyDeleteKudos, thoroughly written.
ReplyDeletethe so called government officials can pot what ever they like in the name of IPOB all I know is no Biafra nothing
ReplyDeleteUp biafra
ReplyDelete