Exposing The Dangers In State and Non State Actors’ Involvement In
Anti Igbo Genocidal Threats And Military Fatwa In Southeast Nigeria
--Intersociety
(Intersociety, Onitsha Nigeria: 11th September 2017)-The simultaneous
involvement by the Arewa Youths/Northern Elders’ Forum (non State
actor) and the present Federal Government of Nigeria and its security
establishments (State actor) all headed and controlled by members of
the Muslim dominated Northern Nigeria; in the recent anti Igbo
genocidal threats and military invasion and fatwa in the Southeast
Nigeria or Igbo heartland is not only gravely dangerous but also from
all intents and purposes; a prepared, predetermined and collectively
endorsed ethnic and religious pogrom program prepared by the named
State and non State actors; which appeared to have been copied after
the anti Tutsi genocidal policies and programs in Rwanda and Burundi.
The roles of the Great Britain and other western musketeers including
USA which have found Nigeria and its State as a new dumping ground and
big buyer of their small arms and light weapons (SALWs) as well as
aerial attack and mass destruction weapons; are also no longer hidden.
As a matter of fact, what the Great Britain represents; by its
conspiratorial roles in the present military, genocidal and
annihilative buildup against the Nigeria’s oldest ethnic nationality
with largest Christian population; was exactly what the French
authorities and other western musketeers including the same Great
Britain represented in Rwanda during its 1994 genocide. It is recalled
that Republic of France was a leading complicit in the Rwandan
Genocide; especially before and during the genocide.
We had in our previous public statements following these clear signs
of genocide; primarily targeted at the Igbo race and their South-south
neighbors, but secondarily expected to consume the entire country, if
erupted, called on members of the international community to activate
and operationalize their early warning system and preventive diplomacy
over the looming genocide and its danger signals in Nigeria. We had
also warned that the United Nations and the African Union with all
their humanitarian agencies and budgets put together would not contain
and curtail the number of refugees and internally displaced persons
and their health consequences and complications; if the country, with
total human population of 175million was or is to be engulfed in
genocidal internal conflict.
We still make bold to say that if this is allowed to happen, not even
the western musketeers who are suppliers of mass weapons at night and
makers of peace/donors of humanitarian aids/funds in the day; will be
spared. The humanitarian crises arising from the imminent Nigerian
genocide will be too catastrophic and far reaching for them to handle
or contain. We also reminded and still remind them of the histories of
the intra State violent conflicts of the immediate past whereby those
entrusted with formal control of instruments of violence; but got them
misused and misapplied, ended up in exile or as refugees or in death
with justice accountability for atrocities they committed or
perpetrated against their own people in office placed on them while
living or after death.


Instances abound in Liberia, where the Armed Forces of Liberia under
Samuel Doe, later became moribund and got replaced; in Sierra Leone,
where the Armed Forces of Sierra Leone under Joseph Saidu Momoh; later
after its brutal civil war, got radically restructured; in former
Soviet Union where the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics got collapsed and disbanded on account of the country‘s
disintegration into 15 States; occasioned by the policy of perestroika
and glasnost; engineered by then President Mikhail Gorbachev way back
in 1987; and in former Yugoslavia under Slobodan Milosevic and Stjepan
Mesic where their armed forces, dominated by Serbs got collapsed and
disbanded. This is to mention but few.
We had expected the present Federal Government in Nigeria, headed by
Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari to adhere strictly to the
provisions of the existing Constitution of the Federal  Republic of
Nigeria 1999, especially in accordance with its Section 14 (2) (b)
(State protection of all citizens and provision of security and
welfare to them) and Chapter Four, particularly its Sections 40 (right
to freedom of association and assembly), 41 (right to freedom of
movement and residence in any part of Nigeria), 42 (right to freedom
from discrimination) and 43 (right to acquire and own immoveable
property anywhere in Nigeria).
We had also expected the Buhari Administration to beef up both unseen
and seen security presence in all parts of Northern Nigeria especially
in the host settlement areas of the Northern Zone where over
11.4million Igbo and other people of old Eastern Nigeria reside, work,
study, worship or trade. The expected but failed security beef up in
Northern Nigeria and in Igbo and other Easterners’ settlements was and
is still direly expected considering the nearness of the expiration of
the referenced Arewa Youths/Northern Elders’ genocidal quit notice
(1st October). The issuers of the June 2017 genocidal threats against
the Igbo/old Eastern Nigerian Region population in Northern Nigeria
and their sponsors also ought to have been arrested and put on trial.
Sadly and wickedly, the reverse has become the case; leading to
issuance of military fatwa and flooding of the ancestral Igbo
heartland with battalions of soldiers and armed police personnel by
the present central Government. As matter of fact, the latest military
buildup in Southeast and South-south areas of Nigeria is a clear case
of official issuance of further genocidal threats against members of
the Igbo Race right inside their ancestral citadel by the Buhari
Administration.
As if that was not enough, the same Federal Government yesterday
exposed its “genocidal plan B” by deliberately garrisoning and
shooting in the direction and location of the palace of Prince Nnamdi
Kanu’s father with military tanks and truck-loads of armed soldiers so
as to provoke the disillusioned, disenchanted and angered unarmed
supporters and friends of the pro Biafra movement leader. This was
done for the purpose of provoking the youths into group and reprisal
violence with sticks and clubs so as to find ground to massacre them
and unleash widespread violence and genocide against innocent and
defenseless Igbo population in their places of worship, relaxation,
trade, mobility, meeting, etc. Citizen Nnamdi Kanu who the genocidal
soldiers also reportedly attempted to abduct is presently on Court
bail with his matter expected to resume on 17th October 2017.

Till date, it never and has not occurred to the present Buhari
Administration that it is steadily breeding another insurgency in
Nigeria by its radical and militarized policies and approaches against
the Igbo Race. Those obeying and carrying out Mr. President’s
genocidal orders against the People of the Southeast and South-south
Regions are also so subdued, deafened and conscienceless that they
cannot strong advise the same President to stop henceforth from
endangering the lives and security of over 174million people of
Nigeria.
Today, barrages of attack from all fronts against the Igbo
Race/Christian populations in Nigeria abound. Members of the Igbo Race
are facing the central Government’s structural violence and its formal
security establishments’ attacks (regime violence and atrocities). At
the level of non-State actor; also come Jihadist attacks from the
government security agencies’ backed terrorist Fulani herdsmen; who go
on rampage with alarming and shocking alacrity; killing and maiming
the Igbo rural population as well as abducting and raping of their
women and children; destruction of Igbo farm crops and violent
possession of their lands.
Signed:
For: International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law
(Intersociety)
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Website: www.intersociety-ng.org
Barr Obianuju Igboeli
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Program
Barr Ndidiamaka Bernard
Head, Int’l Justice and Human Rights Program