Report On Roadblock Extortion In Igboland Now On Audio-Visual Clips …Intersociety

…….why we thoroughly research and investigate

The recent research report compiled and released on 16th Oct 2019 by the Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law-INTERSOCIETY, is now available on audio-visual clips.

The audio-visual version of the research was done by the Njeje Media TV, UK owned by President of the Igbo Ekunie group in UK, Maazi Tochukwu Ezeoke; a friend of Intersociety and our Board Chair’s kinsman.

The audio-visual package runs for 30 minutes, reading the entire executive summary of the research report and displaying or showing the pictures and graphics attached.

(1)Thanking Njeje Media TV, UK & Print, Online & Audio Media In Nigeria: On this note, Intersociety deeply thanks Maazi Tochukwu Ezeoke and his Njeje Media TV group in the United Kingdom for their noble supportive stance following our release of the special research report on roadblock extortion in Eastern Nigeria. We also immensely thank the Nigerian Print media particularly the Vanguard, the Punch, the Sun, the New Telegraph, the Nation, the Guardian, the Blue Print, the Daily Independent, the Oracle and This Day Newspapers as well as all the FM Radio stations that reviewed and analyzed the Report.

For online, our special thanks go to the Nigerian Voice, News Express, Elombah Reports, Premium Times, Daily Post, Sundiata Reports, the Nigeria Lawyer Reports, Third Eye, the Street Reporters, the Odogwu and the Chidi Opara Reports, the News Critic, the Biafran Bullet, as well as numerous supportive social media platforms. Others not mentioned here are also included in our commendation list. The bold and supportive stance following our Report taken by the Ekwenche Research Organization, the Biafra Genocide Survivors Int’l and the Persecuted Christian Alliance Int’l, all based in the United States are also deeply commendable.

(2) Beneficiaries Of The Audio-Visual Version Of Our Research Work: The package aims at reaching all segments of the public particularly the busy Nigerians, those in rural areas and others who are out of the reach of newspapers, internet and television networks across Nigeria and beyond. Those with listening or reading challenges are also targeted; likewise ardent audio and radio listeners. The audio-visual package is also prepared for conveniences of political, military and policing authorities and their policy makers. One of them is the X-Squad/Department of the Nigeria Police Force.

The package can easily be downloaded and conveniently listened to while cruising around at godly hours or eating or taking siesta. It can as well be played as a music cassette while traveling or at workshop or in the farm and shop or office or at restaurant/bar or school assembly or in the government executive and legislative chambers or at church choir and meeting or at mosque or military and police parades or pulpit or at age grade, clan/kindred and town union meetings or inside rail train or air plane or ship or at traditional rulers cabinet, urban residence and market associations’ meetings, etc.

(3) The Link To The Audio-Visual Clips: The link to the package is provided here: https://youtu.be/2iqSqRLevKk

(4) Concise Origin Of The Research Report & What We Found In The Three Works

(4.a) Ethnicity, Religion & Criminal Enrichment: It is recalled that the research on roadblock extortion was a follow-up to two others released in Jan and Sept 2019. The first work was about the killing and maiming spree that took place in major parts of old Eastern Nigeria including Delta State. The pattern of the massacre, which took place between August 2015 and Sept 2017, was found to be utterly sectional or ethno-religiously motivated; even though perpetrated by the Nigerian pubic funded uniform personnel and their authorities (Nigerian military and police). Another research question of “who killed and maimed them” was thrown up; leading to the Sept 2019 field work and its publication.

In the end, the field work found that “out of 73 top commanders manning key military and policing formations in the Southeast and the South-south, 65 were drawn from Northern and Southwestern Muslim stock and few others who are non Southeast and South-south Christians”. Most of the 65 were Muslim Northerners. Of the entire 73, only eight came from Southeast and South-south. In the previous lists covering the massacre periods, the top positions were found to be 95% Muslims and only 5% Christians; with officers of Southeast and South-south constituting an infinitesimal fraction. The field perpetrators or combatants were also drawn mostly from Northern Muslim population including the controversially repented ex Boko Haram terrorists monopolistically enlisted into the Army.

At the end of the second research work, released in Sept 2019, yet another key research question was thrown up and begged for further research. The third research question: ascertaining the economic cost of the genocidal operation was researched on, leading to the 16th Oct 2019 release of same in which the research found that: “the two regions of Southeast and South-south were besieged and violently occupied by 34,000 armed police (25,000) and military (9,000) personnel and criminally enriched themselves at roadblocks to the tune of N306b or $1b in past 50 months or August 2015-Oct 2019”. Over N300b or $1b loss of investment was also recorded in the Southeast alone including N90b multinational brewery industry investment lost to Southwest in August 2018.

(5) Why We Thoroughly Research & Investigate: Intersociety is strongly opposed to culture of ‘reactive activism’ and focused on in-depth research, investigation, analysis, documentation and publications. Intersociety deeply notes and appreciates the roles the ICT, particularly internet have played in the world of intellectualism, but strongly opposes the culture of intellectual laziness that goes with it-whereby many people hardly read and research nowadays; except indulging in synchronous and asynchronous web chatting.

(6) Our Advocacy Beyond Political & Monetary Influences: We are also uncompromisingly dedicated to the three core values guiding the global human rights and democracy activism; namely: selfless and priceless services to humanity, volunteerism and commitment; all tailored in consistency and issue-based advocacy.

(7) Those Targeted In Our Research Works: Our advocacy activities target the following three critical segments of the Public: (a) Upper Public including political office holders and politicians, policy makers or planners, legislators, policing and military authorities, etc; (b) the Attentive Public including media, human rights and democracy organizations, religious leaders, labor unions and other professional bodies, research institutions, the academia, graduates, under-graduate and post graduate students, etc; and (c) the Un-attentive Public including peasants, unskilled industrial workers, farmers, artisans, motorbike, tricycle, cab, bus and heavy duty vehicle drivers; mechanics, traders, rural dwellers, commuters, rank and file of the armed forces and the police and children from nine years and above, etc.

(8) We Have Made Professors, Doctorate Degree Holders, Etc: We are not unaware of the fact that we have, through our various research works, made professors, doctorate degree holders, holders of master of science degrees and graduates; all numbering tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands in Nigeria and beyond. In 2017, for instance, our board chair was cornered by two doctorate degree holders who are also university lecturers and law students of the National Open University of Nigeria. They simply told him: “thanks for making us doctorate degree holders and we hope you are aware that your group has through its numerous empirical research works and publications made several people professors and doctorate degree holders”.