It is crystal clear that Nigerian security forces are
widely and notoriously known for perpetrating these sorts of uncivilized,
unprofessional, barbaric, government ordered assassinations and terrorist acts
of shooting peaceful unarmed citizens, raping helpless voiceless women and
burning down homes of innocent citizens. The dark history of government ordered
extra-judicial killings and burning down whole villages has become a well-known
tradition and custom of the Nigerian government. Nigerian police, army and
other security services have historically engaged in these terrorist acts at
many locations across Nigeria in the recent past. A few examples of these
crimes against humanity remain indelible in the memory of every Nigerian.
In the case of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, his house was burnt
down and innocent civilians were murdered, including his mother who
subsequently died of her injuries sustained in the attack. In the case of Odi
in Bayelsa State, the Nigerian army burnt down the entire town, razed it to the
ground and massacred the entire population, including their domestic animals
and every living thing in sight.
In the genocide at Afaraukwu Ibeku, Abia State, the
Nigerian Army gruesomely murdered more than 28 unarmed IPOB members in cold
blood at the compound of the IPOB Supreme Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. In the case
of Izzy in Ebonyi State Nigerian security forces murdered more than 250 unarmed
men and burnt down their houses. In a recent incident at Aba in Abia State, the
Nigerian government uniformed terrorists burnt down 12 buildings and pillaged
an entire neighbourhood.
True to type, history has repeated itself in the
attempted assassination of IPOB’s lawyer, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, by the
joint forces of Nigerian Police, Army and other security services at his
country home at Oraifite, Anambra State on 2 December 2019. Eyewitness accounts
have given harrowing details of how Nigerian government uniformed assassination
squads ferociously shot at guests who were on a condolence visit at Barrister
Ejiofor’s home, burnt down the residence and other nearby houses with more than
10 occupants in them, shot dead four members of IPOB, shot and injured
Barrister Ejiofor’s aged mother, and raped women including mothers and young
girls. The conduct of Nigerian Security forces at Oraifite amounts to terrorism
and crimes against humanity.
Following these atrocities, the Nigerian Police Force issued
a press statement alleging that they had acted upon receipt of reliable
information and report about alleged assault, kidnap and cult activities at
Barrister Ejiofor’s premises. Police
further alleged that members of IPOB attacked them with weapons at Barrister
Ejiofor’s premises resulting in the death of two policemen and the burning of a
police van.
There is no credibility whatsoever in the claims and
allegations put forward by the Nigerian police.
The Police press statement failed to address so many questions and
issues, including:
(1) Police failed
to produce the alleged weapons allegedly used by members of IPOB.
(2) Police failed to name the alleged victims of kidnap
nor did police say who allegedly kidnapped the alleged victims.
(3) Police failed
to name or identify the alleged cults, and its alleged members said to have
engaged in cult activities at Barrister Ejiofor’s compound. Police failed to
produce any photographic or video evidence of any cult activity it alleged.
(4) Police alleged that two policemen were killed but
failed to produce their bodies. Police alleged that two policemen were killed
and burnt in the van by members of IPOB, but video evidence shows that four
bodies were burnt in the van, which tallies exactly with the number of IPOB
members killed by the Police, and whose corpses were loaded into that same van
by the police and driven away by the Police. In effect only, the Police could
have burnt its own van together with the bodies of the four members of IPOB
killed by Police. The police allegations
are simply a setup.
(5) Police failed to identify the alleged victims
allegedly assaulted by IPOB members or Barrister Ejiofor. Police failed to
bring the alleged victims of the alleged assault to press interview or on
camera.
(6) Police failed to say or show how or why Barrister
Ejiofor's aged mother was shot, nor have police explained how burning down
houses, shooting innocent citizens and raping women constitutes the appropriate
response to investigation or prosecution of the alleged crimes.
(7) Whereas the Police was at Barrister Ejiofor’s home as
early as 6 am on the day, the same Police testified that it had received the
alleged complaints at 11.30am on the same day, which is five and half hours
after it had already attended Barrister Ejiofor’s residence supposedly in
answer to a complaint that had not yet been made at the time.
The Police statement is simply neither credible nor
believable. This matter is one that calls for intervention by the United
Nations, European Union, US Government, Amnesty international, non-government
organizations, and powerful individuals with conscience to ensure an
independent judicial investigation or inquiry directed at unravelling the truth
of what happened. On the evidence in the matter to date, the atrocities
committed at Oraifite point to a covert Nigerian Government ordered
assassination attempt on the life of Barrister Ejiofor, as well as a setup to
attempt to implicate and frame IPOB as an armed terrorist organisation which it
is not. Barrister Ejiofor and IPOB have to date defeated the Nigerian
Government in all court cases in Nigerian Courts. There is another court hearing coming up in
January 2020, hence the Nigeria government desperately wants to ensure that
Barrister Ejiofor is eliminated by every means possible.
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu had a similar experience, when ahead of
his impending court hearing the Nigerian Army attacked his home in Afaraukwu,
Abia State in an attempt to assassinate him. 28 members of IPOB and his dog
were massacred in that incident. Having failed at their assassination attempt
on Barrister Ejiofor, the Nigerian government has reverted to use of the Police
to declare him a wanted person. In criminalising Barrister Ejiofor and
declaring him a wanted person, the Nigerian Government aims to paralyse
Barrister Ejiofor’s legal practice, and thereby deny IPOB his competent legal
representation in all IPOB matters currently pending before the courts of
Nigeria. Concerted investigative journalistic work is currently
ongoing in attempt to uncover more details of this covert Nigeria government
operation and the individuals behind them.
In Biafra, we trust!
Written by:
Onumajuru Onyekachi MacSantos & Nwabunwanne David
For: Abia State Media
Edited by:
Lolo Oby Mboma
For: Abia State Media
Published by:
Chibuike John Nebeokike
For: Abia State Media
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