******{Entire report published here as in the original without editing – Rethinking Africa}
Ref:
Intersociety/SBCHROs/12/2016/SE/Public-Office-Holders/SE/NG
From: Intersociety/SBCHROs, Onitsha-Nigeria, 4th of December 2016
To:
To:
1. His Excellency, Mr. Willie M. Obiano
Executive Governor of Anambra State
The Governor’s Office, Government House
Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
2. His Excellency, Mr. Okezie Ikpeazu, PhD
Executive Governor of Abia State
Office of the Governor, Abia State Government
House
Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria
3. His Excellency, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
Executive Governor of Enugu State
The Governor’s Office, Enugu State Government
Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria
4. His Excellency, Mr. Dave Umahi
Executive Governor of Ebonyi State
Office of the Ebonyi State Governor, Ebonyi
Government House
Abakiliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
5. His Excellency, Mr. Anayo Rochas Okorocha
Executive Governor of Imo State
Office of the Governor, Imo State Government
House
Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
6. Distinguished Senator Ike Ekweremadu
Deputy Senate President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria
Office of the Deputy Senate President
The National Assembly Complex, FCT, Abuja,
Nigeria
Your Excellencies/Distinguished Senator
An Urgent
Call To Southeast Public Office Holders: Before The Jihadist Nigerian Army
Collapses The Ailing Onitsha Niger Bridge And Turns Igbo Land Into A German
Concentration Camp In The Guise Of “Operation Python Dance”
The leadership of International
Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (abbreviated as INTERSOCIETY) respectfully
writes, in conjunction with the Southeast
Based Coalition of Human Rights Organizations (SBCHROs), to draw the
urgent attention of Your
Excellencies and Distinguished
Senator as it concerns a clear case of army of occupation by
Jihadist elements in the present Nigerian Army in the
Southeast Geopolitical Zone or Igbo Land as well as orchestrated plans by them
to collapse the 51years Old Onitsha Niger Bridge, a major gateway to Igbo Land.
We make bold to say that the ulterior motives behind the referenced despicable and
condemnable operations are for the purpose of Jihadism and Ethnic Cleansing.
Others are to cause social and economic strangulation of the Southeast Zone and
collapse of Onitsha Niger Bridge built since 1965; for the purpose of cutting
off the Igbo Land from the rest of the country; using the Southeast Roads as
illegitimate money making venture by way of collection of illegal roadblock
tolls and extortion; depriving the Christian dominated Peoples of the Southeast
and the South-south Zones particularly those living outside the Zones of their
sacred and constitutionally guaranteed rights to worship their Christian
Religion and commemorate the birth of their Savior Jesus Christ by blocking and
torturing them from returning to their ancestral homes by way of total blockage
of the ailing Niger Bridge and deliberate creation of indiscriminate
roadblocks; pushing the law abiding Igbo Race to the wall and forcing them to
adopt radical reprisal approaches to pave way for full blown genocidal
Jihadism against the Race.
It is recalled that on Monday, 28th of November 2016,
the Nigerian Army, dominated by Jihadist elements; dubiously announced the mass
deployment of troops and equipment to all strategic roads and commercial
centers including motor parks in Igbo Land, in the guise of “Operation or
Exercise Python Dance”; saying it is targeting “MASSOB, IPOB, Fulani Herdsmen,
Kidnappers and Armed Robbers”. Before the dubious announcement, the Southeast
or Igbo Land was laid under siege with not less than one hundred military and
navy roadblocks and not less than 1000 police roadblocks scattered on all
strategic roads and routes in the Zone. The link below contains the first army
statement under reference: http://newsexpressngr.com/news/31295-Army-reads-Riot-Act-to-IPOB-MASSOB-herdsmen-others.
In response, the Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights
Organizations (SBCHROs) and the
Intersociety issued a joint statement, dated 30th of
November 2016, condemning in its entirety and totality the action of the
Jihadist Nigerian Army. The said statement of ours triggered off public
outcries and more informed reactions; forcing the army through its 82nd Division
in Enugu to issue another contradictory, defenseless and watery statement;
claiming professionalism and
routine in-service exercise. The link below contains the
second army statement, issued on Friday, 2nd December
2016: http://www.newsexpressngr.com/news/31490-Army-clears-air-over-operation-Python-Dance-in-South-East-16.
In all these, the more the Jihadist army tries to justify its claims behind the
atrocious operations, the more its ulterior motives are exposed.
We have, contrary to the claims of the Jihadist Army, investigated,
found and come out with the following 37-Points Of Facts; shaming, rubbishing and exposing the false
claims and ulterior motives of the Jihadist Nigerian Army and the Police:
(1) that the Jihadist
Nigerian Army raised false insecurity alarms in the Southeast with ulterior or
dubious intents
(2) that street
protests are not armed rebellion or traditional street crimes of kidnapping,
armed robbery or murder, etc
(3) that IPOB and
MASSOB are not armed opposition groups waging war against the Federal Republic
of Nigeria or any part thereof
(4) that Southeast
Zone is the most peaceful Zone to live in Nigeria; as clearly attested to by a
recent UN Report and it is not a war zone or a zone at war with the Federal
Government or Federal Republic of Nigeria
(5) that there are
no security threats of unprecedented proportion or Northeast magnitude in the
Southeast Zone warranting the present military siege or police state in the
Zone
(6) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army is crude and an illiterate army with no knowledge of the
meaning and definition of Rules of Engagement
(7) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army has continued to criminalize and stigmatize the
non-violent activities of IPOB to the point of saddening and alarming
proportions
(8) that while the
Southeast, which is a Zone in peace and non-war Zone is being hunted,
persecuted and pushed to the wall; the troubled Zones like Northeast and
violent groups like the Fulani Janjaweed are being cuddled, petted and
protected (i.e. see military roadblocks along Umuahia-Aba Federal Road and
blanket protections provided to Fulani cattle rearers and their herds of cattle
where cattle are valued more than lives of road users on Southeast Roads)
(9) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army and its Commander-in-Chief are killing, wounding,
torturing and persecuting citizens of the Southeast Zone that have chosen
non-violence and law-abiding living; whereas violent entities and Zones
including Boko Haram and Fulani Janjaweed are being rewarded and given presidential
treat and protection
(10) that there are
no credible official crime statistics from the Nigeria Police Force in the
Southeast Zone, detailing the patterns and trends of violent crimes such as
kidnapping and armed robbery in the Zone; showing increase or decrease;
warranting the involvement of the Jihadist Nigerian Army in the flooding
of the Zone with troops and weapons
(11) that soldiers
are not professionally trained to catch kidnappers and armed robbers or
arsonists or burglars or rapists; or engage in fighting street crimes and they
do not have mental and ICT expertise to do same
(12) that hiding
under the guise of “fighting kidnappers and armed robbers” as a cover to
actualize their Jihadist intents have been exposed and shamed
(13) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army resorted to such useless and mockery excuses as a cover
to execute their Jihadist and ethnic cleansing operations
(14) that the use
of Fulani Herdsmen by the Jihadist Nigerian Army as one of the excuses for
invasion of the Southeast is deliberate and a further cover to be hidden under
to perpetrate its planned unprovoked war or mass killing and torture mission
(15) that the
Fulani Janjaweed or Herdsmen have massacred over 140 defenceless Christians in
Southern Kaduna alone, in the past six months; yet the Army turns
blind eyes; likewise similar massacring of hundreds of others in Agatu (Benue
State), Nimbo (Enugu State), Akokwa (Imo State), Asaba and its environs (Delta
State) and reported ongoing massacre in Abia communities of Abia State,
etc; with the Jihadist Nigerian Army looking the other way; but wasting
unnecessary energy and weaponry chasing, massacring, wounding, torturing and
persecuting defenceless Igbo-Christians in furtherance of its Jihadist and
ethnic cleansing
(16) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army operation by way of total blockage of the 51 years Old
Onitsha Bridge; a major gateway to Igbo Land, is solely meant to collapse and
sink the Bridge so as to cut the Southeast Zone off from the rest of the
country; when it ought to know that the Bridge critically needs round-the-clock
decongestion and lesser traffic gridlock especially in this critical festive
period
(17) that the
operations of the Jihadist Nigerian Army are deliberately commenced this
crucial festive period in Igbo Land so as to punish, torture and persecute the
Igbo Race for being predominant Christians and deprive them of their sacred
rights to commemorate the birth of their Saviour Jesus Christ
(18) that the Army
operations are also meant to strangulate the Igbo Race or Southeast Zone socially,
culturally and economically
(19) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army operations commenced in this crucial festive period in
Igbo Land are geared towards creation of a sort of “Concentration Camp” by way
of total blockage of the Onitsha Niger Bridge; particularly along Asaba-Niger
Bridge and Niger Bridge-Onitsha Upper Iweka axis by trapping and jam-packing
thousands of Xmas returnees with their families and livestock and other
perishable items, so as to get them suffocated, fainted or died in their large
numbers
(20) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army operations are also in crude and shameless response to
the recent Amnesty International Report on massacre of at least 150 Pro Biafra
Campaigners by the Jihadist Army; a confirmation of Intersociety’s earlier
findings of the massacre by army and others of at least 250 non-violent and
unarmed Pro Biafra campaigners between July/August 2015 and May 2016
(21) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army’s response is in the form of show of shame, force and
impunity
(22) that the
Jihadist Nigerian Army operations are designed to inflict the Igbo Race with
psychological torture and permanently treat them as a conquered people and
further massacre them on the road with impunity in addition to over 250
unarmed and defenceless Igbo citizens and over 300 others it massacred or
terminally wounded since July/August 2015
(23) that the Army
operations are purely an army of occupation designed to occupy the Southeast
permanently with attendant atrocious and butchery outcomes
(24) that
Intersociety and SBCHROs’ reason for referring to the Nigerian Army as
“Jihadist Nigerian Army” particularly in the Southeast Zone, follows total
takeover and domination of its command and rank and file by officers and
citizens of northern Muslim background or Hausa-Fulani hegemony who are filled
with intolerance, crude and butchery mindsets; whereby the GOC of the 82nd Division
in Enugu: Major Gen Ibrahim Attahiru; the Deputy Army Spokesman of the 82nd Division:
Col Sagir Musa and his predecessor, Col Hamza Gambo; the Commandant of the 302
Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, Col Isa Abdullahi Maigari; the leader of the
military massacre operation of 29th and 30th of
May 2016 at Nkpor, Onitsha and Asaba; Major M.I. Ibrahim of the Military
Police; and the Commander of the 144 Battalion of the Nigerian Army at
Ukwa in Abia State; Lt Col Kasim Sidi Umar; who spearheaded the 9th of
February 2016 massacre of over 30 IPOB members in Aba, are all from
Hausa-Fulani Muslim background; likewise domination of other strategic command
positions and over 70% of the rank and file or combatants by citizens of
northern Muslim background
(25) that another
ulterior motive behind the Jihadist Nigerian Army operations in Igbo Land or
Southeast Zone is for the purpose of criminal enrichment or illegitimate
pocketing of hundreds of millions of naira from the Southeast Roads by way of
organized road crime or roadblock extortion through open and closed sources
(26) that recent
update of the Intersociety on road crimes committed by police and military
personnel (i.e. army and navy) clearly showed that there are not less than 200
military roadblocks and 1000 police roadblocks on Southeast Roads as at
4th of December 2016
(27) that in those
roadblocks, various forms of extortion are applied to rob the motorists and
other road users at official gunpoint
(28) That while
soldiers and navy use structured form of extortion (i.e. hiring of civilians or
garage touts to forcefully collect tolls on their behalf), the police use open
method or direct extortion at gunpoint
(29) that the
choice of Southeast Roads is because of its blue-collar nature or high commercial
and cash transactions
(30) that as a
result, the Jihadist Nigerian Army commanders and their foot soldiers in the
Southeast Zone; with transmission of routine monthly brown envelopes (returns)
to their superiors in Abuja; collectively and crookedly smile to bank on daily
basis with tens of millions of naira derived from roadblock extortion
(31) that empirical
evidence at our investigative disposal shows that the Nigeria Police in the
Southeast Zone and its Roads had in the past 14 months or between October 2015
and December 2016, criminally collected and pocketed a total of N9.1Billion
from roadblock extortion on Southeast Roads
(32) that our
updated checks as at today show that there are not less than 250 police
roadblocks on Anambra’s Federal and State Roads as well as its city roads and
that each police roadblock extorts minimum of N50 note and average of N100 note
from each commercial motorist; translating to at least N30,000 for each
police roadblock; N7.5million daily from not less than 250 police roadblocks;
N225million monthly and N2.7Billion per year
(33) that the same
facts and circumstances are applicable to Abia State; another major blue-collar
State after Anambra State; with its 250 police roadblocks criminally pocketing
N2.7Billion per year
(34) that Imo
State; a lesser blue-collar State, has at least 200 police roadblocks to its
name; with each police roadblock pocketing not less than N15,000 daily;
N3Million for its 200 police roadblocks per day, N90Million per month and
N1.08Billion per annum
(35) that Enugu and
Ebonyi States with relatively white-collar or civil service sub culture, have
at least 300 police roadblocks to their names on average of 150 each; and each
of the police roadblock criminally pockets at least N15,000 pay day and
N4.5Million for the 300 police roadblocks per day; N135Million per month and
N1.62Billion per year; on average of N810Million for each of the two States
(36) that in all,
the police personnel at over 1000 police roadblocks mounted on Southeast Roads
have between January 2016 and December 2016 criminally collected and pocketed
from Southeast commercial road users a total of N8.1Billion; with Anambra State
accounting for N2.7Billion; Abia State N2.7billion; Imo State N1.08Billion;
Enugu State N810Million; and Ebonyi State N810Million
(37) that added to
N1.03Billion criminally collected and pocketed between 21st October
and 21st December 2015 by not less than 750 police roadblocks
then on Southeast Roads; the total roadblock theft by the Nigeria Police Force
in the past 14 months from Southeast Roads is N9.13Billion
Demands
In view of the foregoing, therefore, we boldly demand:
In view of the foregoing, therefore, we boldly demand:
1. That the Southeast Public Office Holders
particularly the elected Governors of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi
States and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu should proactively rise to
the occasion and take firm charge as the Chief Security Officers and Highest
Legislative Officer of the Southeast Zone.
2. That in view of the Chief of Army Staff’s
Conference kicking off in Owerri, Imo State from tomorrow being Monday, 5th of
December 2016, expected to last for days; the above mentioned public office
holders should make maximum use of the opportunity to register their strong
displeasure and disapproval against unwarranted militarization of the Southeast
or Igbo Land by Buratai-led Jihadist Nigerian Army.
3. That the COAS, Lt Gen Turkur Buratai should be
boldly engaged and asked to explain the rationale behind out-right domination
of the command structure of the Nigerian Army in the Southeast as well as its
rank and file by officers and citizens of Hausa-Fulani Muslim background.
4. That the COAS must be made to reverse the
dangerous trend and de-Hausanize the art of combatant or infantry soldiering in
the Southeast Zone or Igbo Land.
5. That the COAS must be told in strong and
unmistakable language that Southeast will no longer condone and tolerate the
age-long maltreatment by Nigerian Army as “a conquered territory and people”
6. That the Southeast Public Office Holders above
mentioned should meet President Muhammadu Buhari with a fluent Hausa Language
interpreter to demand his inexplicable hostility towards the Igbo Land and Igbo
Race and prevail on him to demilitarize the Southeast Zone.
7. That the Southeast Public Office Holders must
insist during the COAS visit to Imo that he must order for the de-blockage of
the ailing Onitsha Niger Bridge before he leaves the Igbo Land so as to save
the Bridge from imminent collapse and facilitate free movement of people and
vehicular particularly during Xmas and New Year period.
8. That we understand that the said Jihadist Army
commanders including the Commandant of Onitsha 302 Artillery, Col Isa Abdullahi
Maigari and the 82ndDivision Deputy Army Spokesman, Col Sagir Musa
visited the ailing Niger Bridge this morning (Sunday, 4th December
2016) between 10.30am and 11.30am following our advocacy pressures and “offered
to reduce the blockage for their safety”; this we totally reject and insist on
total removal of all the military drums and freeing and decongesting of the all
routes into and out of the ailing Bridge. This is a matter of must; not
palliative or adhoc.
9. That the COAS must be prevailed upon to order
his “Dogari” combatants at the ailing Niger Bridge to disappear from the centre
of the roads linking the ailing Bridge and retire to tents built for them
beside the Ojukwu Statue to watch over people and vehicular movements
10. That the Southeast Public Office Holders under
reference should firmly engage the COAS, the Chief of Naval Staff and the
Inspector General of Police concerning the extortionist and other criminal
activities of their personnel deployed to Southeast Roads; for the purpose of
abolishing all forms of criminal tolls or roadblock extortions.
11. That all the military and police roadblocks on
Southeast Roads should be reduced to 5%, if not total abolition because
empirical evidence has clearly shown that the more increase in military and police
roadblocks in the Zone, the more increase in State-actor and non-State actor
crimes (i.e. steady increase in Fulani Janjaweed attacks despite indiscriminate
security roadblocks)
12. That the Southeast Public Office Holders under
reference should set up a joint commission of enquiry to look into the army led
massacre of not less than 250 Pro-Biafra Campaigners as well as killings by the
Fulani Janjaweed or armed Herdsmen in various parts of the Southeast Zone or
Igbo Land
Yours in
the Service to Humanity
Emeka
Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
International
Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety)
Mobile
Line: +2348174090052
Email: info@intersociety-ng.org
Chinwe
Umeche, Head, Democracy & Good Governance Program
Mobile
Line: +2347013238673
Obianuju
Igboeli, Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law
Mobile
Line: +2348180771506
Co-Signed
By:
1. Comrade
Aloysius Attah (+2348035090548)
For: Civil
Liberties Organization, Southeast Zone
2. Comrade
Vincent Ezekwume (+2348171793911)
For: Civil
Liberties Organization, Anambra State Branch
3. Comrade
Peter Onyegiri (+2347036892777)
For: Center
for Human Rights & Peace Advocacy
4. Comrade
Samuel Njoku (+2348039444628)
For: Human
Rights Organization of Nigeria
5. Engineer
Rufus Duru (+2348037513519)
For: Global
Rights & Development International
6. Comrade
Chike Umeh ( +2348064869601)
For: Society
Advocacy Watch Project
7. Obianuju
Igboeli, Esq. (+2348034186332)
For: Anambra
Human Rights Forum
8. Comrade
Alex Olisa(+2348034090410)
For:
Southeast Good Governance Forum
9. Jerry
Chukwuokoro, PhD (+2348035372962)
For: International
Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights Initiative
10. Tochukwu Ezeoke
(+447748612933)
For: Igbo
Ekunie Initiative (Pan Igbo Rights Advocacy Group)
Note: This letter is communicated through closed
and open modes; meaning
that it has both enveloped and open versions with same contents meant for its
specific recipients.
(Duke Ellington and his Orchestra plays “Blood count”, a composition by Billy Strayhorn [personnel: Ellington, piano; Cootie Williams, trumpet; Cat Anderson, trumpet; Herbie Jones, trumpet; Clark Terry, fluegelhorn; Lawrence Brown, trombone; Buster Cooper, trombone; Chuck Connors, bass trombone; Johnny Hodges, alto saxophone; Russell Procope, alto saxophone; Paul Gonsalves, tenor saxophone; Harry Carney, baritone saxophone; Aaron Bell, bass; Steve Little, drums; recorded: RCA Studio A, New York, US, 28 August 1967/15 November 1967])
Twitter@HerbertEkweEkwe
No comments:
Post a Comment