Northern Conspiracy Behind The Proscription Of IPOB— Biafra Writers' Editor Writes UN, US, UK, France

By Chukwuemeka Chimerue
Editor-in-Chief, Biafra Writers Forum

September 24, 2017

With profound greetings and high regards to Your Excellencies, the President of the ongoing 72nd Session, UNGA, Miroslav Lajčák, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, I write to you.

To the UN President in particular who declared the opening of the General Debate of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, on Tuesday, 19th September 2017, with the focus on the theme, “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet.” Mr. President, you must be aware that it is almost impossible to attain world peace, making a difference in the lives of ordinary people, prevention and mediation of sustaining peace, consolidating on human rights, as you outlined during your opening remarks, without first rendering justice, fairness and equity to those people of the world it mattered most. The situation in Nigeria today, calls for the application of these your over-arching priorities in sustaining world peace and preserving the fundamental human rights of people around the world.

It is with gravity that I write to inform your Excellencies about the grand conspiracies of groups, elders, youths and governments of the Northern region of Nigeria in the illegal systemic proscription of unarmed and peaceful freedom fighters cum self-determination movement in Nigeria popularly addressed as the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB).

We, in Biafra Writers Forum, having studied the recent moves undertaken by the Nigerian government headed by a northern Muslim/Islamic fanatic, President Muhammadu Buhari who has carried out series of pogrom against the Christian South(Biafrans), has arrived to the conclusion that there is indeed a hatched grand conspiracy to utilise every available apparatus of the Nigerian State, including its international relations and affairs, to wrongly and willfully paint IPOB black and brand them as "terrorists" which its process has began.

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Your Excellencies, those who are conversant with the political developments in Nigeria must have conceived the fact that the desperate bid by the Nigerian government to proscribe IPOB and render their legitimate aspirations and agitation illegal, came to a full swing after the Nigerian military under the command of a brutish Islamic Northerner, Tukur Yusuf Buratai, whom in recent times, has been dragged to court by some US lawyers over his high-handedness, extra-judicial killings and gross violation of human rights against Biafra agitators, commenced another round of ethnic cleansing on peaceful and defenseless IPOB civilians in the Southeastern region of the country, precisely in Abia State, of which videos and pictorial evidence has since surfaced online.

Your Excellencies, it is noteworthy to state at this juncture that after perpetrating these unwarranted heinous crimes and extrajudicial executions of innocent IPOB civilians, the Defense Headquarters of the Nigerian army, in a most disgraceful bid to save face and cover-up their dastardly acts against humanity, proclaimed the proscription of IPOB and tagged them "terrorists" even when it does not fall within their purview to make such declarations.

Your Excellencies, it should also be noted that Nigeria's Head of Armed Forces and Defense, are firmly under the command and control of fanatical Islamic Northerners who has used the country's armoury meant to safeguard lives and properties, terrorism and defending the borders, to perpetrate series of war crimes against peaceful and defenseless IPOB protesters, even when they embark on rallies, and sensitization campaigns. They(IPOB) are usually been clamped down with excessive use of force as ordered by the Nigerian President Buhari who was quoted in a BBC Hausa interview as saying that he does not regret his actions against Biafrans during the genocidal war, and that in fact, he would kill more Biafrans to ensure Nigeria remains as one, avowing that the country's unity is non-negotiable on different fora.

Read Also: IPOB: PRESS RELEASE; ALERTING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON ANOTHER ROUND OF BIAFRA GENOCIDE BY NIGERIAN ISLAMIC ARMY

Not slackening on their evil schemes against IPOB, the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami who is also from the Muslim-dominated North, conspired with a Northern judge, Mr. Abdullahi Kafarati to obtain a kangaroo court ruling proscribing IPOB as terrorists, in the country's domestic court. But thankfully, while all these scripts are playing out, many concerned individuals, erudite scholars, professors, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, including the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has unanimously rendered their voices in disagreement and condemnation of the act [See http://punchng.com/profs-sans-others-disagree-on-court-order-banning-ipob/], admitting that it has no legal precedent, unconstitutional, null and void. But unsurprisingly, on the other hand, the Northern Elders Forum, unanimously endorsed the spurious and condemnable attitude of the Nigerian government [See https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/northern-elders-forum-backs-proscription-of-ipob.html] which further deepens our perception and rendered credence to the fact that IPOB proscription is indeed the conspiracy of political actors from the Northern part of Nigeria.

Your Excellencies, at this juncture, it is pertinent to note that IPOB as a nation and as a people exist in almost all nations and territories of the world where they have brought meaningful development for their host countries without any record of perpetrating "terror" in those countries. We have IPOB scattered everywhere in the United Kingdom, France, United States and numerous other countries of the world where they have lived for years and contributed to the development of those countries. The question demanding urgent answer is whether only in Nigeria from where IPOB migrated to other regions and continents of the world, that they are tagged terrorists and earmarked for decimation simply for pursuing their inalienable right to self-determination as recognized by law? IPOB as a non-violent freedom fighting outfit under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is anchored on peaceful and legal means of agitation for self-governance and it has been globally recognized as peaceful people in all countries they reside. Your Excellencies must have in one period or another, witnessed the IPOB peacefully demonstrating or carrying out series of rallies in your respective States. IPOB was also seen demonstrating at the UN Headquarters, New York City at the opening of the UN General Assembly, without the US government calling for their elimination or declaring them terrorists.

Your Excellencies, if you had paid rapt attention to the speech of the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the 72nd Session of UNGA, you must have heard him not only condemned the human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims but also went further to advocate for the recognition and creation of a Palestinian independent State from Israel. Please permit me to quote Mr. Buhari here, he said, “...Along this line, Mr. President, we at the United Nations need to do more to bring about a more equitable world where a large group of people does not feel suppressed, undervalued and alienated. Last year, I talked about the need for Palestinians to have their own state. Progress has not been made on that matter in the past one year. It is one of those problems that we must not punt to another generation.

Read Also: Biafra: The Nigerian Army's Spurious Declaration Of Indigenous People As Terrorists, Reason The World Powers Should Wake-up To Their Obligations

“Any glaring unfairness, like the Palestinian case, diminishes our moral authority to preach and lecture the world on other cases. As we have learned in Nigeria, our stubborn self-righteousness blocks our ears from hearing the cry of those that we left on the fringe of society and blocks our eyes from seeing and reading the handwriting on the wall.”

These were the exact words of the Nigerian President asking for the self-determination of the Palestinians, the same demand that Biafrans in Nigeria has been asking for but unfortunately, were faced with brutal force and extermination by the Armed Forces of Nigeria. Does that not amount to sheer hypocrisy your Excellencies? It is said that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. If the Nigerian Head of State could come out before the world to intercede on behalf of those Muslims, why would the Christian Biafrans who have suffered intense genocide in Nigeria and are still been faced with threats of annihilation simply because they pursue their rights to self-determination, not be granted equal rights as those of their Muslim counterpart? Why are Biafrans/IPOB being mapped out for decimation in a country where they are regarded as second-class citizens. The height of this grand conspiracy against Biafrans is when Fulani herdsmen (4th ranking most deadly and dreaded terror group in the world), who migrated from the North to the Southern regions of the country, are allowed to slaughter innocent people of their history communities including engaging in sexual violence against its female folks without the Nigerian government acting swiftly to disband, disarm or proclaim them as the real terrorists. Your Excellencies, if all these actions and inactions of the Nigerian government are not a Muslim dominated Northern region conspiracy against Christain Biafrans in Eastern Nigeria, then I wonder what word could be used to qualify the act.

Your Excellencies, just as the Nigerian President advocated for an independent State of Palestine, so does Biafrans/IPOB want a country of their own where equity, fairness, freedom, and justice shall reign for we believe that these are the ingredients and prerogatives of global peace and consolidation on human rights. It is, therefore, our request that you critically consider these situations in Nigeria before you react to any official request brought to you by the Nigerian government under the influence of the Northern hegemony.

Thank You.