By Benson Onuoha
I will try as much as I can to look at this issue not as an Igbo but as a human. The rearrest of Nnamdi Kanu has caused so much grief to many people who believe he’s fighting for a just course; to those who believe his method is wrong although he’s fighting a just course rejoice; to some others who look at it from the prism of he’s an Igbo man take sides with the FG; to some Igbos too who believe Nigeria is salvageable, they are on the side of the FG.
There’s no how I will write this without offending people but I don’t mind.
I see a government that pushed Kanu to the wall with all their strength to proscribe him.
The problem I have with Nigerians mostly is that they tell stories without looking at CAUSE and EFFECT. They tell the effects and leave the cause maybe due to deep hatred for a people or group.
When a child cries home and says he was beaten, the first question every sensible parents would ask is what did you do.
Here, we tell stories from part 2 or 3, leaving part 1.
We leave the CAUSE and focus more on the EFFECTS. How can we handle the effects without addressing the real cause.
In the year 1999 when Aba became a zone for serious armed robbery attacks, a group rose up and formed a vigilante group called BAKASI. BAKASI later took over the entire eastern region to reduce or even stopped armed robbery. Who formed this group? Some group of shoemakers who felt they needed to do something since the government couldn’t protect them from armed robbery. Meanwhile I need to remind all that BAKASI was armed too because you can’t stand against armed robbers who are armed with sticks.
How many have watched the videos or witnessed where Fulani headers butchered farmers or villagers in hundreds and FG and even state government act like nothing happened. I don’t want to talk about rapes and crops destroyed. I listened to Nnamdi Kanu say ESN is here to fight against Fulani headers who kill, rape and maim our people in our villages under the watch of FG. This is equivalent to what those group of shoemakers saw in 1999 and formed BAKASI. Move around the north, there are several vigilante groups approved.
Should southern Nigeria continue to be ransacked and killed by headers under the watch of FG for how long. And the state governments seem unconcerned provided the government houses are secured. No one keeps quiet for too long when people who should protect you act ignorant deliberately.
Let’s go ahead on how Nigerians tell stories from part 2 or 3. They said Kanu jumped bail. They refused to tell the part 1 by asking themselves why did FG send troops to go and kill a man that had a case in the court with them. None is talking about it, but he jumped bail.
They say Ipob has now picked arms, but they refused to tell the part one of the story of how many Ipob protesters that were shot dead at different times and in different locations. In democratic setting is where police and the military shoot people for just protesting, and many of us are okay with that.
When people revolt against suppressions, and intimidations, they become terrorists. They must keep calm and continue to suffer losses of lives and property, to continue to have their wives and daughters raped for peace to reign. Should I call people like Georges-Jacques Danton who was at the forefront of French revolution a revolutionist or a terrorist. Wasn’t Danton armed with his group when they ended mornachy in France?
Which terrorist is free to move around to places like Israel, UK, US, and even to the UN? Which terrorist does that? That’s how much of a terrorist Kanu is. Who is deceiving who in this country? Off which UK is admitting that the terrorist Kanu is their citizen. Nigerians are very funny people.
Kanu is inciting violence in the country. Let me tell all of us who want to be parochial in this matter that what are inciting violence in the country are unemployment rate, hunger, show of force to people crying foul, and the entire backwardness in all sectors of the country. When a government weaponized hunger, injustices and unemployment, people anywhere, no matter the race must ready to die either by getting involved in crimes or rising against the government. Humans are sensitive to stimuli.
Should I call our president a terrorist for all the insults he rained on Jonathan. Insults are part of democracy if it will make a government think and change their ways. How many times did Yaradua or Jonathan use show of force on protesters?
I want to actually know the crimes of Kanu more. I heard it’s propaganda and lies. Let me assume it’s true. But it’s obvious that it’s only blind people who don’t know that propaganda and selective honesty are parts of activism. Why do we have a strategy called SELECTIVE HONESTY please. Didn’t APC use propaganda and lies to take over power from pdp. Nationalists understand the needs of selective honesty when the needs arise. Everyone understands you must cherrypick points and use it to your own favour in fighting for freedom. Freedom fighters go through the history of their predecessors to know how best to go about it depending on which part of the world you are from.
Should we support it when the government uses the police and the military to kill anyone who doesn’t support the government, to many people who claim they love humanity, it’s better that way. We have many chairing it up and feel glad, even rejoice the forces that should protect us are used extra-judicially.
Look at what happened in Ogoni during IBB regime, after IBB visited Ogoni-land and watched Ogoni people supported Saro Wiwa read the script for Ogoni freedom. The following day, there was heavy military presence in Ogoni-land, Saro Wiwa was abducted, many men were shot dead, young ladies were raped and lots of people were rendered homeless. Shockingly there were people who said IBB did the right thing. Never will you see a Nigerian call the police or military terrorists when they boldly do extra-judicial killings in wantons. NEVER! We can’t because we align with the side of our stomach infrastructure, tribalism, bigotry or prejudice or even the same selective honesty and propaganda accuse Kanu of.
If Nigeria has been fair to South South to start with, why did we have the sagas of Saro Wiwa, and Adaka Boro. Why people like Asari Dokubo, and Tompolo; why Militants or Avengers.
Looking at Southeast, why Uwazuruike and Mossob.
I guess Kanu’s major problem with FG is refusing to be bribed to drop this agitation like some did. What case do you have with a man that you held against court order for two years, then later also went to kill him with troops.
People who rejoice over Kanu’s abduction, to them Kanu who is the primary reasons for all problems in Nigeria has been kidnapped, should know that Kanu’s agitation came for similar reasons that others agitated in the past.
Here, it’s either an activist is bribed or imprisoned or even killed in some cases. No two ways about it. But I pray we toll the path of fair hearing, and justice without delays this time, not the usual way of Nigeria method on activism or activists.
This is not just a matter of Kanu because people stronger and more powerful than Kanu shall still arise in future if this issue is not properly handled.
© Benson Onuoha
July 4th, 2021.
