BY SIMON REEF MUSA
Initially, the “interception” of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) was too surreal to be taken seriously. Here was a man whose words were respected by some who thought he was the resurrected Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu that spearheaded the Nigerian civil war that left millions dead.
Before his arrest on Saturday in Kenya, the Abia-state born separatist leader had jumped bail in 2017 after he was docked in Nigeria in 2015, after he was kept in prison for two years. Accusations by the Nigerian state were too obvious that his chances of escaping from the long arm of the law were deemed slim. Not even the trauma suffered by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who had signed for his bail could persuade the hate-spewing revolutionary leader to return to Nigeria and have his day in court.
Once outside the shores of the country, Kanu unleashed a venom on Nigerian authorities that was never seen as he took advantage of the Biafran Radio he established in the United Kingdom to incite Southerners to visit mayhem on the government security officials. Lives and property were lost in the ensuing madness as the South-east became an oasis of frightening insecurity.
Already, the Nigerian government has accused the IPOB leader of facilitating the coldblooded murder of no fewer than 60 persons, including security personnel, among others, within the span of four months. He is also accused of treasonable felony and engaging in the incitement of hatred amongst ethnic groups aimed at destabilising the Nigerian state.
As Kanu was led to the court on Tuesday in Abuja, his usual ebullience was absent just as security forces resorted to providing a shield from prying reporters who had gathered at the court premises to catch a glimpse of the IPOB leader. Gone was that confidence he used to display while addressing his members.
On Wednesday, a peaceful march against Kanu’s arrest was staged in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. IPOB had warned the day before that nothing should happen to its leader. The British government, which had hitherto came under attack over a news report that the separatist leader was arrested in Britain, issued a stern warning that nothing untoward should happen to the Biafran agitator.
The British High Commission in Nigeria took time to disclose that the UK was engaged in talks with the Nigerian government to ensure the matter was handled appropriately in line with international procedures, bearing in mind that the extradited IPOB leader is a British citizen.
Since his arrest, members of IPOB have never rested on their oars to ensure no harm comes to their leader. Though described as someone with the thirst to surrender to the desires of the flesh, Kanu was simply an embodiment of a trait desirous of emancipating his people from the clutches of poverty and oppression.
There is no denying the truth that Kanu has become a metaphor for what is wrong with our nation. Unlike others who would suffer under silence, Kanu had blazed the trail in exposing evils and working hard to expose things that are working against citizens. Unlike those who saw Nigeria as a huge symbol of injustice, the IPOB leader was determined to pull down the clay feet of corruption that has come to epitomise the country.
In the present context, those opposed to injustice and dreaming of a future where no man is oppressed and all ethnic nationalities shall have the right to pass through the door of opportunities and be treated justly and equitably are in some way carrying the traits of Kanu.
The Biafran agenda is not about a lone struggle but about a dream of emancipating a nation from the grips of those committed to ensuring its stunted growth. Those who fought the civil war may be dead, but the dream they lived for is still alive. The Biafran struggle strikes a resonance cord with the ideological leanings of citizens desperate to recover their lost dreams.
Considering the reactions trailing Kanu’s extradition to face justice in Nigeria, the IPOB’s leader and his predicament are depressing symbols confronting our nation. Those who think that his arrest is simply a triumph of legality over criminality must wake up and smell the coffee. As someone said recently, Kanu’s extradition must provide an opportunity for sober reflection for both the government and citizens to pull the nation from the precipice.
The President Muhamamdu Buhari-led Federal Government should be careful to avoid any untoward action that is capable of sending the wrong signals. Government must not look the other way to pull all stops in sending Kanu to jail, efforts must be deployed to look into the issues raised by IPOB. It is apparent that Kanu’s position on Biafra is not generally shared by many South-easterners.
There are too many proofs that Kanu under the law may not come out scot-free of accusations slammed against him. Over six decades after independence, our country has never been bereft of social injustice and agitations for a better Nigeria. While calling on the government not to unleash its full venom of the law on Kanu whose bourgeoning followers now emblemize the sufferings of distraught citizens, negotiations should be deployed in tackling the current Kanu impasse.
It is commendable that South-eastern political class and elite, more than any other time, are coming out strongly to flay the activities of IPOB and its security arm, known as Eastern Security Network (ESN). The coming days should serve as an opportunity to reach out to critical stakeholders in upholding and building trust among diverse groups of the Nigerian state.
Those who insist that the unity of Nigerian is inviolable and non-negotiable should note that there is nothing sacrosanct about our existence as a nation. A government that does not provide security for all citizens can never claim to be a government. When bandits and criminals are allowed the freedom to shed innocent blood of vulnerable citizens, the monster of destruction can never bid goodbye to such a country.
Kanu’s ongoing trial is both an opportunity and a dilemma. If attempts are made to resolve some of the issues that have turned the IPOB leader into a separatist force; then the country would be better off for it. However, if the intention of extraditing Kanu to the country is to unleash naked political power on him, then, Nigeria risks cascading down the slope of irredeemable decline.
Docking Kanu should not signal an end in combating forces of violence in the country. What Nigeria needs now more than any other time is to evolve effective templates in arriving at that spot where the rain started beating us as citizens. We cannot afford to pretend all is well in our nation that is facing trauma and ravaging insecurity. We must see the present travail of Kanu as an opportunity to remake Nigeria so that it can work for everyone. Anything less amounts to postponing the evil day.
