Following calls by the Indigenous
People of Biafra, IPOB, for boycott of elections in Anambra State,
a group of
lawyers in the state have petitioned the United Nations, United States, Nigeria
Police, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), among
others.
The lawyers, under the aegis of
Anambra State Lawyers in Defence of Democracy (ASLAD), urged the AGF to ensure
the commencement of a “high-powered clinical investigation” on the Nnamdi
Kanu-led IPOB.
They condemned comments by Nnamdi
Kanu and IPOB concerning the election and urged the AGF to use instrument and powers
of the Nigerian State under his office to deal with IPOB.
Their petition reads: “The IPOB
have taken a position that they would ‘boycott’ the forthcoming Anambra 2017
elections. We do not have any problem with them on this position.
“However, our challenge with IPOB
is their seeming inability to appreciate the meaning of the word ‘boycott’ as
it relates to Anambra election.
“We are worried that their mode
of propagating their ‘No referendum, no election’ mantra suggests that the word
‘boycott’ has another meaning assigned to it in their own dictionary which is
‘disruption’ of all legitimate activities of government and electioneering
activities calculated at striking terror in the minds of the citizens who have
made up their mind to discharge their civic duty on the 18th day of November,
2017.
“Sir, the Nnamdi Kanu led IPOB
are always quick to raise the green banner of ‘non-violence’ and take refuge
under its canopied ambience whereas their official dissemination channel, Radio
Biafra, is a flowing river of hate-speeches, incitement to violence and war.
“Hate speech leads to war and war
leads to deaths and, therefore, IPOB preaches violence. In the South-East
(especially in Onitsha which is our commercial nerve centre), the IPOB
miscreants extort money from traders after intimidating them.
“IPOB hoodlums illegally mount
roadblocks to force other citizens to buy their Biafra flags and insignia not
minding whether such citizens subscribe to their separatist ideology or whether
such citizens have the money to pay for the said flags. They harass citizens
and threaten them with violence.”
The lawyers said that IPOB
members intimidate and close shops of marketers in Onitsha and that “IPOB
street urchins have on two remarkable occasions disrupted campaigns rallies and
have most infamously invaded and desecrated St. Joseph’s Catholic Church,
Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State where the Governor
was to worship [with their chants of no referendum, no election]. Indeed, they
have a rich history of mischief.”
The group’s petition was copied
to the United Nations Mission in Nigeria, Ambassador of the United States to
Nigeria, The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, The European Union Mission
to Nigeria, National Human Rights Commission, The Inspector-General of Police,
The Defence Headquarters.
Others copied are The
Director-General, Department of State Services, The Senate of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, The Federal House of Representatives, South-East
Governors’ Forum and Anambra Council of Traditional Rulers.
This is highly commendable and a step in the right direction. This is what the elders and the Governors from the South Eastern State should have done. Better late than never, it shows not all Igbos are in support of Nnamdi Kanu's strange aim of destabilizing Nigeria through his so called Biafra Radio Station's hate speech campaign against other ethnic group in Nigeria and the Nigerian Government. Long live Nigeria, together we stand, divided we fall.
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