The Continued Detention Of Nnamdi Kanu, Sunday Igboho And The Mistakes Of The Nigerian Government
The entire mainstream houses and social media platforms went agog on the announcement of the re-arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Kenya. The announcement came directly from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. So, for the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) and supporters of her leader, Mazi Nnmadi Kanu, it was quite displeasing and an annoying moment. For all those that hate Nnamdi Kanu or his strategies, it sounded like the most exciting news of the century. For APC led government and the Fulani Oligarchs in Aso-rock, it was their greatest achievement which called for celebrations, as if the man was the problem of Nigeria.
Some days after the arrest of the IPOB leader, the next biggest news that broke in Nigeria was the attack of Sunday Igboho, the leader of Oodua Republic agitators. His house was ransacked and his aides killed with officials of DSS claiming responsibility. But to the best of my knowledge, Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho constituted no problems for Africa, Nigeria or Muhammadu Buhari's APC government.
Kanu and Igboho are merely exercising their constitutional rights to self-determination, freedom of speech and right of association. The duo have not killed anybody and no court in Nigeria or elsewhere, has convicted them for any violation. But Buhari and his government is seeing them as the problems of Nigeria. Yet, there remains many huge problems facing Africa, Nigeria and APC that has been left unsolved but instead, they go after proverbial rats.
Muhammadu Buhari as a misplaced priority, goes after misplaced agenda.
Since inception of his government, the Nigeria economy went on her kneels, bandits have unabatedly been rampaging every state of the country, from the east to west and from the south to the north. No day has ever passed without the news of Fulani herdsmen terror attacks amongst others. Boko Haram has reclaimed and captured most parts of Borno State, which used to be a free and a peaceful State. They have also entered many other states that were free before the emergence of this government. Many of such states are now under the control of Boko Haram terrorists.
The above mentioned cases are some of the major problems of Nigeria and Africa, not Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or Sunday Igboho. Banditry is now a legalized business in the north, kidnapping of school children is now a regular occurrence and negotiating with bandits and Fulani terror herdsmen is now the norm, a new ministry or parastal in Nigeria, with their Minister appointed as Sheikh Ahmad Gumi. This has become the system in Northern Nigeria, that the federal government now gives them federal allocations. There will not be surprises if they even decide to budget for their terror activities in the next budget plan. If we are truthful to ourselves, these are the main problems of Nigeria and Africa in general, not IPOB or Oduwua.
Similarly, the storms surrounding the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, highlights the fragility of democracy and it's guardrails in Nigeria, with the laborious task required to strengthen the nation’s fragile socio-political fabric. Pantami’s call for a jihad and unalloyed support for murderous groups, portray him as a dyed-in the wool Islamic fundamentalist and fanaticism. Yet, Muhammdu Buhari and his APC government do not see him as a problem to Nigeria but have appointed him as Communication Minister, to control the country’s massive data and telephone infrastructure, amongst other sensitive details of national intelligence.
"This jihad is an obligation for every single believer, especially in Nigeria”, “Oh God, give victory to the Taliban and al-Qaeda”. These were the exact words of Pantami in one of his ferocious preachings in the year 2000. In a second speech delivered in 2006, Pantami offered his public condolences for the death of the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraqi, Al-Zarqawi. “May God have mercy on Ahmad al-Fadil al Khalayleh, rahmatullah alayhi. May God forgive his mistakes. He is a human being. He has certainly some mistakes in front of God, so May God forgive his mistakes". Who am I talking about? He is Abu Musa’ab al-Zarqawi.
No matter how you might be seeing Pantami, he is also a problem to the country. But today, he is holding one of the most sensitive positions in this government. Buahri does not see him as a problem. Instead, Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho are the ones being detained unjustly.
Sheihk Ahmad Gumi, a prominent Muslim cleric and former army Captain, first emerged on the scene in February 2021 after he went on a so-called peace mission to a group of bandits in their forest hideouts at Zamfara State. Since then, he has further undertaken other such visits to Kastina, Kaduna and Niger States to negotiate with them.
In another occasion, he said: “kidnapping children from school is a lesser evil because in the end, you can negotiate and that bandits are now very careful about human lives. This was after the abduction of about twenty (20) students from Greenfield University in Kaduna State in April 2021, where he (Gumi), reportedly urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay the group responsible, their demanded ransom of $260, 000 with ten (10) Honda Motorcycles. This is indeed laughable! Can you just imagine the mess Nigerians are presently into?
These are the problems confronting Nigeria and not Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or Sunday Igboho.
Muhammdu Buhari should specifically go after the problems of his country and stop running from pillar to post. The arrests of Mazi Nnmadi Kanu and Sunday Igboho are clear mistakes that will cost more than Nigeria to handle.
#FreeNnamdiKanu!
#FreeSundayIgboho!!
#SelfDeterminationIsNotACrime!!!
Written by Obulose Chidiebere
Edited by Ogah C.S. Maduabuchi
For Family Writers Press International
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