Carefully planned war-like events going on at the Onitsha
Niger Bridgehead have clearly revealed that the Hausa-Fulani segment of the
Nigerian Army have declared a Second Civil War against the Igbo Ethnic Nationality
of Nigeria and their South-south counterparts; particularly millions of Xmas
returnees. Their sacred rights to ancestral homeland and ethnic identity are
under intense threat. It is historically unheard of that a people of innocent
background and character, returning to their ancestral homes for special
seasonal feast like Xmas; are blocked and made to suffer and suffocate few
miles to their ancestral homes. In the instant case, new born children and
their nursing mothers as well as elderly people and children, etc are made to
undergo excruciating pains and hardships with many sleeping inside their
vehicles and by bush sides. Perishable food and domestic items worth millions
of naira are also lost.
Recall that on 2nd and 17th December 2015, a total of 25 innocent citizens were killed at the same
Onitsha Niger Bridge by the same Hausa-Fulani soldiers attached to the 302
Artillery Regiment of the Nigerian Army, Onitsha led by an Hausa-Fulani born
Army officer, Col Issah Abdullahi. Over
40 innocent citizens were also critically injured following live bullets
targeted at them and shot at close range.
The two butcheries resulted to instant death of 21 innocent citizens
while four others shot at the chest, head and abdomen regions of their bodies
died later in hospital as a result of
deadly injuries sustained. In the 2nd December killings, 13 innocent citizens
were shot dead and over 20 sustained deadly gunshot wounds. At the Multicare
Hospital alone, 14 critically shot citizens were admitted, out of which, four
died. And in the 17th December killings, 8 innocent citizens were murdered by
soldiers and 20 others sustained deadly gunshot injuries, out of which, 13 were
admitted at the Multicare Hospital alone.
As if these were not enough, the Hausa-Fulani soldiers of
the same 302 Regiment had since Wednesday, 23rd December 2015, blocked the
Onitsha Niger Bridgehead and deliberately subjected the Igbo and South-south
Xmas returnees to excruciating pains and hardships under the guise of checking
and spotting members of IPOB and MASSOB; to the extent that livestock and
perishable food items worth millions of naira were lost. On Thursday, 24th
December 2015, our field team that visited the Bridgehead to see the sore
goings on; spoke to some owners of the livestock and perished food items off
the Bridge and at their offloading joints along Atani Road in Ogbaru LGA, over
200 dead chickens and baskets of rotten food items were counted; all lost to
suffocation following excruciating traffic jams created by the Hausa-Fulani
soldiers.
In another field trip yesterday, 27th December 2015, at the
Niger Bridgehead led by our Board Chairman, which took place between 2.32pam
and 4.05pm, the Onitsha end of the Bridgehead was deliberately and completely
blocked by the Hausa-Fulani soldiers, obviously acting under firm directives of
the duo of Col Issah Abdullahi, Commander of the Onitsha Army Regiment and the
GOC of 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army, Brig Gen Ibrahim Attahiru. The trip
also included a visit to hospitals where some victims of the Onitsha Niger
Bridgehead Army shooting were receiving treatments.
The same soldiers’ blockage was the case at the Asaba end of
the same Bridge. Yet, major reason given by the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria
Police Force for embarking on the shooting and killing spree at the same Niger
Bridge on 2nd and 17th December 2015, against pro Biafran peaceful
protesters was falsely laid on “blockage
of the important Bridge linking Southeast and South-south with the rest of
Nigeria.” The carefully planned Second Civil War at the Niger Bridgehead
totally marks itself out with other military checkpoints across the country
where all forms of deliberate traffic jams are totally eliminated. To crown it
all, most, if not all the soldiers stationed at the Onitsha Niger Bridgehead
are soldiers of Hausa-Fulani extraction, who are imbued with chronic hatred of
the Igbo Ethnic Nationality. Their positioning at the Niger Bridgehead is
further accompanied with compound hatred (hate directive from their commanders
and tribal hatred).
This explains our firm position that Second Civil War is
ongoing at the Onitsha Niger Bridgehead. We wish to draw the attention of the
international community concerning the ongoing persecution of the Igbo Ethnic
Nationality by the Buhari administration in Nigeria; using carefully selected
hate or xenophobia elements within the Nigerian Army. It also appears that
Governor Willie Obiano as the Chief Security Officer of Anambra State is
overpowered by orders from above; rendering him gubernatorially castrated and
forcing him into unceremonious relocation to his Aguleri Home; from where he
washes helplessly his own people being tormented and threatened and punished
for belonging to Igbo Ethnic Nationality of Nigeria and for daring to visit
their sacred homes this Xmas season. No sensible, capable and competent
Governor folds his hands and watches his people returning for seasonally
important feast like Xmas; being made to sleep by bush sides or inside their
vehicles for many hours, if not whole day; few miles to their ancestral homes.
This is the greatest threat against their rights to ethnic identity, existence
and social development and cohabitation; enshrined and recognized in the 1999
Constitution and the African Charter on Human & Peoples Rights of 1981
(domesticated by Nigeria in 1983).
We enjoin all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and all over
the world to call on the Government of Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of
uttermost immediacy, pull its Hausa-Fulani dominated soldiers out of the
Onitsha Niger Bridgehead. The Bridge must also be decongested so as to allow
for free flow of traffic for innocent citizens of Southeast and South-south
zones making their Xmas trips. No Ethnic Nationality, no matter how small or
perceived weak; will tolerate being chased into its ancestral homes, killed,
tortured or enslaved with impunity.
The Government of Muhammadu Buhari is dangerously pushing
the Igbo Ethnic Nationality to the wall. Yesterday, it was open and unprovoked
mass shooting and killing of their innocent sons and daughters for exercising
non violently and peacefully their constitutional and treaties’ rights; and
today, their sons and daughters returning home from across the world are again
being threatened, questioned and punished for belonging to their generational
ancestries.
When John De Baptism was shouting in the wilderness and the
land of the living about the coming and birth of Jesus Christ, he was thought
to be a fool and messenger of falsehood; yet, from AD 01 till date, his prophecy
had long come to pass. We have spoken!
Onitsha Army Shooting & Hospital Raid Update: On 2nd December 2015, 14 critically wounded
citizens were admitted at the Multicare Hospital; out of which, four with deep
bullet wounds in their terminal body parts died. One had been retrieved by his
family and buried and three others still in mortuary. Three are presently receiving treatment,
while seven others have either been discharged or withdrawn by their families
and moved to other medical locations.
On 17th December 2015, 13 critically wounded citizens were
admitted at the same Hospital, after which soldiers of the Onitsha 302 Regiment
stormed the Hospital at 10:08pm and arrested all of them (13) including four
others (non injured). They were taken to the Army health centre and made to lie
on the floor including five of them at the point of death who were returned to
the Hospital after two hours or at about 1:10am. Twelve others including the
injured were held hostage by the Onitsha Army 302 Regiment Commander, Col Issah
Abdullahi, without treatment for two days; from where they were bundled to the
State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Nigeria Police Force at
Awka in the evening of Saturday 19th December 2015.
Bodies of eight innocent citizens killed by soldiers in the
17th December unprovoked and unwarranted shooting are yet to be accounted for
or traced till date. Some of those with untreated gunshot wounds held hostage
by the named Army Commander were returned to the Multicare Hospital from the
State CID. Presently, four victims of the 17th December 2015 Army killing are
still in the Hospital receiving treatments, while others have left the Hospital
discharged or moved to other medical locations.
Out of those bundled to the State CID, three citizens are
yet to be released while others have been granted bail or released. In all,
seven critically injured citizens of the 2nd and 17th December 2015 Army
shootings are still at the Multicare Hospital receiving treatment. From what we
gathered in the Hospital, inadequate funds have remained a challenge hindering
adequate medical treatment for the victims. That is to say that financial
assistance from public spirited citizens is urgently needed to advance treatment
and offset the hospital bills of all the Army gunshot victims admitted and
treated by the Multicare Hospital.
We sincerely thank the Director of the Hospital, Dr. Ilochi
Stephen for his courage, humility and humanitarianism. The role of the news crew
of the Galaxy Television, Southeast Bureau also gladdens our heart. It is
shocking to note that till date, other than the Galaxy TV, no other paper or
electronic media crew had visited the Hospital to see things for themselves or
hear from the horse’s mouth.
Signed:
Emeka Umeagbalasi (Criminologist & Graduate of Security Studies)
Board Chairman, International Society for Civil Liberties & the
Rule of Law
Mobile Phone: +2348174090052
Email: emekaugbalasi@yahoo.co.uk, info@intersociety-ng.org
Website: www.intersociety-ng.org
Barr Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Program
Mobile Phone: +2348034186332
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