BY AMBROSE EHIRIM
When "federal" Nigerian troops fired the first shot on July 6th, 1967 to begin Yakubu Gowon's-led genocidal campaign against the Igbo nation, Igbos all over the country were the most prosperous and most successful in all aspects of the nation's undertaking. In Port Harcourt, for instance, Igbos basically owned most properties and businesses from Diobu through Ogbunabali and Town; from Abel Jumbo Street, Ihediohanma Street, Item Street, Aba Road, Ikot Ekpene Street, Enugu Street and all around the Diobu area streching down to Igurita, Omoku and Ahoada.
Igbos enjoyed the privilege of laisser faire - the free market society and republican ideals - through hard work and perseverance. But a catastrophic war engineered by a genocidal campaign led by Yakubu Gowon and his cohorts, destroyed everything Igbo established by way of collectivity, and, thus, declared such as "abandoned property."
What is abandoned property? That one bought a property and left it undeveloped? That one owned a property and was chased out by vandals who looted, plundered and demolished every structure the Igbo built? That one who had worked hard and paid the required dues ownining properties to sustain commerce?
On May 29, 1999, when the Obasanjo administration kicked off a new era, a series of commissions were established to study human rights abuses; for instance, the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Human Rights Commission designed for a shadow due process while the key issues were negated. Eventually, the commissions' recommendations were rubbished and Oputa was made to look like a rubber stamp.
However, in a new era supposedly to uphold democracy, the reverse was then the case. Obasanjo's administration would continue to destroy all aspects of civil liberties and draconian laws in the Islamic Jihadic sultanate states would commence, and nothing, absolutely nothing, would be done about it. A look at more disturbing episodes of Obasanjo's administration spooky years:
The story of Odi was told and retold in several accounts including a This Day article of December 16, 2003 by Lagos-based writer Peresuo Dakolo taking a critical look at one of Obasanjo's atrocities in the modern era. Dakolo writes;
"...the 1460 males and 1023 females massacred, the hundreds still missing and the levelling of all structures. The 2000 thousand troops who arrived at that town on November 20, 1999, in 27 five ton vehicles and four armored personnel carriers, wielding mortar and Howitzer artilery guns committed atrocities unheard of during the 30-month civil war."
"For them it was war to death: first, to teach the people a lesson {but remember, 12 other policemen and 18 soldiers were killed later in Danya, Katsina, and Zaki Biam, Benue State), and second, to eliminate any threat from the Niger Delta, viewed as enemy territory by Government."
Though sad, whoever could have imagined that it would happen again? Of course, i5t did happen again, and apparently, lessons from the past weren't learnt even though, according to Dakolo, Obasanjo did not carry out a warlike raid in similar events elsewhere in the country.
November 27, 2007: (Fatwa on Isioma Daniel) The deputy governor of Zamfara State issued a fatwa on Isioma Daniel who had written an article which insulted Prophet Mohammed as it sparked religious riots all over the North. Daniel resigned after writing in the This day Newspaper that Prophet Mohammed may have approved of the Miss World Contest and possibly wished to marry one of the beauty queens.
In neigboring countries like Togo, beauty contest had been held there before in one of its Islamic cities and no orgy of violence erupted. Also, like Ghana, there is a muslim North, "a powerful evangelical christian movement" and a democratic fabric, yet no religious riots has witnessed. So why would Nigeria be any different?
Even then Information Minister, Jerry Gana, who couldn't fathom the true meaning of free press as part of constitutional provisions was outraged blaming the press that "the conspiracy by the international press, particularly the British press denied us of that opportunity. It is unfortunate that one of our papers made that disatrous mistake. Otherwise, you people (press) were wonderful but the conspiracy was more and we know the reasons why the international press was telling all sorts of weird stories about Nigeria."
December 25, 2002: As Igbo traders closed their shops for Christmas holidays, half of the Sabon-Gari Market in Kano where they traded was gutted by fire, suspiciously by Islamic Jihadic fanatics and hoodlums who had blamed hard workintg Igbos for their ensuing problems.
February 4, 2003: Vanguard's Sola Adebayo writes;
"Delta State Government yesterday imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on crisis ravaged oil city of Warri after 50 buildings including a multi-million Naira hotel belonging to the Urhobo leader Chief Benjamin Okumagba were razed in the bloody confrontation between the Urhobo and the Itsekiri..."
February 24, 2003: Vanguard's Chidi Nkwopara reports that the "Principal Secretary to Governor Achike Udenwa of Imo State Mr. Theodore Emeka Agwatu, was yesterday assassinated by persons suspected to be hired killers. His murder came barely two weeks after the Orlu Senatorial candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Ogbonnaya Chijioke Uche, was killed by assassins in his Shell Camp, Owerri, residence."
Part 3 next as the saga continues!
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