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Tag: Biafra

  • Biafra: Produce Nnamdi Kanu for trial on March 28, Court tells Abaribe

    The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered Nnamdi Kanu’s counsel, to produce him in court on March 28, or for his sureties to explain his whereabouts.

    Justice Binta Nyako gave the order while ruling on an application for adjournment made by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Shuaibu Labaran.

    Kanu was admitted to bail on April 25, 2017 and the Chairman, South East Senate caucus, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, a Jewish High Chief Priest, Immanuu-El Shalom and a Chartered Accountant, Tochukwu Uchendu signed his bail bond.

    Kanu has, however, not appeared in court since his bail and his counsel, Mr Ifeanyi Ejiofor repeatedly told the court that his client was in the custody of the Nigerian Army, an allegation the army has denied.

    Nyako had earlier granted an application seeking to separate Kanu’s charges from that of the other defendants, Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawuisi.

    She granted the application particularly since none of the defendants raised an objection to it.

    Labaran told the court that since Kanu’s absence was frustrating proceedings in the matter, justice would be better served if the charges were separated so that the case of the three defendants in court could go on.

    “In view of the court granting the application to severe the charge of the first defendant from the others, we shall be asking for a short adjournment to enable us tidy our processes and for the records of the court to be neater,” he said.

    Mr PAN Ejiofor, counsel to Benjamin Madubugwu, attempted to ask the court for bail to enable his client seek medical attention but the judge said she was not disposed to grant bail to any of the other defendants.

    She, however, advised the counsel to liaise with the prison authorities saying if they agreed to attached a warden to the defendant, she would make an order allowing him to go to any government hospital.

    She also adjourned that of the other defendants until March 20.

    Kanu, the acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and his co-defendants are standing trial on a five -count charge bordering on felony.

    Some of the charges include treasonable felony, unlawful possession of firearms, unlawful assembly and other offences bordering on their agitation for secession ‎of the Republic of Biafra from Nigeria.

  • IPOB unveils Hausa radio service

    The Indigenous People of Biafra, led by wanted Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has launched its Hausa Radio Service.
    The launch, on Thursday, was contained in a statement by its spokesman, Emma Powerful.
    The statement said the maiden daily broadcast will begin on January 6, 2018 at 7pm Nigerian time on Short Wave 15110 KHz 19 Meter Band.
    Powerful said in the statement: “In keeping with our promise to facilitate the creation of an unbiased informative platform to take the message of liberation to the down trodden and oppressed indigenous populations of Northern Nigeria, we the family members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide and it’s indomitable leadership, wish to happily announce the official launch of the much anticipated IPOB sponsored Radio Nigeria Hausa Service.
    “The broadcast will have the widest coverage of any radio signal in Africa. It will be received all over West, East and Southern Africa. Every Hausa speaking community in Africa will be able to receive it.
    “In our opinion, we feel it has become imperative to educate the poor masses of Northern Nigeria.
    “The ruling class cleverly enslaved and impoverished ethnic populations of the North by keeping vital information and knowledge away from them.
    “This information deficit is what Radio Nigeria Hausa Service has come to remedy.
    “All the hitherto hidden history of the conquest of indigenous Hausa speaking populations of the North will be laid bare for the world to know.
    “More importantly, enslaved minorities of Arewa North, brutally savaged by Fulani terrorist herdsmen, through this unbiased platform, will acquire the necessary education needed to liberate them from the suffocating stranglehold of the caliphate born to rule class.”
  • Biafra: Purveyors of hate speeches have left Nigeria on a divided part – Atiku

    Biafra: Purveyors of hate speeches have left Nigeria on a divided part – Atiku

    Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has said the agitation for secession spearheaded by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and hate speeches have made present day Nigeria more divided than ever.

    The former Vice President made the observation at the 40th anniversary of the Federal Government College, Okigwe, Imo State, over the weekend.

    Recall that TheNewsGuru.com had earlier launched Movement Against War in Nigeria, a campaign to raise a million voices against bloodshed in the country.

    Join those Nigerians to shut the door on any form of violence, talk less of war. Sign the No More War Charter HERE and share with others

    Represented by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Abubakar stated that all tribes of the country needed one another to achieve their desired goals.

    Abubakar emphasised the need for unity among the various groups in the country.

    He said, “This celebration is coming at a critical time in our country’s history.

    “All of you must be aware of the recent agitations from different parts of the country, with some groups threatening violence and, in some cases, secession. These agitations are the result of a number of factors which I will not bother going into at this time, although since you are all enlightened men and women, I have no doubt that you are well and fully aware of what they are.

    “As a result of these various forces, the Nigeria of today appears more divided than it has ever been before. Our country is not at war in the sense of guns and bombs, but the level of inter-ethnic discontent, hatred, and hate speech is at an all-time high.

    ”Recently, Nigeria has been embroiled in secession calls particularly from the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in the South-eastern part of the country.”

    The secessionist movement which calls for an independent state of Biafra, a republic that existed for about three years during the Nigerian civil war, was in September designated a terrorist group by the Nigerian government.

    “To quell the tension which has arisen from IPOB agitation and that of other groups, many Nigerians have called for restructuring of the political system.

    “You know from personal experience that the Hausa man’s problem is not the Igbo man, that the Igbo man’s problem is not the Yoruba man, that the Yoruba man’s problem is not the Hausa man, etc.

    “You know the beauty of unity, of living together as brother and sister, in the same dormitory, in the same classroom, of belonging to the same house and working towards the same goal, whether it be winning a medal during inter-house sports competitions or a prize during a quiz competition. You know that, at those critical times when everyone’s eye is on the goal, the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba need one another, must depend on one another to achieve”, he said.

    He traced the establishment of the school and other federal government colleges to a conscious move by the then military administration to promote unity after the civil war.

     

  • 493 identified Biafra war victims to get N88bn compensation

    …as ECOWAS Court adopts terms of settlement in three suits by victims

    The Federal Government has agreed to pay N88billion as compensation to 493 identified victims of the last civil war and reconstructions of some communities ravaged by the war.

    Recall that TheNewsGuru.com had earlier launched Movement Against War in Nigeria, a campaign to raise a million voices against bloodshed in the country.

    Join those Nigerians to shut the door on any form of violence, talk less of war. Sign the No More War Charter HERE and share with others

    The Federal Goverment also agreed to construct one block of 10 classrooms for 50 communities currently barred from using their school facilities because of the presence of bombs and other post war relics

    These formed part of the terms of a settlement agreement entered into by the the Federal Government and the representatives of the affected communities spread across some states in the South-east, South-south and part of North-Central geo-political zones of the country.

    The states are Imo, Anambra, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu, Cross River and Benue

    The agreement was reached on Monday in Abuja by the Community Court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as its judgment in one of the three suits filed by the victims, marked: ECW/CCJ/APP/06/2012; between Vincent Agu and 19 others v. Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) and 5 others.

    Parties to the suit also agreed that the terms of settlement shall operate as “full and final settlement of all claims” arising from the suit marked: ECW/CCJ/APP/06/2012 and two other suits filed on the same issue.

    The other suits covered by the agreement are: ECW/CCJ/APP/10/2014 (Dr. Sam Emeka Ukaegbu & 7 others v. President, FRN & 6 others) and ECW/CCJ/APP/11/2014 (Placid Ihekwoaba & 19 others v. President, FRN & 6 others).

    By the agreement, N50b of the N88b is for full and final compensation to the victims (for the physical injuries they suffered), their families and communities for having been deprived of the use of their farmlands since the cessation of the civil war hostilities in 1970 owing to the continued presence of mines and other post-war ordnances.

    The remaining N38b is for “the total demining and destruction, rebuilding of public buildings, mine centre activities, construction of classrooms, provision of prosthetics” and all other related items as listed in Schedule 4(2) of the terms of settlement.

    The amount, by the agreement, is to be paid by the FG within 45 days after the ECOWAS Court’s adoption of the agreement as its judgment in final resolution of the dispute between parties.

    Other terms contained in the agreement include that:

    *The Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN) undertakes to mobilise the 4th and 5th respondents (RSB Holdings Nigeria Ltd and Deminers Concept Nig Ltd) back to complete the final phase of the on-going removal and destruction of post-war lethal materials, the firms, having satisfactorily carried out the first phase of the contract.

    Parties acknowledged that the firms were earlier engaged by the FG in 2009 for the first phase, during which they recovered and destroyed 17,000 bombs, while 1,317 are still being kept at the mine Action Centre, Owerri, Imo State.

    It was also acknowledged that during the first phase, 685 persons were selected and classified as survivors, out of which 493, including the applicants on record, were confirmed as victims of either landmines or other dangerous military ordnance including locally fabricated weapons, hence their entitlement to the compensation, including their families and communities.

    *That a special purpose vehicle, comprising of all the necessary stakeholders, shall be created for the implementation of the activities contained in Schedule 4(2) of the terms of settlement to ensure transparency.

    *That the FRN undertakes to set up, in the South east, the National Mine Action Centre in Owerri, Imo State and to ensure that every landmine, unexploded ordinance and explosive remnants of war discovered in the course of the job should be completely destroyed.

    *The FRN undertakes to rebuild and or rehabilitate all public/private buildings already identified in the enumerated exercise by the contractors herein, as having been affected by the war or used either as military facility of refugee camp during the war, as contained in Schedule 2 of this term of settlement.

    At the commencement of proceedings yesterday, lawyer to the applicants, Alex Williams told the court that after four years of negotiations, parties have finally agreed to some terms, which they filed before the court on October 24 this year.

    He said the business of the day was for the court to adopt the terms of settlement as its judgment in the case.

    Lawyers to the 1st, 2nd. 3rd and 6th respondents, Sola Egbeyinka and lawyer to the 4th and 5th respondents, Charles Uhegbu agreed with Williams to the effect that the business of the day was for the court to adopt the terms of settlement filed by parties.

    The terms of settlement was endorsed by all lawyers in the case and representatives of stakeholders and interested parties.

    Following the agreement by lawyers in the case that their terms of settlement be adopted, a three-man panel of the court led by Justice Friday Chijioke Nwoke adopted the terms of settlement as its judgment.

     

  • Atiku lauds Buhari over payment of pension for Biafra police

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the payment of pension to police personnel who served under the Biafran police during the civil war.

    The Biafra Police officers were granted presidential pardon in 2000.

    In a post on his Twitter page, Atiku said Buhari’s move shows a commitment to peace and unity.

    He wrote: ”I commend @NGRPresident @MBuhari for ordering payment of pensions to pardoned Biafran soldiers. It shows unity!

    ”This move shows a commitment to peace, unity and our shared belief in one Nigeria, with justice and equity for all.”

    The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) on Wednesday announced that about 162 of such retired police officers and 57 Next of Kin will be paid their benefits in the first phase.

  • Ohanaeze to Buhari: “Address Igbo marginalisation, not pension,’

    The Igbo apex cultural group, Ohanaeze, says President Muhammadu Buhari should tackle marginalisation of Igbo instead of paying pension to ex-Biafra policemen.

    President Buhari had announced that the Federal Government will pay pensions to former Biafra police officers.

    However, in a statement on yesteday, Ohanaeze President John Nwodo said there was more pressing issues among the Igbo that the government should pay attention to.

    According to Nwodo, Igbos are treated like second hand citizens in the country and thus, finding a lasting solution to the challenge, should be the Federal Government’s priority.

    “It’s been 47 years since the war ended and many of the people who should benefit from this pension are dead already. That goes to show you how the South-East region has been marginalised and that is why we are harping on it,” Nwodo stated.

    “It’s not good to be treated like a second class citizen in a country you are supposed to belong. We thank Buhari for this approval but he must tackle the issue of Igbo marginalisation headlong. Buhari must understand that justice delayed is justice denied.”

    There have been renewed agitations in the Southeastern part of the country for the creation of an independent State of Biafra.

  • Buhari okays payment of pension to retired Biafran police officers

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday approved payment of pension to police officers who served in the defunct Biafran Police during the 30 months Civil War.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the officers had earlier been granted presidential pardon in 2000 by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Succour has come the way of police officers who served in the defunct Biafran Police during the 30 months Civil War as President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the payment of pension to those who were granted presidential pardon in 2000.

    The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) on Wednesday announced that about 162 of such retired police officers and 57 next of kin of those who died will be paid their pension benefits in the first phase of the payment with effect from Thursday (today) in Enugu.

    A statement from the PTAD management said after their pardon, a verification exercise was conducted for them by the defunct Police Pension office and recently by PTAD and the Police Service Commission.

    The statement reads: “The general public would recall that Nigeria witnessed an ugly Civil War between July, 1967 and January, 1970 and as a result of that unfortunate period in our history, some members of the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police and paramilitary officers who took part with the secessionist were dismissed from the service.

    “The dismissal of those officers was commuted to retirement in the year 2000 through a Presidential Amnesty granted on May 29, 2000 by the Administration of the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

    “A verification exercise was conducted for the pardoned officers by the defunct Police Pension Office and recently PTAD on one hand and the Police Service Commission on the other.

    “Despite the presidential pardon and verification of these officers, many of them remained unpaid years after the pardon. However, the present administration under the able leadership of President, Muhammadu Buhari has graciously given approval for the payment of pension entitlements to these officers and their next of kin.”

     

  • BIAFRA: US Embassy, spokesman sued over comments on IPOB

    The Embassy of the United States of America‎ (USA) in Nigeria and its Spokesman, Mr. Russel Brooks, have been dragged before a federal high court sitting in Abuja over the comments and the stand of the US government on the Indigenous People of Biafra,when it was proscribed by the Nigerian government last month.
    ‎The federal government last month secured an ordered of the court proscribing IPOB as a terrorist organisation.
    But the US Embassy, through‎ its Spokesman said IPOB is not a terrorist organisation under US laws.
    In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/977/17, dated and filed 11th October,2017, the plaintiff, Nze Charles Ugwu, through his lawyer, Simon Kanshio, Esq.,‎ UGWU claimed that Nigerian laws are not inferior to laws of other countries and that the statement by the US Spokesman was to undermine the sovereignty of the Nigerian state which is anchored on its constitution.
    He therefore, wants the court to compel the spokesman to withdraw his statement and declare the embassy as a promoter of terrorists activities in line with the Terrorism Act.
    ‎The plaintiff asked the court to determine the following questions:
    *Whether by a true interpretation of Sections 1, 4 and 5 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013 and the United Nations Convention on Terrorism the 1st Defendant’s statement endorsing the proscribed terrorist group named Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) does not amount to promoting terrorism in Nigeria?
    *Whether the United States of America represented in Nigeria through the 2nd Defendant is no longer obligated to be bound by the United Nation Convention on Terrorism which the United States of America signed and ratified?
    *Whether the 3rd Defendant as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation is not duty bound under the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013 to advise President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR to declare the 1st Defendant a persona non grata for supporting the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a proscribed terrorist group, thereby promoting terrorism in Nigeria?
    The plaintiff, in an affiidavit in support of the suit said Kanu and his fellow members of IPOB went about his so called freedom agitation in a violent manner which has led to killing of hundreds of persons and destruction of properties worth billions of naira within the last two years, thus necessitating the arrest of Kanu and some of his men.
    He said Kanu, who is standing trial and is currently on bail breached all his bail conditions and went about his agitation in a manner that is capable of inciting genocide against Igbos in the Northern part of the Country.
    “That I know as a fact that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu established his own Biafra National Guard (BNG) together with Biafra Secret Service (BSS) and was training men to raise arms against the Nigerian State.
    “That I am know that recently the Nigerian Army had a clash with some boys trained by Mazi Kanu during the Operation Python Dance II, a routine operation which is usually carried out by the Nigerian Army, leading to the destruction of lives and properties.” He noted

  • Biafra: Buhari meets Sout-East Governors, Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met with governors and leaders of south-eastern states over the recent agitations in the region.

    The meeting held inside the new Banquet hall of the State House in Abuja shortly after Islamic prayers.

    The leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nwodo, who spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting said they had a “frank and robust exchange” with the president concerning the alleged neglect of the region by successive administrations.

    “We dealt with problems of development in the South-east, basic capital projects which have for a very long time been neglected not just from this government but for a very long time.

    “Major arteries of federal highways in the South-east have been in complete state of disrepair. Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Aba-Ikot Ikpene are virtually impassable.

    “We talked about the inland waterways and the dredging of the River Niger. We talked about the reticulation of gas pipeline on the South-east. We export gas from the south-east to the other parts of the country, but there is no reticulation of the pipeline and industrial clusters in the south-east,” he said.

    Nwodo also said the meeting discussed the bad state of the only international airport in the region.

    “We got assurance from the president that he will deal with each of those problems,” he said.

    The Ohanaeze leader said the meeting also discussed alleged marginalization of the South-east by the Buhari administration, saying, “like I have said these problems have been there overtime and we have had several presidents, it didn’t just happen in the last two years. But we expressed the desire that he should be able to address them.”

    He said the South-east leaders were confident the president will deliver on his promise to them.

    “There is no reason for me to doubt him because this is the first time I have had this interaction with him. I have the feeling that he spoke to us very frankly,” he said.

    On whether the meeting discussed the issue of the Indigenous Peoples Of Biafra, IPOB, an organisation seeking secession from the Nigerian state, the Igbo leader said, “We talked about IPOB as a symptomatic consequence of the continuous marginalization of the South-east over a long period of time.

    “Understandably our children are restive and we want to make sure that the federal government is responsive to the issues that have cumulated in the quintessence of these agitations.”

    The federal government has since declared IPOB a terrorist organisation and arrested several of its members.

    Other issues discussed, according to Mr. Nwodo, include “devolution of powers, the constitution, the paucity of the states and local governments in our place.”

    “And the president has asked that he be given time to look at this more holistically,” he said.

    TheThose who attended the meeting include governors from the South-east, traditional rulers and leaders of the Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo.

  • Biafra: Starve IPOB of funds to end menace, FG tells international partners

    Biafra: Starve IPOB of funds to end menace, FG tells international partners

    The Federal Government has appealed to its international partners to proscribe the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and starve it of the funds that gave the group sustenance.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the appeal in an article, entitled ”Thwarting Terrorism in Nigeria”, which appeared in the US newspaper, ’Washington Times’ on Thursday.

    He recalled that the Federal Government on Sept. 20, proscribed IPOB which had been violently agitating for a separate state in the South-East of the country.

    Mohammed said that Nigeria had just defeated one preventable terrorist insurgency, adding that that IPOB must not be given the chance to get a foothold.

    He said that IPOB’s actions qualified the group as a terrorist organisation in most jurisdictions.

    “The terrors lay bare their opportunism. They masquerade as a separatist movement, yet they endanger the very people they claim to represent. In reality, IPOB cares about IPOB and nothing more,” he said.

    The minister listed some words of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, such as “If they fail to give us Biafra, Somalia will look like a paradise compared to what will happen to that ‘zoo’ (Nigeria).”

    “I don’t want peaceful actualisation (of Biafra)”; “We need guns and we need bullets”; “If they don’t (give us Biafra), they will die“

    According to the minister, these statements credited to Kanu had exposed the group as a terrorist organisation.

    Mohammed likened IPOB to ETA in Spain, the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, and the PKK in Turkey all of which he noted had been proscribed by the U.S. State Department.

    The minister stressed that the administration would not make the same mistake as the previous in allowing terrorists to capture land.