The first time I saw the above headline, I assumed it was an advertisement of an upcoming movie from our modernised Nollywood film industry. Since I am not a film freak, I ignored it. The second time I saw it, I decided to scan through it to see the names of the actors featured in it. I was expecting to see names such as Pete Edochie, Omobola Johnson, Patience Ozokwor, Genevieve Nnaji, Aki, Pawpaw, etc. In the course of the quick scan and I did not see any of those names, I assumed it is a product from inexperienced amateurs. As a market strategy, names of high profile actors and actresses are usually made conspicuous so as to easily attract film viewers and marketers.
It was not until I saw it again and again that I decided to read the first paragraph. Lo and behold, I was shocked to my marrows to realise the Kanu in question is not a film star but the Kanu of Radio Biafra London (RBL) I know that Nnamdi Kanu is the Director of RBL and also the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). I made enquiries and gathered that RBL a is radio outfit that operates from the United Kingdom. Also, RBL is properly registered and censored by the British authorities. Its closest rival in the whole of the United Kingdom is the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). As a Biafran, I know that the IPOB is a family meeting of all the citizens of the blessed nation of Biafra. I also went on a fact finding tour and found out that IPOB is properly registered with the United Nations and its presence is known and well felt in over hundred countries in the world. So I began to wonder and ponder how Nnamdi Kanu, a prince and heir apparent to a throne, committed the crime called “Treasonable Felony”.
By definition, treason is a betrayal or violation of allegiance by somebody to his/her own country and the word “felony” has to do with commission of a serious crime. Before I go ahead the show how unlettered and/or uninformed the prosecutors of Nnamdi Kanu are, it is important to state that, with respect to nationality, Nnamdi Kanu is not a Nigerian. Hence, Nigeria does not have the right or authority to try him for treason. Even if he WAS a Nigerian, he did not betray Nigeria in any way since Nigeria did not assign any responsibility to him in the first place, and he did not do any business with, for, or on behalf of Nigeria. He does not know anything about Nigeria and as such cannot betray her. Nnamdi Kanu is a Biafran, just like my humble self and there are other millions of Biafrans living in many parts of the world. That Biafra land is under occupation by marauders from Nigeria will not (and cannot) make us Nigerians.
The earlier it enters the heads of these marauders, the better. Now let us go into the charges levelled against Nnamdi Kanu. I found it intriguing to see that one of the charges against him is management of directorship/operation of RBL. I found this charge strange because I have a record of the history of underground radio stations in Nigeria. I remember vividly that during the Sani Abacha era, there was a radio station that is truly pirate, which was called Radio Freedom. The clandestine operators of Radio Freedom broadcast intermittently on FM airwaves from within Nigeria, moving from place to place to evade the detection efforts of the military authorities for four years.
Being a pirate outfit, Radio Freedom was not registered anywhere in the world and the contents of its broadcasts were never censored by any authorities. It later changed its name to Radio Democracy. When Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, the wife of Chief MKO Abiola was assassinated on 4 June 1996, the pro democracy wing of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the National Liberation Council of Nigeria (NALICON), changed the name to Radio Kudirat in honour of the murdered wife of Chief Abiola who claimed to be the winner of the annulled June 1993 presidential election. Among the owners of Radio Kudirat is Prof . Wole Soyinka. If the operators of Radio Kudirat did not face (and are not facing) treason charges, it smack nothing less than electric-shock to try Nnamdi Kanu for treason.
As recent as 2015, General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as he was then, operated a pirate radio station in Nigeria. He named it Radio APC. He also calls it Radio Chanji or Murya Chanji, which according to him and his party, was established to contribute to the free exchange of information in the nation in order not to lose the information war which could change people’s minds and attitudes towards the party. At a point in time, Radio Chanji was broadcasting for 24 hours a day. I was personally hearing the voice of Buhari on the radio station almost on daily basis. Being a pirate outfit, unregistered and unregulated, the contents of the broadcasts, including Buhari’s messages from his Radio Chanji are unprintable. Today, neither Buhari nor any of his cohorts is facing treason charges. In addition to the having operated a clandestine radio station, Mr Buhari had once used the gun given to him by Nigeria to overthrow a democratically elected government. The gun that was given to him to secure the country was what he used to overthrow the government that gave him the gun – a clear case of treasonable felony.
In part 2 of this essay, I will expose how ridiculous it is for one to be charged for treason for being a member of his own family. In Africa, it is at the family meetings that members are tutored on the dos and donts of their society. The IPOB is a family meeting.
By Oghenevwe Onoriode
Editor Udeagha Obasi
For UmuChiukwu Writers
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