BIAFRA: THIS LOOMING WAR

By       Chimaobim Nnanna 

            Ugochinyere Onyechere [editor]

Drums of war, gongs, and whistles hovering simultaneously in the Western part of Africa, hopes and gentility diminishes from sight. This looming war has become irresistible because resistance is the only option left for a people like Biafrans who are soaked and baptized with injustice even as they rear-up their toes into the judiciary; now the hope of a common man is in jeopardy.  

It has been two (2) long ugly years since the current agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu gets her first blow from the Nigerian government. Instead of the Nigerian government to lure the IPOB leadership to a roundtable discussion in order to know their grievances and talk on how to smoothen things up, they resorted to using arms and force against a people peacefully asking for a referendum and finally declaring war on the most peaceful people on this planet earth.

This drum of war from the Nigerian government started beating on the 30th day of August 2015 when the Nigerian Joint army/police task force shot and killed innocent Biafrans peacefully evangelizing on the streets of Onitsha and sharing hand fliers (bills). It is said that you cannot beat a child and ask him not to cry. The current agitation for a separate nation of Biafra came as a need to protect the lives and properties of the people who have been eluded by pain and have been destroyed by the Nigerian government politically, economically, socially, mentally and otherwise.

Moreso, the Nigerian government continued in their provocative means of provoking the peaceful people of Biafra in a bid to exterminate them and take over their blessed land. Killing them in different parts of their land, in the guise of different groups and meaningless reasons became a very interesting and entertaining game. 

The innocent and peace-loving people of Biafra were again killed under the guise of FULANI HERDSMEN, Nigerian air force bombing creeks of Cross River State in the riverine area of Biafra land with the banned NAPALM BOMBS with the excuse of bombing pirates which never existed in the area. 

OPERATION CROCODILE SMILE was also declared in the South-South Area of  Biafra land; and a right-thinking man will ask the CRAZY CROCODILES SMILING AT A PEACEFUL PEOPLE WITHOUT REASON, WHAT’S SO FUNNY? And the most recent of it all among others which took place in Abia State of Biafra land, ‘OPERATION PYTHON DANCE’ which was declared in the South-East of Biafra land. Again one will ask if a python can dance. What’s the dance for? And each time, the peaceful people of Biafra are killed in the comfort of their homeland.

Maybe, the Nigerian government thought that by killing Biafrans, it can force them into suffering in silence and abandoning the quest to restore MOTHERLAND where the lives and future of each Biafran will be guaranteed. Or maybe they thought by killing Biafrans, they could force them to retaliate so they could be tagged terrorists before the world and that will justify their atrocities, but the question is, can a Nation be terrorist? 

Maybe the Hausa-Fulani dominated Nigerian government out of their sheer hatred for the Biafran people thought it is wise to wipe out every Biafran life off the face of the blessed land of Biafra so that they (the Hausa Fulani people) can inherit it. But little do they know they have just ignited a time bomb that will destroy them. 

Finally, as a lover of peace and justice, I will like to advise the Nigerian government to retrace their steps and organize a peace talk with the Great People of Biafra. It can be recalled how 1967  Nigerian/Biafra war which hopefully the government had thought would last for only three weeks in defeat to Biafrans ended up with no VICTORY no VANQUISH after three bloody years despite the war crimes committed on Biafrans; that I’m sure they wouldn’t want to see again. 

With nothing the Biafran people were able to defend themselves against the genocide perpetrated against them by the Nigerian government backed up by the British government, the then USSR, the entire Arab world and other countries, how much more in this world of technology where they have been scattered among every nation in the world and have been exposed to the technical strength of every world power and knows far better than the Nigerian government? 

A right-thinking man will figure out that the Nigerian government cannot win the fight they’re striving to start. It will be wise if they organize a referendum for the peace-loving people of Biafra and then engage in a talk of how to be a good neighboring country to Biafra. By so doing, Nigeria can abort THIS UNREPENTANT LOOMING WAR!!!

Prince Richmond C. Amadi 

(For Umuchiukwu Writers)