First, I write as Sam Hart, from Umuahia, Abia State and not as an Official of Government.
That out of the way, as is my custom, I will go straight to the point.
The last couple of days have witnessed actual and rumours of unsavoury goings on in Abia State ostensibly leading to clashes between the Nigerian Army and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
So what exactly happened? I will explain.
First, a background for those not abreast of events leading to the current kerfuffle.
A certain young man named Nnamdi Kanu hails from Isiama Afaraukwu Community in Ibeku, Umuahia North LGA. His father is infact, the King of the Community. Nnamdi Kanu was the Director of Radio Biafra and Founder of Indigenous People of Biafra, a group agitating for the actualisation of a sovereign Biafran Country carved out of present-day Nigeria.
Nnamdi Kanu ran his guerrilla Radio Station from his base in London and had pockets of listeners and adherents who daily tuned in to his broadcasts and of a truth, he was making pretty derogatory and inflammatory comments about the Nigerian Government and it’s President.
On October 14, 2015, Nnamdi Kanu came into Nigeria and as his name was on a watchlist, he was promptly arrested and soon thereafter, charged to court for treason. Every court appearance was a carnival where his supporters were bussed to the court premises from all over and they sang and chanted in solidarity.
Soon, a hitherto fringe element was cast in the mould of an oppressed freedom fighter and with more court appearances and more sustained pressure by his followers, his fame grew and he won more converts to his cause.
Thus, on April 25, 2017, the Federal High Court where he was being tried granted him bail on certain stringent conditions and he subsequently returned to his Umuahia home from where he has been holding court and carrying out the objectives of his IPOB group.
There have been sit-at-home orders and rallies and speeches but thus far, their activities have been largely ignored by the wider populace. Everyone has been going about their business without fear of disturbance from the group or anyone.
Then came the announcement by the Nigerian Army that it was organising a military exercise in the South East geo political zone code-named Operation Python Dance II which would last from September 15 to October 15, 2017.
This was announced in a press statement signed by Major-General DD Ahmadu, Chief of Training and Operations, Nigerian Army. Python Dance II, according to the statement, has been made more expedient by the rampancy of assassinations, attack on security personnel, theft of weapons, violent agitations, armed banditry, and kidnapping.
“The Nigerian Army is constantly carrying out training activities for its personnel in line with its constitutional role in aid of civil authority. Moreso, Exercise Egwu Eke II has become more expedient due to the mindless assassinations (even in religious places), attack on security personnel, theft of weapons, armed banditry, kidnapping, cultism, and violent agitations, as well as other security challenges that have recently become prevalent in the South Eastern part of the country,” the statement said.
Then on Sunday, September 10, 2017, the Nigerian Army rolled it’s fearsome phalanx of military personnel, hardware and machinery into Umuahia to the fear of all. In what it termed a show-of-force parade, it marched from street to street to show its readiness for any eventuality.
There was a minor skirmish at the Isi Gate area of Umuahia which is the unofficial epicentre of the town and a much more pronounced situation at the Isiama Afaraukwu residence of Nnamdi Kanu.
It turns out that the Military guys on parade came up with the brilliant idea to march their fearsome phalanx through Afaraukwu Community and past the gate of Nnamdi Kanu’s residence. Thisis a narrow arteryway and back-channel road basically leading nowhere and away from the main roads. Due to the number of soldiers and equipments, including recently acquired American CAMAIN MRAP armoured carriers which were all blaring full sirens, there was an air of an ongoing siege and everywhere was tense.
As is almost inevitable in such situations, someone threw an object at the convoy and the soldiers fired warning shots into the air and yet more objects were thrown leading to more shots been fired and soon, it was chaos all over and people were scampering for safety. There would eventually ensue claims and rebuttals of what happened and casualties.
Monday, the tension continued. Nnamdi Kanu was on his way to Aba to address a rally when his convoy was stopped at a military checkpoint at Ubakala in Umuahia South LGA of Abia State. His ‘boys’ jumped down to ‘protect’ their ‘Leader’ and soon, tempers flared and hands were laid. The soldiers radioed for back up and by the time backup arrived, the checkpoint had been dismantled by the IPOB guys and the convoy had proceeded to Aba. The soldiers gave pursuit and there was tension everywhere.
Tuesday witnessed an unprecedented influx of youths from all over the South East and South South geo political zones into Abia State ostensibly to prevent ‘Federal Forces’ from arresting or killing their Leader. They set up their own road blocks in the roads leading to the residence of Nnamdi Kanu. Thereafter, there were disturbances in Aba which even extended to Oyingbo in Rivers State.
This was the State of affairs that led to the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu holding a 6-hour Security Council Meeting with Generals and Heads of other security agencies in Abia State after which the Governor issued a personally signed Statement urging the military to respect the rights of citizens of the State and urging residents to be law-abiding. The statement also announced a dusk to dawn curfew in Aba to track human and vehicular movements and prevent nefarious activities.
This is the current situation in Abia State. A hitherto peaceful state is now on tenterhooks. Rumours of war and State of Emergency. Fears that one of these skirmishes will lead to the death of a soldier and the blitzkrieg to undoubtedly follow. A state that has regained it’s bounce and groove as the SME capital of West Africa is now been dragged back as potential businessmen are naturally threading with caution.
Political undertones cannot be ruled out of what is going on. There is the obvious wrong strategy of deploying the military, largely populated by Northerners, to ‘show force’ to Easterners in their own land at a time when ethnic distrust is at an all-time nadir. There is also the attendant risk to lives and livelihoods. By the time the dust settles, lives may be lost and the socio-economic interplay in Abia State would have been battered and bruised.
Abians are enjoined to pray for God to continue to guide all the key actors in this situation to take the decisions that would be in the best interest of the people at all times.
May God keep us all safe.
