Some 12 odd years ago two relatively unknown Nigerian youngsters, Nnamdi Kanu and Uche Mefor, decided to take their quest for the actualisation of the defunct Republic of Biafra – which seceded from Nigeria in 1967, leading to the Nigerian Civil War and was subsequently dissolved following its defeat in 1970 – to another level by setting up the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Kanu was then a British political activist known for his advocacy of the contemporary Biafran independence movement, while Mefor was a British-Nigerian pro-Biafra political activist. He was the Deputy Director of Radio Biafra and former deputy leader of IPOB.
Before joining IPOB, both Mefor and Kanu were devoted members of Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Biafra Actualisation Forum.
However, according to a report in Wikipedia, around mid-2020, it was claimed Mefor openly confronted Kanu on religious bigotry, incitement to violence, and policy issues surrounding the running of IPOB as an organisation. This led him to separate from Kanu.
After resigning his position as IPOB deputy leader in November 2020, Okafor-Mefor floated his own radio station, which he called the Biafra Human Rights and Freedom Radio (BHFR). He has since acted as the Head of Information and Communication of the Biafra De Facto Customary Government. He also founded the Igbo-Biafra Nationalist Movement and the Indigenous People of Igbo Nation for Self-Determination (IPINS).
Since 2021, IPOB and other Biafra separatist groups have been fighting a low-level conflict against the Federal Government, over what they perceive as acts of injustice and exclusion of people South-eastern Nigeria.
The group has been highly critical of the Federal Government for poor investment, political alienation, inequitable resource distribution, ethnic marginalisation, and heavy military presence, alleged extrajudicial killings in the South Eastern, South Southern and parts of North Central regions of the country.
Three years ago, the group launched what has turned out to have had the most profound impact on the people of the South East when, in an effort to get its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, released from prison, IPOB declared every Monday a sit-at-home day in the region, starting from August 9, 2021.
This was contained in a statement by the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, and made available to journalists in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
The group said: “Nobody should attempt to flout this directive as doing so may come with huge consequences. Anybody flouting this order is taking a grave risk.
And since then the group has further shown how resilient various non-state actors are in this country, despite the government’s repeated claim to the contrary, by ensuring the directive is still being complied with too by the people in the region.
The latest testimony to their ‘strength’ took place on Monday when despite ‘orders’ from both the Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, and security operatives in the South East that people should go about their normal lives, the people decided to ‘side’ with the non-state actors and not the government, and largely stayed indoors.
According to reports, in Anambra State, economic activities were crippled in many places including Nnewi, Onitsha and Awka, the state capital, where school children were sent back home.
In Nnewi, virtually all businesses, offices and shops were under lock and key. Banks and private establishments were shut for fear of being attacked by the stay-at-home enforcers.
An affected individual, Mr Eselu Udoye, a block industry owner in Onitsha, hit the nail on the head as to why this happened: he explained that he decided not to open his industry because of the fear of being attacked.
He said that people were anxious because the government refused to provide adequate security to boost confidence to operate without fear.
The same scenario played out in neighbouring Abia State, where social and economic activities were grounded in Aba and Umuahia, the state capital, and most other places due to the decision of the people to listen to IPOB rather than the government in power.
In Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah threatened to take action against schools and businesses that obeyed the stay-at-home declared by IPOB.
Speaking through the Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, he said teachers and private or public schools that had decided not to show up to school on Monday, would be sanctioned.
However, a youth in one of the communities in the state speaking by phone admitted that the development is not a palatable one, but urged the government to go beyond encouraging people to disregard the directive by putting in place measures that would protect the people and their properties.
Sadly, it is this inability of the government to rein in non-state actors and other criminal gangs that has led to widespread insecurity across the land.
For example last Sunday in Nibo Community, in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, 12 people were mowed down by suspected cultists who struck while the victims were holding a meeting.
Commendably, 24 hours after the dastardly attack, Prof Soludo visited the community to console the families of the victims, assuring them of their safety and general well-being and promised to bring the perpetrators to book.
Unfortunately, we have heard this over and over again, even from the highest levels of government, with those behind many of the incidents still remaining at large long afterwards.
In fact, on Thursday morning, six more people were killed in Awka by gunmen who stormed the Ifite market to carry out the atrocity.
In March this year, the nation was stunned when news of the death of 16 soldiers and officers “on a peace mission” in a Delta State community broke.
In a statement he personally signed, President Bola Tinubu described “it as a direct affront to the nation” and ordered the military to fish out the killers and bring them to book.
Not too long afterwards, the military in their numbers then invaded Okuama, in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, and carried out a reprisal attack in an effort to nab those behind the murder of the lieutenant colonel, two majors, and one captain, along with 12 soldiers and a civilian. Seven months later we are still no closer to knowing who carried out the dastardly act, lest perpetrators being brought to face justice.
The situation is equally dire in many other states with large swaths of Borno, Nasarawa and Plateau states under the grip of non-state actors, with reports of bandits demanding and collecting ‘protection’ money like the notorious mafia in order to allow the people have access to their farms and more importantly stay alive!
And just like in the heyday of the nostra costa, people pay the money because they know that their government will not be able to protect them.
Thus, unless the government and her security agencies are able to make examples of these masterminds by bringing them to book, the dire security situation in the country will only get worse with citizens opting to obey the criminals rather than their government!