Biafra: Presidential Message. How Oha-Na-Eze-Ndi-Igbo Marginalized The Igbos

Where there is a room for conflict, there is also a room for co-operation and dialogue. The some committee members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) arrived the DSS office where the IPOB Leader and Director, Nnamdi Kanu has been in detention. They came to find out why Nnamdi Kanu is still detained in the DSS custody.

A top official of the DSS entertained the IPOB members in a friendly and joking manner, and said ''when you want to catch the chicks, first catch their mother. He further gave examples. The Biafran Warlord Ojukwu went into exile. He came backand signed a peace agreement which ended his ambition for Biafra. Uwazuruike came with his own movement. He was detained and released conditionally, which ended his agitation for Biafra. The same thing will happen to Nnamdi Kanu'' he said and laughed in a friendly way.

The friendly DSS Officer gave the IPOB members a message which came directly from President Muhammadu Buhari. In the message, the President indirectly accepted the marginalization of the Igbos which can spark agitation of this such from any group of people. The officer who is also a Northerner said the President is not comfortable with the continuous protest from the Biafran Agitators. Stating that the President is treating every region in Nigeria with equity. Just that the Igbo leaders are the problems of the Igbos.

The DSS Officer started explaining more to the IPOB members. He talked about the marginalization of the Igbos. He said, 'the Igbo leaders marginalized the Igbos'.

He said 'your leaders will come and cry to the previous and present central Government about the deliberate neglect, marginalization, lack of infrastructural and developmental facets, under-development and political slavery of the Igbos. They will be allocated a project to go and fix some of the problems facing the Igbos. The Igbo leaders will share it within themselves. Group A will come, Group B will come, Group C will come and so on. All are the same people. If the central Government wish to arrest your corrupt leaders for such embezzlement, your leaders will tag it as ethnic hatred and the same marginalization; other Igbos will believe'.

He continued saying, 'if you really wish to fight for your rights and freedom, start with your leaders. The Igbos have selfish leaders that doesn't listen to their subjects. They have sold the Igbos at 1000 person(s) for ₦5. Your leaders are trading with all of you'.

The friendly and very top official of the DSS entertained over 25 IPOB members, and left them to go. Nobody was arrested.

I will not forget what the officer said. He gave example with a case in Ondo State, where the council of Obas banned the Eze Ndi Igbo title in Ondo State. Yet, the Oha-Na-Eze-Ndi-Igbo Government has not said anything. They can not speak, caution and ban the self-acclaimed king; just because the man has bribed them. This is a more reason other ethnics dislike the attitudes of the Igbos. Taking 'their-own-thing' into other regions. Forgetting that a tradition of a certain people might be a taboo to another people.

The DSS Officer went ahead and said that the same thing is happening now in Cotonou, the Republic of Benin. A Chief simply identified as Ebuka is crowning himself a King-for-life (HRM) in another country.

The DSS Officer said, 'a King and also a member of the Oha-Na-Eze-Ndi-Igbo came with the report. The king said, it is not the tradition and constitution of the Igbos to crown a king without domain in Igbo land or outside Igbo land. Thereby, a section of the Oha-Na-Eze-Ndi-Igbo is seeking the DSS to arrest the Chief. While another section of the Oha-Na-Eze-Ndi-Igbo, some South-Eastern Governors and other Igbo Elites are trooping down to Cotonou, Republic of Benin to crown the Chief as HRM. You can see how he bribed the Igbo leaders to go contrary to the Igbo tradition'.

'Can you see how your leaders are trading with you? If this is not your tradition, why can't the Oha-Na-Eze-Ndi-Igbo stop it immediately?' the DSS Officer asked the IPOB members.

'Hold your leaders responsible for the deliberate neglect, marginalization, lack of infrastructural and developmental facets, under-development and political slavery of the Igbos. If your leaders deny it, then they should speak out in defense' said the DSS Officer.

**Written by: (Activist) Eberahim Esperance, as he visited the DSS office where Nnamdi kanu was detained.