Fulani Terror Herdsmen: ECOWAS Chairman Sends Strong Message To Buhari, Others

BY AKPOS OGHENETEGA 

DECEMBER 22, 2019 | THE BIAFRA TIMES

Chairman of Economic Community of West African States, Mahammadou Issoufou, has called on member states to take decisive steps in tackling terrorism in their countries.

Issoufou, who is also President of Niger Republic, made the appeal during the 56th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Government in Abuja, Nigeria.

He said the West-African sub-region had been hard hit by terrorist attacks, which had intensified and had threatened many national and regional achievements and developments already made by member countries, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

“The creation of a common area of peace, security and economic integration is without the slightest doubt the key to the future of our region.

READ ALSO: West Africa: The Risk of Jihadist Contagion in West Africa

“Current regional and global developments in security constrains me to dwell on the security situation of our region.

“Our region has been hard hit by terrorist attacks every passing day, threatening the national and regional achievements we have made.

“We, therefore, hope that the prompt implementation of the recommendations of our extraordinary summit on terrorism held on September 14 in Ouagadougou will enable us to collectively meet this challenge, which appears to be an attack by faithless criminals on our dignity and sovereignty.

“The terrorist attacks continually test our commitment to fighting the scourge.

“It is therefore incumbent upon us to respond to all these attacks with firmness and determination,” Issoufou said.

The Biafra Times

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Publisher: Charles Opanwa

IPOB reacts to Ecowas court judgment on Nnamdi Kanu vs FRN

IPOB PRESS RELEASE | December 13, 2019

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MOST BIZARRE JUDGMENT DELIVERED BY THE ECOWAS COURT YESTERDAY ON NNAMDI KANU VS FRN.

It didn't come to IPOB as a surprise that a Kogi born Judge delivered an ECOWAS Court judgment after nearly 4 years of prevarication. Our leader went to ECOWAS Court in the hope of avoiding the judicial complicity of the bench in Nigeria in the reign of lawlessness of this APC regime but to our horror, we ended up with a timid frightened judge from Kogi delivering a truly timid judgment that carefully circumvented all our prayers before the court.

1. The ECOWAS court found, after purportedly scrutinising avalanche of evidence presented during the hearing, that our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was unable to prove infractions on his fundamental rights. Bizarrely the judge wanted video evidence of where the DSS were torturing our leader. The question therefore is, how can any reasonable human being let alone a judge think that the victim of state-sponsored torture can film the event in real-time? The beggars' belief.

2. Regrettably, it is the same manner the likes of Dasuki and Sowore were granted bail by several courts of competent jurisdiction and Nigeria Government continuously disobey the court orders, was the same manner NNAMDI KANU was severally admitted to unconditional bail by both the Federal High Court Orders and Magistrate Court, still, the Nigeria Government failed to obey the court orders to the effect of these bails. This very prayer that formed the fulcrum of this case were completely ignored by the Kogi judge. In essence, the reign of constitutional impunity, disobedience of court judgments and general disregard for the rule of law by this APC regime of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari has received legal endorsement from the ECOWAS Court. It means that across West Africa governments can lock up and torture at will in the full knowledge that ECOWAS Court will back them up.

READ ALSO: Human Rights Abuse Report: We are not answerable to the US, UK or the EU

3. It is very pertinent to note that the infractions mustn't be physical assault alone but the moment there was no existing court order legitimizing the continued detention of NNAMDI KANU, his further detention in the absence of any valid orders of court amount to gross violation of his fundamental human rights to freedom of movement, dignity of human person and liberty. Even this basic legal right was lost on ECOWAS Court.

4. Overwhelming evidence were presented before them but due to the Federal Government of Nigeria pressure, they nominated a Kogi State-born Judge to be the lead judge while forcing the only Igbo judge on the panel to recuse himself. With this ruling, ECOWAS Court have decided to turn justice on its head. Various court orders flagrantly disobeyed by the Nigeria Governments and specifics pronouncement of Major-General Muhammed Buhari, where he expressly stated that NNAMDI KANU cannot be released, were rather not considered by the court. The highly compromised Panel turned a blind eye to these compelling infractions.

5. In view of the chequered history of the case, it is unconventional and legally not permissible under the extant rule of ECOWAS Court to assign a case such as this to a Nigeria born Judge from Kogi State to be presided over, talkless of writing and reading the lead Judgement. Feelers has it that the rubber-stamped judgment was a product of compromise. Governor of Kogi State single-handedly undertook to see to it and consequently bribed the vulnerable Judge to arrive at that bizarre judgment.

READ ALSO: THE PUNCH: The power of Nnamdi Kanu’s admonition of complicit Nigeria media begins to sink in

6. Necessary steps will be taken to apply for a review before the Appellate division of the ECOWAS Court. If this judge thinks they can get with this travesty of justice then they don't know IPOB very well. Nigeria is a finished state, it is a place where the rule of law has been relegated to the background. The establishment now applies coercive powers to ensure that they get it all in the manner they wish.

Henceforth ECOWAS Court will also be on trial because we know the bulk of their funding comes from Nigeria so the proverbial he who pays the piper dictates the tune is visibly at play here. We shall appeal this verdict manufactured in Aso Rock.

COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL MEDIA AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB

The Biafra Times

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Publisher: Charles Opanwa

2019 Elections: The Disappointment of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

March 14, 2019

By Johnson Mgbadu | For Biafra Writers

Severally in the past (during the slave-trade era), Africa was raped by powers outside powers with the full cooperation of some selfish, conniving Africans.

In later years, those Africans were replaced by another set of African connivers, such selfish politicians with semi-literate soldiers like a certain Umaru Dikko and Muhammadu Buhari. Others include the likes of Yakubu Gowon, Sani Abacha, Olusegun Obasanjo, Theophilus Danjuma, Ahmadu Bello, and Babagana Kingibe. They connived with outside powers, receiving assistance such as arms and ammunition from them, and using same to devastate the people they swore to protect just to remain in the saddle of leadership; even when they obviously lack the capacity to function as leaders.

Painfully, that rape has continued till this present day in different forms and different guises, and yet with new set of connivers, some even complementing those mentioned above.

As a result of this situation, many people had felt that redemption would come when highly-educated individuals grow to take over the position of power and authority. The thinking was that such individuals would be highly informed, and would, therefore, understand the plight of Africa in view of the intricacies of international power-play, and so would be able to act right.  In addition to that belief, many in some quarters believed that when women, especially those with high education, occupy important positions in government and in the society, that things would improve tremendously.

This was a major reason great joy swept over many people in the West African sub-region when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, became the President of Liberia. She was seen as highly educated woman – being a Professor.

READ ALSO: Atiku Abubakar, the Current Most Important Actor in the Fulani Secret Agenda

Incidentally, when she concluded her two-term tenure as president and left, many people did not bother to appraise her stint as a leader in Liberia. It was assumed she had done well despite series of protests over some missing funds under her watch.

In the same manner, when she became a member of the ECOWAS observer committee at the just concluded general elections in Nigeria, little eyebrows were raised. It was believed she was educated and sophisticated and would not dance with the shenanigans of desperate people in government over the election.

Oh! How wrong the people were. Indeed, they believed in vain, for her report on that Presidential election of February 23, gave nobody joy. The old woman (born in October 29, 1938) has proven to be even far worse than the ill-educated military men people hoped they would help to retire into political ignominy. She joined observers from outside the continent to claim that the election was free and fair when irrefutable records of violence, enforced disenfranchisement of eligible voters in Rivers, Lagos and other states, vote-buying, stuffing and snatching of ballot boxes and destruction of ballot papers, including killings and abduction of electoral officers and voters. How careless can she be?

Does it mean she was never deployed in Nigeria to witness the carnage and election violence perpetrated by the desperate politicians in power? Didn’t she witness the unleashing of rampaging soldiers on the populace in a supposedly democratic election? Does she not know that Buhari was dead, and that the man standing for the election as Buhari was an impostor – Jubril from Sudan?

Was Mrs. Sirleaf not aware that more than 50 Nigerians were killed by the police and military men across the country in their bid to scare voters away from the polling booths so that the party in power, the APC would continue with its rigging plans unchallenged? Is she also not aware that Card-readers did not function properly in some polling units which led to the disenfranchisement of many voters? Does she not know that APC paid people to buy their voters’ cards? Does she not know that children(underaged voters) were registered to vote in Northern states were APC had many supporters?

It was a pity how Ellen Johnson Sirleaf disappointed Africans in Nigeria. It was indeed a shame that she declared an election that was adjudged as the worst in strategy and execution in the history of Nigeria, free and fair. Such are the leaders we see in Africa.

THE BIAFRA TIMES

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @thebiafratimes

Edited By Chukwuemeka Chimerue
Published by Charles Opanwa

Kanu’s $800m Suit: Lawyer lampoons ECOWAS Court, threatens to withdraw suit over incessant adjournments

By Chukwuemeka Chimerue, Chief Editor, Eluwa Chidiebere
For Biafra Writers

February 13, 2018

ABUJA - The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, sitting in Abuja, has for the umpteenth time adjourned ruling into the fundamental enforcement rights suit filed against the Nigerian government by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

The suit filed since March 2016, has suffered series of setbacks owing to numerous postponements, absenteeism, flimsy excuses and application of fresh motions by the respondent.

Recall that the case was hitherto adjourned in November 21, 2017, after a previous postponement a month before that time, following the absence of FG's Solicitor General and further applications filed by it in the matter.

However, during its resumed hearing on Tuesday, the regional court presided over by Justice Hemeye Mahdmadane, again announced its decision to make further adjournment after entertaining a fresh application by the respondent.

According to Mahdmadane, the court’s decision to adjourn the matter is based on the fact that motions brought before the court in November were yet to be translated into English language by the court staff.

READ ALSO: Biafra: Fulani herdsmen Terrorists, Other Insurgents Are Government's Sponsored Organisations On Special Assignment

In his counter motion, lawyer to the IPOB leader, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who alleged biasness and partiality over the conduct of the court, threatened to withdraw the suit and seek justice elsewhere, if they continue to adjourn the hearing on the matter.

Ejiofor who expressed dissatisfaction over the new application by the respondent, further argued that at the last session, the presiding judge had promised never to entertain anymore adjournments over trivial issues.

Meanwhile, at the opening session, counsel to the respondent, Ms. Maimuna Shiru, informed the court that their decision to file a fresh application was to notify the court of “a recent development in the matter,” adding that IPOB had been proscribed by the federal government and that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, affirmed it.

But reacting to the respondent’s application, Ejiofor accused the FG of frustrating the hearing of the matter through their incessant applications.

READ MORE: BIAFRA : THE PYTHON DANCE III AND OUR SHORTSIGHTEDNESS TO IT'S IMPENDING DANGER

The presiding judge, however, adjourned the matter to May 30, 2018, after taking their submissions.

Speaking to our Correspondent shortly after the hearing, Barrister Ejiofor stated that the continued adjournment in the matter would further malign the integrity of the regional court.

“This matter came up on 21st November 2017 and it was adjourned to 7th February 2018 for its hearing. Today in court, l was told they filed an application for additional evidence. But that is not why the matter was adjourned. The court said that the motion filed last year November by the federal government, has not been translated in a language the judge understands which is due to administrative lapses on the side of the Nigerian judiciary and so he adjourned the matter to 30th May 2018.

“I have told them that adjourning this matter today, will suggest to a layman who is participating in this proceeding that is not impartial and which will indirectly, impugn the integrity of this court. This matter has suffered several adjournments at the expense of the applicant and this is a fundamental application which supposed to be heard speedily.

“Adjourning this case has been giving the respondent the opportunity to be filing all forms of processes. On account of what that has been transpiring in Nigerian courts, they will keep on filing processes, if a ruling is delivered at the Federal High Court yesterday, they will come and file a fresh application today and that has been affecting the speedy hearing of this matter.

“So, for the fact that the department which is supposed to deal with the translation of the process file didn’t do their work, will be accepted and eventually, adjourned the matter to 30th May 2018.

“We have been saying this times without number that any time they adjourn the matter, they will say the matter is coming up for definite hearing. So let me hope that they will hear it on May 30th.”

The Biafra Times 2018
Contact: [email protected]

BIAFRA: Ecowas Court Adjourns Nnamdi Kanu's Case Against Federal Government of Nigeria

The Biafra Times | February 13, 2018

Another day in the law courts, another adjournment. ECOWAS Court sitting in Abuja this morning adjourned to 30th May 2018 the matter of Nnamdi Kanu vs FGN pending before it for nearly 2 years. The reason for this yet another adjournment is because ECOWAS Court staff have not finished translating documents submitted in November 2017.

IPOB lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor informed the court that he would be withdrawing the matter from ECOWAS COURT since the court has been bought over by the Nigerian government. He alleged manifest bias in the conduct of the court.

IPOB cases are too hot for corrupt African judges to hear. Judiciary in Africa is a joke. Even ECOWAS is as corrupt as the Appeal Court in Nigeria.

More Details Later.

The Biafra Times 2018

BIAFRA: ECOWAS VERSUS NIGERIAN SUPPOSED DAMAGE PAYMENT

By Victoria. O. C. Agangan || Biafra Writers

October 3, 2017

I am so pissed with the new development on payments and I crave to ask the duo of Nigeria and ECOWAS, what they are up to in this new scheme for payment!
Are they trying to say we are so cheap and money conscious that 88bn will buy our silence on Biafra restoration or our conscience to forget the death of over 3 million Biafrans, our people killed in that horrible war?

We have a pending court case with them and they have consistently adjourned it without serious attention been given to it, they have systematically denied us rightful verdict and coming around now to ask Nigeria to compensate just like that is an insult to our integrity and intelligence.
Let me ask, who are these victims they intend paying to?

How about the dead and long forgotten heroes? Who will account for them?
How about Biafran children scattered all over the place and separated permanently from their land of birth, displaced, with changed identities? Who will recover them?
Was it not this same year, 30th May, 2017 that hundreds of Biafrans were ambushed and killed in cold blood by the joint military personnel of Nigeria at Nkpor, for coming to honor our fallen heroes?
What has changed? Why this sudden urge to compensate instead of granting us REFERENDUM? ECOWAS, what are you playing at?

Read Also: IPOB PRESS RELEASE: ONLY REASON GOV. OKEZIE IKPEAZU IMPOSED CURFEW IN ABIA DURING OPERATION PYTHON DANCE WAS TO KILL NNAMDI KANU AND DESTROY IPOB

Have you not heard that our leader whose case is in your court has been missing since September 14th when the Nigerian military python danced into his residence? Why have you not asked them to present him - dead or alive?

I simply want an answer from you because I need to know who presented Nigeria, the bill of compensation for a war which its cost, financially, mortally, morally, infrastructurally etc have not been ascertained.

How did you come about these figures as payment?
The seized wealth of Biafrans after a war that was declared “No Victor, no vanquished” where are they? How much was it?

When did Buhari’s administration repent from killing Biafrans? Who will compensate for these recent killings by the Nigerian government/ military of peaceful protesters and IPOB members?
How about those incarcerated in several jails across the nation?
This hypocrisy is unacceptable and must be condemned by all good people of Biafra.
We have not negotiated for recompense. There cannot be negotiations without our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

Read Also: GOWON’S UNPARDONABLE LIES AGAINST OJUKWU

There is no need to mock us this way because we moved on several years ago without recompense.
We do not want one now.

All we are saying is GIVE US FREEDOM! GIVE US BIAFRA!

Make Referendum our recompense if you really care about Biafrans.
No election in Biafra land until this is done!

THE BIAFRA TIMES
Publisher: Chijindu Benjamin Ukah
Contact us: [email protected]

Biafra: Nigeria Failed To Appear Before ECOWAS Court And Now Their Judge Runs Away After Proscribing IPOB

October 24, 2017

IPOB Press Statement

We the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide under the command of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu do hereby wish to register our displeasure at the inability of Nigeria's Attorney General and Justice Kafarati to be in court today in the matter IPOB vs FGN regarding the designation of IPOB as a terrorist group in an exparte order obtained without our lawyers present.

It took the Attorney General of Nigeria, Chief of Defence Staff, Nigerian Army, South East governors and Ohaneze Ndigbo less than 30 minutes to obtain their black market ex-parte order proscribing and designating IPOB a terror group. Today at the same Federal High Court Abuja, the same judge in the person of the Hausa Fulani Islamic Justice Kafarati has run away from hearing the case he himself fixed for hearing this morning, knowing fully well the world is waiting for the outcome of his considered judgement given that he now has the opportunity to hear from both parties.

Nigeria was quick to label IPOB a terror group but cannot come before the same court and judge to defend their wild accusations because IPOB lawyers came prepared with facts that would have led to the dismissal of Justice Kafarati as a High Court judge. All those legally ignorant people in Nigeria, jumping up and down with joy when the corrupt Justice Kafarati issued his decree in his chambers tagging IPOB a terror group, where are you now to tell us why IPOB should not be heard in your own law court. Black market jungle justice is what badly educated judges like Kafarati has turned the Nigeria Judiciary into.

Nigeria has now formed the habit of either running away from the law court or using indefinite adjournments to frustrate any trial they know they are going to lose. As they failed to appear before ECOWAS Court sitting in Abuja in the matter Kanu vs FRN last week, again today the judge himself- an APC pro-government judge for that matter, has failed to show up in such an important high profile case with global significance, in the hope of using adjournment after adjournment to frustrate the only opportunity IPOB has to prove to the world that it is not a terror organisation.

This lying APC Government think they are smart. As usual the Buhari government asked Justice Kafarati to stay away from court today and in its stead leaked the counter affidavit to the motion filed by Abaribe's lawyer demanding the Senator produce Kanu to the public. This APC Government gimmick of seeking to always divert attention away from topical issues is becoming worrisome. They designed the news headline today in readiness to divert public attention away from the non appearance of Justice Kafarati in court.

Unfortunately this has become the norm for this morally bankrupt Buhari administration. A government that actively engage in lying and deception should not be entrusted with the protection and preservation of the process of the rule of law. With newspaper headlines screaming "Kanu is in the custody of Abaribe" they hope to divert focus away from the disgraceful non appearance of Justice Kafarati to Senator Abaribe suretyship. A very clever ploy of using manufactured sensational news stories to kill public interest in genuine cases of concern to the people. Welcome to legal practice in Buhari's Nigeria.

The UN, USA, EU, UK, France, Israel and Russia must demand from Buhari why this judge ran away from hearing this suit. It was Nigeria that single handedly, without any evidence, court hearing or legislative backing, declared IPOB a terror group. Since the laws of Nigeria, or what is left of it, allows IPOB to challenge such draconian order in a court of law, Buhari and his Attorney General should be honorable enough to allow due process rather than asking the judge to skip his own hearing.

According to an eye witness in Abuja Federal High Court today, "I entered inside the court this morning with Barrister Maxwell Okpara, only to be informed that the same judge(Abdul Kafarati) that granted the prayers for the proscription of IPOB has postponed the matter to a later date. Okpara said the man is obviously running away from the case. We're now waiting for the Court clerk to pick another date of adjournment."

Given the hopelessness and inability of the National Assembly in Nigeria to rein in the excesses of this Buhari regime, the international community is morally obliged to impose limited sanctions on Nigeria for this brazen subversion of the rule of law and undisguised dictatorial tendencies which breeds instability. They have made it impossible for the common man to view the law court as a place to obtain justice in Nigeria. All IPOB is asking for, is an opportunity to prove before a court of law that IPOB is not a terrorist organisation.

COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL MEDIA AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB.
THE BIAFRA TIMES
Publisher: Chijindu Benjamin Ukah
Contact us: [email protected]

Biafra: Again, absence of FG’s counsel stalls hearing on Kanu’s $800 million suit at ECOWAS Court

•Adjourns case till November 21
•Ejiofor accuses FG of deliberate ploy to truncate proceedings, says they’re on the run

By Chukwuemeka Chimerue || For Biafra Writers

October 11, 2017

ABUJA— Hearing on the fundamental rights violation suit lodged at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, sitting in Abuja, by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, through his legal counsel, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, again, suffered a setback following the absence of the respondent’s counsel at the Court, yesterday.

Despite due service of the Hearing Notice on the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, before the Tuesday’s hearing, his counsel was nowhere to be found close to the court.

However, a supposed Senior State Counsel, Mr. Abdullahi Abubakar, who announced appearance for the Attorney General, informed the court that he had no mandate of his principal(AGF) to proceed with the hearing, and consequently asked for a stand down to 1pm to enable the Solicitor General conclude on an unknown case he was handling at the Supreme Court in order to seek for his approval to represent him in the case.

At 1pm the matter was stood down at their request, the hearing still could not continue due to the failure of the counsel to the AGF, assigned to handle the matter, in appearing at the court.

Read Also: Monkey Pox: The Mission Creed Of Biological Warfare On Biafrans By The Nigerian Military

Abubakar, however, pleaded for an adjournment to enable the AGF put his house together, in order to make himself available at the next sitting but this motion was vehemently opposed by the Applicant’s counsel, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor.

In his counter motion, Ejiofor who asked the court to compel the Federal government to pay a sum of N2 million, accused the latter of “deliberately delaying the matter.”

Mr. Abubakar, however, argued that the previous adjournment on the matter was not at the instance of the respondent but based on a request from the court.

Although, the regional court presided over by a three-man panel of judges headed by Honourable Justice Hemeye Mahdmadane reluctantly granted the FG an adjournment after a heated argument, however, deferred further consideration on Ejiofor’s application for the cost of N2 million to the next adjourned date.

Read Also: Biafra: IPOB raises alarm over incessant raids, looting at Kanu’s home by the Nigerian military

The court thereafter, adjourned the case till November 21 for continued hearing of the application and the determination of the motion for the award of costs and/or compensatory damages against the Federal government.

Reacting however, after the court session, Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq, restated his belief that the Federal government was deliberately delaying the matter using one irrational excuse or the other as a cover-up.

He said, “It is pertinent to inform the world that the Solicitor General of the Federation has been in the practice of asking for an adjournment in this suit any time it comes up for hearing.

“At the penultimate court session, the matter came up for hearing, he routed a letter to the Office of the Registrar of the ECOWAS Court, requesting for adjournment, reason being that he was to appear before a Municipal Court in Nigeria, an application which the court reluctantly granted, though not without cautioning the Solicitor General to be more diligent in defending the suit.

“Since the Federal government’s preliminary objection, challenging the competency of the suit was struck out by the Community Court, the government has been adopting all forms of delay tactics to frustrate the hearing of the Suit.

Read Also: BIAFRA: We Are Non-Violent and Peaceful in Our Quest For The Restoration of Biafra - IPOB

“Our findings now revealed that the Solicitor General at whose instance today’s adjournment was granted never appeared at the Supreme Court today.

“When the deliberate ploy to truncate the proceedings relying on flimsy excuses for adjournment is juxtaposed with the hurried manner the Federal government obtained the reprehensible ex-parte order of the court proscribing IPOB and designating same as a terrorist group, the manifest conspiracy and bad intentions will be exposed the more.

“Now the suit has been adjourned to the 21st day of November, 2017 for definite hearing, it is our hope, that neither the Attorney General of the Federation nor his Solicitor General will be appearing before the Supreme Court on that day.

“In a society with track records of impunity and lack of respect for judicial institutions, anything goes.

“What we are asking for is justice before the regional court and nothing more. Federal Government should be bold enough to defend the inactions of their security agents. USD$800 million compensatory damages we are asking for in this Suit is not too big a cost that can’t be afforded by the government on account of the gross violation of my client’s fundamental rights.”

The Biafra Times
Publisher: Chijindu Benjamin Ukah
Contact us: [email protected]