Biafra: Agitation Takes A New Dimension, As IPOB Malaysia Showcased Biafra To The World Through Sports

December 12, 2016

MALAYSIA— The unrelenting struggle for the liberation of Biafrans took another dimension as Malaysia stood still on Tuesday the 29th of November 2016, when two formidable Biafran Football Clubs in Malaysia (IPOB Kuala Lumpur versus IPOB Penang football clubs), in an enthralling game of soccer slugged it out in their first ever official Biafran football march played between the two clubs in Kuala Lumpur (KL) Malaysia.

The March which took place in Kuala Lumpur and hosted by Biafrans in KL saw Team Penang win their host 2-0; each of the goals came during the first and second half of the game, respectively.

Meanwhile, the IPOB Team Kuala Lumpur were looking forward to clinching the first winning position of the series but their hope was dashed when they eventually ended up losing 0-2 to their guest in the early minutes of the second half.

The Penang Biafra football team were obviously in control of the pace of the game from the beginning to the end of the March.

Meanwhile the game was played in a very thrilling and brotherly atmosphere and it ended without any injuries on any side.

Cross section of the Biafran Squad adorned with beautiful/bright Biafran colours of jerseys before the tournament were all in display as Officials of the game; the IPOB Football club head coach and national leader IPOB Malaysia Mr. Obilo reached out to them in a cheerful manner.

Some die-hard IPOB fans and lovers of freedom who graced the event also contributed in cheering the teams and making the event memorable as they all posed for a shot during the march in Kuala Lumpur.

The purpose of the match Biafra Writers gathered, was to showcase Biafra to the whole of humanity through sports, and at the same call for her emancipation from shackles of British-Nigeria servitude.

By Chukwuemeka Chimerue
Published By Nwosu C.S
For Biafra Writers

Biafra: Okarki Community Boils over Death of Izu Joseph the Shootings stars Football player--See more Photos

Izu Joseph's corpse

Monday 24 October, 2016

Izu Joseph, who happened to be Biafran until his death was a football player with Shooting stars of Ibadan football club. He was shot dead by the Nigerian soldiers last week during his visit to his home town in Okakhi community, Rivers state, a town bordering Bayelsa state.

It was gathered that the footballer was armless as at the time the army invaded the community in search of millitants who allegedly have been destroying oil pipelines in the region in their quest for self determination.

All effort made by the villagers to stop his elimination proved abortive. The army went ahead and pelleted two live bullets in his body, resulting to his instant death.

Photos of his corpse has emerged, creating uproar and unrest within and outside the community.

Published By Biafra writers

NIGERIA IS FINISHED: IT IS DEAD AND BURIED....R.I.P--Says Ali Baba

Wednesday 24 August, 2016

Popular stand up comedian, Ali Baba, has lambasted the Nigerian government, saying by all standards, the country is finished.The renowned comedian reacted to the treatment recently given to the Dream Team VI on their way to Rio for Olympics men football tournament.  The Dream Team VI were left stranded in Atlanta, USA, where they had gone for training ahead of the competition, after the chartered airline refused to leave until full payments were made.

Although the players got a bronze medal from the competition, the government had showed little or no regard for them initially. In his opinion, the comedian, in an open letter on his Instagram account, wrote:

“Nigeria is a finished goods country. A country that is only interested in the end products does not invest in the process; that’s Nigeria. We like chocolate but to convert cocoa to chocolate is rocket science. We have over 200m cars, that’s a car multiplied by 4 tyres minimum.“We like to go to countries that have beach-sides and waterfronts, yet we have acres of coastlines. No tourism policy to harness the sector. We have stadium scattered across the country in all states of decay & abandonment, or at best underutilized, yet we want to win Olympic gold.

Read also:"I PLEDGE NIGERIA IS NOT MY COUNTRY...SO BREAK IT GOD":THE NEW PLEDGE DISPARAGES NIGERIA

"Nigeria is bursting at its seams with raw & developed creative talents that needs no support from govt. yet ordinary piracy laws, we no get. We know the sports that can bring us several medals, boxing, swimming, long jump, and weightlifting: who polo and golf don hep for Nigeria? Go see the spaces reserved for polo and golf in Nigeria. How many medals have these sports brought us? Yet we don’t see how that kills sports.“Nigeria used to have the Mobil opens and other keenly contested sports meet. That was when we had the best crop of athletes, now nothing.

We have a country that wants to see athletes & footballers making it on their own, before calling them to come for national duty. na today? Most of these footballers hustle their way into Europe & begin to make waves, then that finished product mentality kicks in. national call.“Then when we decide to appoint sports administrators, we appoint them based on the political affiliations. Sport ministers wey know nadaaaa.

“I have seen Ijaw boys do breast strokes faster than Olympic & world records, but who is harnessing it? The boys are best used as party thugs. Most of the people who refused to see the value in standup comedy back in 1987, are in government. It took Obasanjo to bring it to fore.“What is the tourism attraction in Dubai? Camels, sand, road infrastructure, architecture, beach & water tourism… and why can’t we have them. Policies! Policies!! Policies!!! We don’t need their roles, just the rules.“Let others key into it.

No one needs govt funding, just enabling environment. Make the laws. Enforce them. Punish law breakers. Provide security.“Did Nigerian govt grow Nollywood? Did Nigerian govt make Psquare, Davido, Tubaba? What of the comedy sector? Just create policies. Lobatan,” the comic character added."

NEWS: FULANI HERDSMEN WRECKS HAVOC IN AWGU COMMUNITY, AS SUSPECTED PSEUDO SOLDIERS ARRESTS 76 NATIVES OVER PROTEST

Edited And Published By Nwosu C.S

...#SaveOurSoul--- Monarch Cries Out.

There was palpable fear and tension which enveloped residents of Ugwuneshi Autonomous community in Agwu Local Government Area of Enugu State, following the illegal arrest of 76 villagers in the community by "men in military uniform" over their protest against the rampaging Fulani Cattle Herders.
Awgu is a border community with Lokpanta in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State where a cattle market is located.

Decrying the horrible situation, the traditional ruler of Awgu community, His Royal Highness Igwe Godwin Nwobi, stated that the incident took place on Thursday last week, saying that the Fulani Herdsmen who settled in the community without their permission had been using their cattle to destroy their crops and farmlands with impunity.
He stated that following the continued destruction of their crops which serve as their only means of livelihood, the youths in the community out of anger and provocation, decided to protest the impunity and execrable activities of the Herdsmen.

According to the Monarch, the villagers after the protest received an information that two women who went to their farm had been abducted by the herdsmen apparently in retaliation.
"When we got such information, the youths and men were gathering in our village square to discuss the matter and plan for a rescue mission when suddenly they were surrounded by men in military uniform who arrested 76 of them and carried them away in trucks", he said.
He appealed for the intervention of Enugu State Government to secure the release of the arrested villagers whom he said had remained in prison custody in Umuahia.

Related article:Enugu community decries arrest of 76 villagers after feud with Fulani 

The monarch wondered why his subjects would be crammed into detention for simply protesting the destruction of their crops and farmlands while those responsible for the destruction are allowed to operate freely. "it is wrong for our people who fled the North because of Boko Haram to be treated as slaves in their own land. We don't want to be destroyed by herdsmen like they did in Agatu, Benue State. Government should please come to our rescue. We appeal to our Governor and other Southeast Governors to save Igboland from the herdsmen invasion before it is too late", he agonized.

But in a contradictory twist, the Public Relations Officer(PRO) of the 14 Brigade Ohafia, Major Sydney Mbaneme when contacted, said the "men in military uniform" were not soldiers. He said they might be fake soldiers and civilians who camouflaged themselves, adding that "if at all they are soldiers, they were not our soldiers".
The Army spokesperson further explained that if the said soldiers were real soldiers, the attention of the command would have been drawn to it, adding that "when such arrest is made, the first thing is to carry out preliminary investigation and inform their various units".

When also contacted, the zonal Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO) in charge of Zone 9, DSP Emma Jiakponna, said he was not aware of the incident.
But a source in Abia State Judiciary confirmed that the arrested villagers are currently been detained at Afara prison in Umuahia. The source said the men were grouped into three and arraigned in the court but were refused bail.
However, the source failed to disclose details of the charges preferred against them nor confirm whether it was the police, soldiers or 'fake soldiers' that brought them to court.

Meanwhile, Governor Lawrence Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has said he could not help the situation, tasking journalists to help expose the injustices in the country.
The Governor who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Uwakwe Abugu told our source on a phone conversation that "it does not require the attention of the state government before something is done". He simply referred our source to the Army PRO for further inquiries.

Meanwhile, the youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has strongly condemned the arrest and continued detention of the villagers, describing it as "an insult to the Igbo nation".
The Coordinator of the seven State Chairmen of the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Mazi Alex Okemmiri, said it was wrong for security agents to bundle unarmed local farmers into prison for merely protesting the destruction of their crops by Fulani cattle rearers. He called for the immediate release of the villagers, warning that if no urgent measures were taken to resolve the menace of Fulani herdsmen which has assumed a worrisome dimension since the coming into power of President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians might be in for "something worse than Boko Haram.

Written By Ucheagu Chukwuemeka Chimerue.
Reporting Live From Enugu, For Biafra Writers.

Call to Listen to RBL World

26 Years Later, Liverpool Fans Still Feel the Loss

LONDON — At six minutes after three o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, a packed Anfield Stadium in Liverpool will fall silent — as it has at this precise time every April 15 for the past 25 years.

And when the silence is over, the more than 40,000 people will burst into the anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

This is how Liverpool pays its respects to the sons and daughters, the mothers and fathers, the cousins and friends who were among the 96 fans who died in the crush of a chronically overcrowded standing area behind one of the goal boxes six minutes into the FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, played at the neutral venue of Hillsborough, Sheffield.

Time has not been allowed to ease the bereavement for the families, nor to prevent the tremor in the pulse for any of us who were in that stadium in 1989. We were drawn for sport, but barely had the game begun when the horror unraveled before us.

Fans gathering near the Barcaccia, a fountain in downtown Rome, before a Europa League soccer match between Roma and Feyenoord in February, when Feyenoord fans battled with the police and were said to be responsible for damage to the fountain.A Tactical Shift Sweeps Soccer, Only It Comes From the PoliceAPRIL 13, 2015

Barcelona's Neymar, right, celebrated with teammates after scoring off a free kick.Global Soccer: Sevilla Up to the Challenge in 2-2 Draw With BarcelonaAPRIL 12, 2015

Andrés Iniesta, left, and Xavi Hernández as Spain beat Italy to win the Euro 2012 title. The Spaniards are also teammates on their club, Barcelona.Global Soccer: Clock Is Ticking on Xavi's Storied Career at BarcelonaAPRIL 7, 2015

This weekend, as fate would have it, Liverpool plays another FA Cup semifinal, this time against Aston Villa at London’s Wembley Stadium. That makes five times the Reds have reached this penultimate stage of the world’s oldest tournament, following the tragedy — the semis of 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2012.

So the love of this competition continues to compel Liverpudlians — among them relatives of the dead and the hundreds more fans injured at Hillsborough. Some, but not all say it would only make more futile their loss if they turned their backs on the cause their loved ones died following.

If you get the chance, watch Wednesday’s Hillsborough Memorial Service at Anfield. You will witness a remarkable bond between the survivors, the relatives and the former players who come back to share this ceremony at each anniversary.

For those of us who were mere bystanders in 1989, the worst thing was seeing the tragedy build up, watching helplessly from the adjacent main stand the calamity resulting when 2,000 extra fans were allowed to enter that crowded section of the ground. The excitement of a Liverpool attack on the goal at the far end of the field caused people at the back of the Leppings Lane stand to surge forward, trapping and crushing those at the front into the impenetrable steel fencing.

As the ablest-bodied fans climbed those high barriers, or were hauled bodily up to the concrete second tier above them, life was crushed out of the spectators, many of them youngsters, trapped by the fencing.

There was no aggression. Sheer weight of numbers caused the suffocation. But we all knew why those ugly, immovable barriers had been erected. It was the ill-considered response of authority to keep hooligans from encroaching on the field — and as inexcusable as it seems, such fences still remain in parts of the world, including France, Germany and Italy.

The government ordered that all of the country’s stadiums, most of them crumbling relics back in the 1980s, become safer, modern structures in the ensuing years. Standing was made illegal at soccer games in the top divisions of England and Scotland, and though the prices have rocketed, the legacy of the Hillsborough tragedy is that every fan has a designated seat inside the arena.

German soccer fans might argue that with proper crowd control and well- behaved spectators, people need not be deprived of the right to stand if they choose to. Many thousands do every time the giant teams like Borussia Dortmund play, and the atmosphere they create is second to none.

However, all is not laid to rest, and may never be, regarding Liverpool. If anything could be worse than the accident, it was the blame game that is still going on after more than a quarter of a century.

Right now, in a makeshift courtroom at Warrington on the outskirts of Liverpool, there is a harrowing re-examination of the evidence, while simultaneously the Independent Police Complaints Commission is attempting the biggest criminal and disciplinary investigation in its history.

At stake is the accusation by senior police officials and by the editor of the Sun newspaper that the fans were responsible for causing their own deaths.

Those accounts were worse than erroneous. The fans were either victims or, often, heroes who ran to the fallen, trying to give the kiss of life or breaking up advertising boards to cart the injured to ambulances outside the stadium.

The Family Support Group, led by parents who lost children, have made it their life’s purpose to demand truth and justice. Some, alas, have died with the passage of time, but others are beginning to see and hear the truth under oath.

Last month in Warrington, David Duckenfield, the police chief who was the match commander at Hillsborough, admitted under cross-examination that he had ordered the gate to be opened, allowing the 2,000 fans to pour through. He further admitted he had been part of the attempt to cover up police culpability and blame the fans.

Duckenfield cut a pitiable, and self- pitying figure. Now 70, he was pensioned off by the police force two years after Hillsborough. Like other officers, he took early retirement because of depression.

No doubt the police suffered, but it is living pain. Duckenfield testified that he panicked, having been given the Hillsborough command only three weeks before. But others should be in the dock alongside him. Who appointed him? Who chose the venue, who decided Liverpool, with thousands more supporters than Nottingham, should be given the smaller end of the stadium? Who was responsible for building a fence of steel — with insufficient safety gates — that left so many with no escape from asphyxiation?

No amount of compensation, no apology, can replace their loss. But on every Hillsborough anniversary, the sadness deepens that there remain stadiums in the world that cage in fans just as unforgivably as Hillsborough did.

FIFA and its federations should pay some of their riches to ensure the arenas are safe places to watch the “Beautiful Game.”

Jürgen Klopp to Depart Borussia Dortmund After Dismal Season

The announcement that Jürgen Klopp will depart Borussia Dortmund at the end of this season is surprising only in its timing. Klopp’s chemistry with the team had grown stale after seven successful years, and at 47 he remains young enough, charismatic enough, and now available enough to take on one of the really rich and powerful clubs around Europe. Manchester City is the early book-makers favorite, but over the next few days and weeks no one should rule out Real Madrid, the reigning Champions League and Club World Cup holder. He is, or has been, that good. He laughs a lot, he rails sometimes, he works the communications channels eloquently, (in ever improving English), and most impressively of all, his record of getting young players to run and to entertain to the highest levels of the sport are proven. “I always said that in that moment where I believe I am not the perfect coach any more for this extraordinary club, I will say so,” Klopp said at a news conference in Dortmund, Germany, on Wednesday. “I really think the decision is the right one. This club deserves to be coached by the 100 percent right manager. Dortmund needs the change.” It does, and so does the coach. Ever since he arrived there from Mainz, a smaller club that he also coached to aspirations it barely knew it had, he and Borussia have fitted like a glove. There was rare emotion when Klopp, the team’s sporting director Michael Zorc and its managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke spoke at the news conference on Wednesday. “It touched us a lot, be assured of that,” Waitzke said. “It is very difficult for us because we realized that we have a special relationship based on extreme trust and friendship.” So why the parting with three years left on the contract between Klopp and Dortmund? There was an unspoken reason for this, and it directly involved Bayern. The Munich giant weakened Klopp’s hand season after season either by paying what it took to lure away his best players, or by waiting until the next best player’s contract wound down and getting him for free. If it was sad to lose local prospect Mario Götze to Bayern two seasons ago, it was compounded by Robert Lewandowksi, the Polish striker who so vastly improved at Dortmund, but left when his contract ended the following summer. Coaches and managers at smaller clubs get used to this. Money begets money, and ambitious players generally move to where they are paid the most — and where they might win the most trophies. When this was compounded at Dortmund by as many nine of the first-team players going lame through injuries, even Klopp, who drove them, must have had doubts about whether it was healthy for everyone for him to stay. He said Wednesday that there was no rift with players, and Zorc turned to face Klopp to say: “Jürgen, you have given this cub energy and optimism.” Certainly he did. His style of playing and managing was based on extreme high tempo, on running , passing and movement that extracted everything his players could muster. But it appeared that while this broke the resistance of opponents, it possibly also contributed to the muscular injuries that piled up within his squad. That is a perception that anyone who bids for his services might examine. It is similar to the exhaustion, both on coach and players, that made Pep Guardiola quit Barcelona to take a sabbatical year in New York before returning to coach at Bayern Munich. Klopp quashed rumors that he, too, needs time away from the game. He said he was fit and available for hire — and presumably not in the role of television pundit, which he is well suited for. He wants a club, a big club to meet his own desire to win the major prizes. Real Madrid will remember the way Dortmund outplayed its Galacticos in the past. Manchester City, thought to be waiting in hope that Guardiola would by leave Munich after one more year, was suddenly marked down on the betting odds from 16-1 to 8-11 as the next move for Klopp. Why wouldn’t it? His English is so very polished, and he says he wants a challenge. Source nytimes