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Free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

IF THIS IS JUSTICE . . .

A trial is fixed for the 18th of January 2022. The trial of Nnamdi Kanu. My nation promises us justice on that day. Yet I awoke this morning with troubling questions: what does justice mean in my nation, and in this case? What is true justice?

Is The Right Man Standing Behind The Dock?

When I hear of justice and my country Nigeria in the same breath, I think of our politicians. I think of their fat stomachs and rosy cheeks, oily smiles and heavy bank accounts. I think of them standing proudly beside their kids and grinning at the camera on the lawns of UK, Canadian, and USA Universities. I think of all their happiness that our tears paid for. I think of this.

Is The Right Man Standing Behind The Dock?

At the mention of justice, I think of thousands of surrendered Boko Haram daily eating fat in rehabilitation camps in the hope of repentance. I think of them assimilated into the same society they swore to either islamize or eliminate. I think of their first bombing of
St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, on a Christmas morning 10 years ago. I think of over 200 worshippers who died in that first adventure. Then I think of Chibok girls.

I hear of justice and think of the Fulani herdsmen on a national rampage. I think of April 2016 and the herdsmen attack on the village of Ukpabi, Nimbo, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area in Enugu State.

In anguish over the devastation and massacre, Dr Ajokwu George, had appealed to the state government to come to their aid, as their community had become a hunting ground for herdsmen.

He said,

“We are not really happy because our community is under threat, we have been burying our loved ones. We are more worried because in this case, we even alerted the security agents that these people were planning to attack us, but nothing was done.

“As we speak, we’ve recovered over 20 corpses and we are still recovering more. Several others are in the morgue and in the hospitals. What did we do to deserve this? We are really pleading that something be done. Our women have been raped and killed and nothing has happened.

“What has happened is just the tip of an iceberg because we know they will come again. The way they invaded our community and raped women before their husbands is worrisome. We need security here not just for a day or week, but for months to protect us. We thank you for coming to empathise with us and we want you to deliver our people from this problem,” he pleaded.

What Happened After This Appeal?

Almost immediately, the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, broke down in tears and called for fasting and prayers for two days to seek God’s intervention.

“We are going to seek God’s intervention in this matter. It is my belief that this too will pass away. The entire people of Enugu State are with you in this moment of grief,” Ugwuanyi assured the victims.

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Who Are The Fulani?

In 1804 the Fulani, led by a prominent Islamic scholar, Usman dan Fodio, launched a jihad. He waged a Muslim holy war through the North, fighting against the Hausa states, to cleanse them of their non-Muslim ways and introduce proper Islamic law and practice.

His original intention was to Islamize the people in the north, the Hausas. But his aganda eventually spread towards conquering and grabbing a massive landmass.

By 1807, the last Hausa state had fallen, but it was soon obvious that Usman dan Fodio’s motives went beyond religion. It became a war of conquest. He turned his Jihad westward grabbing up huge swaths of land, which he then Islamized and colonized with the Fulani, until he was stopped by the British Army in 1903 under the command of Lord Lugard, who then named the area Northern Nigeria in 1914.

By this time, Usman Dan Fodio had already islamized half the west and grabbed their land, hence half the land mass of present Nigeria belongs to the North.

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Who Is The Man Now Behind Dock?

Nnamdi Okwu Kanu is a Nigerian Biafra political activist, and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB.

Zeroplus4, [1/9/2022 3:06 AM]
In a move to create an independent state for the people of old Eastern Region of Nigeria through an independent referendum, Kanu founded IPOB in 2012.

He began his activism for the freedom of Biafra as director of Radio Biafra in 2009, and anchor of Biafra awareness under Ralph Uwazuruike, leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

Between calling for a referendum towards self determination, and urging citizens to defend themselves from herdsmen attack, Nnamdi Kanu ran into trouble with the Nigerian government and was first arraigned over allegations of terrorism, money laundering, treason, others, on October 14, 2015.

Later granted bail in 2017, he fled Nigeria in September after the military invaded his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, in the southeast of Nigeria. A move that prompted the Nigerian government to secure a court order proscribing IPOB as a terrorist group.

Nnamdi Kanu’s whereabouts remained unknown until his recent arrest a few days ago. He and his co-defendant are currently facing treasonable felony charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

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An Igbo adage says, you cannot beat a child and ask him not to cry.

We should be having a discussion in this country.

Why do these people badly want to go?

What are they tired of?

The interest of the Yoruba nation has Igboho in detention.

The interest of the Igbos has Kanu in detention.

In the midst of banditry, Boko Haram, open grazing, epileptic foreign fund borrowing running to 50 trillion, gross mismanagement and lack of accountability, I do not think Nnamdi Kanu is the problem of Nigeria.

For raising a lot of needed questions, I do not think Kanu should be punished or made an example of.

A trial is fixed for the 18th of January 2022. The trial of Nnamdi Kanu. My nation promises us justice on that day.

What does justice mean in my nation?

True justice should never be about making examples, or teaching us in languages. I do not think a man should be criminalized for speaking up, for being tired of the status quo, while bombers are rehabilitated.

If this is promised justice. . . I want no part of it.

Written By Gloria Ogo