Alaigbo and the road to Afghanistan

BY ZAYD IBN ISAH

“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”                     

— Mahatma Gandhi

There is a well-known Igbo proverb that says a man who does not know where the rain began to beat him cannot say where he dried his body.  The rain that beat Alaigbo began in 2014 when the controversially embattled leader, Nnamdi Kanu created the Indigenous People of Biafra [IPOB]. The primary objective of the group was the restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra. Kanu’s prominent grievance is that the Igbos are being marginalized in the national scheme of things.  He operated from abroad with Radio Biafra and his modus operandi involved making incendiary remarks and inciting his followers at home against the government of the day. The federal government charged security operatives to always keep their wits about them and not be cowed in the face of intimidation, even as the movement gained momentum with street demonstrations. Most of Kanu’s followers are disillusioned and frustrated youths with way too much energy in their hands, but little faith in the status quo. They have denounced their allegiance to Nigeria while putting absolute faith in their ‘Supreme Leader’ as Kanu is fondly called. They have put all hopes upon him to take them to their land of milk and honey.

Kanu left his comfort zone in London to Nigeria to lead the charge from the front in October 2015 and he was picked up immediately at the airport by the country’s secret police. This arrest sparked more violent street protests and outrage from his followers.  Kanu was subsequently charged with ‘criminal conspiracy, intimidation and membership of an illegal organisation’ and was thereafter remanded in Kuje Prison. He spent more than one year in incarceration and was released in 2017 on bail.

Kanu left prison and became more emboldened in his quest for the restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra. He defied nearly all the bail conditions and was making the five states in the South-Eastern region ungovernable for the governors. Kanu’s name had not only become household in the region but conferred upon him a status of being untouchable. Even his late parents could not rein him in then. The last Igbo man to command such reverence was the great Ikemba, Odumegwe Ojukwu of blessed memory.

Miffed by his recalcitrant attitude towards constituted authority, the Nigerian Military went after him through a sting operation. His house was raided and his whereabouts became unknown.  Rumour carried it that he was killed in the raid. His ardent followers vowed to take up arms and retaliate if anything was to happen to their Supreme Leader. Some said he escaped through our porous borders to one of the neighbouring African countries. Tensions flared. Some concerned citizens called on the government to declare a state of emergency in Abia State, to forestall impending danger.

Nnamdi Kanu later assured his followers from abroad through Radio Biafra that he was hale and hearty. The battle for the actualisation of the sovereign State of Biafra was a battle of no retreat and no surrender, according to him. Kanu became increasingly radical after he escaped the Nigerian Military. His messages from abroad took on a different tone. He could barely hide his disdain for the present administration whenever he spoke. The last stroke that broke the camel’s back was the establishment of the Eastern Security Network (ESN). ESN is the militia arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra. Thus, the message Kanu sent to the powers that be with the creation of ESN was of his readiness to take the bull by the horn. And it was well-received.  Like Afghanistan, peace remains a distant dream in Alaigbo since the creation of this security outfit. Hundreds of lives have been lost and properties worth millions of naira destroyed. Security agents who are constitutionally mandated to ensure the protection of lives and properties have become endangered species. The entire situation accurately mirrors Thomas Hobbes’ pessimistic statement about a ‘state of nature’ where life becomes brutish, nasty and short: and anarchy simply becomes the order of the day. Meanwhile, the ‘Supreme leader’ was in London barking orders for his foot-soldiers to carry out. With grim faces and blind resolve, they marched out wielding AK-47s and other locally made guns, which they used to kill uniformed personnel. Unsurprisingly, their dastardly actions received the support of many people. They were cheered and clapped for as if they were superstars while they attacked security operatives and destroyed government properties. Those who warned that this was how Boko Haram began in Borno State under Muhammed Yusuf were disparaged. Concerned voices were almost silenced for equating Boko Haramʼs terrorist activities to that of the so-called “unknown gunmen.” As the assaults against security operatives continued, it became pertinent for the powers that be to step up and instill a much-needed sense of order.

Nnamdi Kanuʼs rearrest in Kenya was only possible through the coordinated efforts of INTERPOL and other relevant agencies. And just like that, the chickens have come home to roost. The movement, through its spokesman—Emma Powerful, has declared every Monday a sit-at-home day until their ‘Supreme leader’ is let off the hook. The sit-at-home order commenced yesterday and there was some level of compliance in the region. Those who defied the order were severely punished. Some were killed for defying the order in shocking manners. It was a Monday to forget for Alaigbo.It is enough to wonder just how much of a deity Nnamdi Kanu has become. It is enough to imagine that even the great Ikemba—Ojukwu, would spin within his grave at the sheer wildness of these unfolding events.

From Venice to Catalonia to Quebec, the world is replete with agitated movements seeking secession from their respective governments. These movements are gradually gaining strength without much rancour or debilitating disruption. One does not need a prophet to see that Nnamdi Kanu and his followers need to tread with caution. Ojukwu was never like this. He didn’t fight against his people; he fought for them. And even before the great Ikemba died, he professed his love for a united, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria.

To say that there is no injustice in the land is to blink the fact, but secession is not the ultimate panacea, especially for times like this. Kanu and his zealous followers should fall back and give Nigeria a chance to rights her wrongs. We will overcome our current challenges not only by the grace of God but by a consciously driven plan for lasting change and progress. All will be well, as long as we avoid letting this country descend deeper into the forms of carnage that have damaged nations like Syria and Afghanistan. We should recognise that the ties that bind us together are stronger than those capable of tearing us apart.