Every day in our newspapers, social media, and other news outlets, we hear all these stories about kidnapping, ritual killings, human trafficking, and poisoning. The latest was the story of a young man traveling with a bag which contained a rigor mortised body of another human being. When questioned, he informed security personnel that the bag contained yams. How they were able to figure out what was in the bag and asked him to open it was a mystery – but lo and behold the bag contained the dead body of another human!
The entire Southeast is at war with itself, and we all knew how it started. First was the emergency of IPOB as the mouthpiece of marginalized and disenfranchised Igbos, this was followed by the creation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to counter the atrocities being perpetrated by the Fulani Herdsmen in defense of Igbo against these alleged marauders. The formation of ESN got the attention of the federal government, who in turn mobilized the military (Operation Python Dance) to stop challenges to their sovereignty. The federal government perceived the emergence of ESN as a challenge to the national sovereignty of Nigerian. Operation Python Dance took on Nnamdi Kanu, members of ESN, IPOB and their supporters, and we all know the results of that confrontation. Since then, these outfits have remained active, although underground in one form or the other and have proven to be a bane in the ability of both the federal and state governments to maintain law and order in Igbo land today.
My concern is that the chaos being experienced in the Southeast today has direct correlation to the activities of these groups. Suffice to say that there has now emerged this phenomenon of the “unknown gunmen" a product of the chaos in the area. What we have left today in the Southeast is an environment of instability, confusion, crime opportunism and lawlessness. Every day we read about the different factions of this so-called unknown gunmen fighting and killing each other in the name of turf wars, while renegade members of ESN have taken to attacking the military, police, and Ebube Agu - all for what you might ask? Battle to remain relevant! Meanwhile, it is the masses that are caught in the crossfire and left confused as to what to do. Today, most citizens in the Southeast have resolved to lay low and stay under the radar for fear of being attacked and in some cases killed by one of these feuding groups. People cannot go out anymore and traveling in certain areas are akin to traveling through a war zone. This was not the peaceful, fun, and loving Igbo land that we alI grew up. Except for during the Nigerian civil war, our homeland has always been a destination that we all aspire to visit any chance we get...what happened? Any community where its residents live in fear every day is not a place fit for human habitation. Something must be done about these current conditions before it is too late.
Boko Haram Menace!
Let me remind everyone how Boko Haram started in the North. it was in 2002 that Muhammed Yusuf formed Boko Haram in Borno capital of Northern Nigeria. His teachings were based on the rejection of secular lifestyle, education, and anything European. Remember that the federal government never took him seriously until approximately 2009 when the group has gained a large following and notoriety. Just like they attempted to do with IPOB and ESN the federal government confronted the group with several members killed and some of their leaders captured by the military. It was the subsequent killing of their leader, and some members of the leadership team that triggered the reemergence of the group under Shekau, and took on the federal government directly. Yes, it has been 20 years since, and the north have known no peace. Till date, we are still counting the destructive and destabilizing impact of this group both in the North and the entire nation. I foresee a lot of similarities between the beginnings of Boko Haram and those of IPOB and the potential destructive impact of Igbo land if not checked and controlled. My question is whether this is the kind of life and existence that we want to build for our children and grandchildren given the chaos and destruction going on in the North?
Today, Ala Igbo is no longer a safe place to live. Every day you hear about this constant armed confrontation between the unknown gunmen on one side, the police, miliary and Ebube Agu security outfit on the other. Every day, someone is killed maimed or kidnapped, police stations and outpost are raided and burned to the ground, peoples’ shops and houses are destroyed all in the name of fishing out these faceless gunmen terrorizing the Southeast. Meanwhile, the quiet enjoyment of life in Ala Igbo has come to a halt and helpless everyday folks either killed by unknown gunmen and/or abused by the military and police who claim they cannot decipher the average citizens from these unknown gunmen.
To cap it all, some unscrupulous elements within our (Igbo) midst are taking advantage of the chaos and confusion to perfect their robbing, kidnapping and human trafficking skills. Every hour our children, young men and women are being kidnapped and trafficked throughout the country with images of Igbo children found abandoned in far away land, and asking for help to reunite with their parents or relatives. Businessmen and women traveling are kidnapped and held for ransom and in some cases killed if the families are unable to raise the ransom amount requested – Igbos living outside Igbo land are now too scared to come home to visit anymore for fear of being robbed or abducted, they would rather stay in these foreign lands where it is safer than come to visit their motherland. What a shame!!
Now to the question of us losing our marbles! I was wondering when Umu Igbo will stop burying our heads in the sand regarding some of what is going on today. Are we going to wait until Ala Igbo turns into a total war zone like what is currently going on in Northern Nigeria for us to wake up and take back our communities? Are we going to wait until these unknown gunmen take over one school and kidnap all our children like Chibok for us to realize that this is no longer a game? I started with how Boko Haram was formed and how they have mushroomed into terrorizing the entire nation to remind Umu Igbo that our silence and lack of action could easily turn this current situation into a regional crises. A stitch in time, they say saves nine! We must confront our realities today! We must confront these unknown gunmen now! What we are doing to our land today b allowing this madness to continue is unconscionable, and will not bode well for Ala Igbo in the long run. Today, it is one kidnapping here and one killing there, tomorrow it will be taking over schools and kidnapping all the students, attacking airports, or blowing up buses traveling on our local roads. Is that what we really want to wake us up? Let me remind everyone that Anambra state experience something like this in the past. Do we want a repeat of that kind of terror unleashed by unscrupulous elements that led to the formation of the Bakassi boys? Mind you, it was our silence and nonchalance then that led to a few criminals being able to terrorize an entire Onitsha axis until Governor Mbadinuju said enough is enough!
Umu nna m, it does not matter how you feel about Biafra, IPOB, ESN, Ebube Agu, or even the unknown gunmen, what I know for sure is that only our legally constituted security apparatus can rescue us from these challenges. These unknown gunmen, ESN are not legally constituted security outfits, nor do they have the authority and legal mandate to provide security anywhere. We must understand that no matter how much they try, their efforts at protecting us will always fail. We have no choice but to partner with our legal security authorities and help them to rid our land of these other elements perpetrating trouble all over the place. The facts remain that whether we like the police or military does not matter, what matters is that they are, for now, all that we have, and they have the legal authority to confront these faceless gunmen terrorizing our communities. Therefore, it will be prudent and in our best interest to partner with them to fight these scourges currently destroying our homeland.
My dear Igbo people, we have enough headache dealing with police, army checkpoints and extortion! It is enough dealing with their abuses and lack of care! However, allowing unknown gunmen and all these other self-proclaimed security apparatuses to come into our communities and destabilize us all in the name of protecting us is totally unwarranted. And that must stop! It is time that all our communities experiencing lawlessness and security challenges, band together just like we have done in the past and rid our land of this plague. Governor Soludo has mandated everyone go about their lawful businesses on Mondays or face sanction, I believe that the citizens of Anambra state should listen to their Governor and for the sake of their own long-term sanity and safety, go back to work and live their daily lives as God intended. We know who these unknown gunmen are, we should stop protecting them and allow our security forces, regardless of their flaws, to do what they are paid to do. The time is now or we will live regret it when the entire Ala Igbo is turned into another Boko-Haram-like menace.
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