A TRUE PROUDLY BIAFRAN.
THE NEWS REACHING US HERE IN WASHINGTON INDICATES THAT THERE HAS
BEEN SEVERAL KILLINGS OF CIVILIANS BY NIGERIAN SECURITY FORCES ON THE
OCCASION OF THE CELEBRATION OF BIAFRA DAY.
May 30th has come to be an important day for the Igbos. Indeed,
it should be an important day for all Nigerians because of the
significance of what happened in history on that day 49 years ago. You
don’t have to support Biafra or be a Biafran to appreciate the fact that 30th of May, each year would be a great memorial day in Nigeria.The increasing failings of the
Nigeria state have reignited the idealism of liberation and the
question, mostly emotionally, of Biafra in the minds of millions of the
Igbo people. They simply do not want to remain a part of a political
unity where they are marginalized and deprived and treated as second
class citizens, and where it is clear that the governments are really
not able to hold the country together.
It is really unfortunate that the government has not been able to understand what motivates these people. The government still acts like a military government in 1967. Instead of getting to the root cause of the problems and seeking ways to resolve those problems, the government has basically been in a state of denial and refuses to understand that these quests for independence or political autonomy will not go away simply because the government is willing to deploy troops against the people each time they try to publicly celebrate their dream of their own country aside from the one that the colonial authorities forced them into.
I am only willing here to deal with the legal and constitutional rights implications of what happened yesterday. It is a crime against humanity for the government of Nigeria to send troops to kill unarmed civilians just because it doesn’t want to hear about Biafra. As long as they people protest peacefully, they have the right to protest. The government should assist them to protest properly, and not massacre them as they protest. That is also in clear violation of the Nigerian Constitution.
It is my understanding that many of the protesters were arrested and are being detained and tortured and may soon be arraigned in court. I shall offer my legal services to those of them who cannot afford to have a lawyer. In light of this development, I will hasten my stay in the US in order to return to Nigeria to assist them in their legal defense. It remains a couple of days for me to complete my medical procedure. In fact, I already called my doctors to see if they could suspend my medicals and allow me to return to Nigeria immediately. I will hear from them today. I have to be in Nigeria as soon as possible.
CHINEKE GOZIE GI !
By Barr. Emeka Ugwuoye.
It is really unfortunate that the government has not been able to understand what motivates these people. The government still acts like a military government in 1967. Instead of getting to the root cause of the problems and seeking ways to resolve those problems, the government has basically been in a state of denial and refuses to understand that these quests for independence or political autonomy will not go away simply because the government is willing to deploy troops against the people each time they try to publicly celebrate their dream of their own country aside from the one that the colonial authorities forced them into.
I am only willing here to deal with the legal and constitutional rights implications of what happened yesterday. It is a crime against humanity for the government of Nigeria to send troops to kill unarmed civilians just because it doesn’t want to hear about Biafra. As long as they people protest peacefully, they have the right to protest. The government should assist them to protest properly, and not massacre them as they protest. That is also in clear violation of the Nigerian Constitution.
It is my understanding that many of the protesters were arrested and are being detained and tortured and may soon be arraigned in court. I shall offer my legal services to those of them who cannot afford to have a lawyer. In light of this development, I will hasten my stay in the US in order to return to Nigeria to assist them in their legal defense. It remains a couple of days for me to complete my medical procedure. In fact, I already called my doctors to see if they could suspend my medicals and allow me to return to Nigeria immediately. I will hear from them today. I have to be in Nigeria as soon as possible.
CHINEKE GOZIE GI !
By Barr. Emeka Ugwuoye.
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