Political tension in Nigeria reached a crescendo this week after it had been submerged in doubts, fear, and anger over the arrest and extradition of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as well as the continued threat of pro-Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho.

Anxiety peaked on Thursday when Igboho’s home was invaded by security forces amid his insistence on holding the Lagos version of the Yoruba Nation rally on Saturday.
But the rally was disrupted as police dispersed protesters with tear gas canisters and gunshots which reportedly led to the death of a fourteen-year-old girl through a stray bullet.
The protest took place at the Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos, starting with singing and chanting, but suddenly got rowdy as the police fired sporadic gunshots and teargas canisters to disrupt the event.

The Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, who spoke earlier with journalists, said that the police were not there to disperse the protesters but to provide security and ensure that hoodlums did not hijack the protest.

“We are not her to disperse the protesters but we want to ensure that there is no breach of peace and that hoodlums do not hijack the protest to perpetrate crime,” he said
Odumosi also denied having received any letter within the last 48 hours from the conveners of the protest, notifying them officially about the protest.
“In the last 48 hours, no letter was communicated to us on this protest by the conveners,” Odumosi said.

The police, who were reported to have stationed at the park very early Saturday morning with their vehicles positioned at strategic locations, may have scared away the protesters as not many people made it to the park as expected.

Situation became charged when some young people engaged the police with their complaints about the inability of the government of the day to meet the needs of young people and the fact that the government had alienated young people from governance with rising unemployment.

The Commissioner of Police assured them that their grievances would be communicated to the right authority, but as the session became violent, the police dispersed the protesters with teargas and gunshots.
A girl whose age was estimated at 14, was hit by a stray bullet while she was said to be arranging wares in a makeshift shop.
She was reported to have been found lying in a pool of her own blood.

The police later removed her remains from the scene of the accident.
As news of the girl’s death went on the internet, it aroused anger and disappointment.
Reacting, Human Rights Lawyer, Adeola Oyinlade, 2018 International Bar Association (IBA) Human Rights Lawyer of the Year, noted that the killing of the 14-year-old drink seller by stray bullet was sad, unwarranted and avoidable.

“The killing of this innocent girl in a shop put serious questions on the strategy, policy, planning and tactics of our police system in dispersing unarmed crowds by firing live bullets or killing citizens they are constitutionally empowered to protect,” he said.

He added: “It is important to state that at this critical period in the life of our dear country, adherence to human rights and international standards is what the police need to gain the trust of the society while carrying out their duties lawfully.
“One should know that when live ammunition is used on protesters, there would be casualty. I do not see a justification or proportionality of firing live bullets in this case which has now resulted in the death of an innocent girl who did not commit any crime.”

But the Lagos State Police Command denied the report.
The teenager, identified as Jumoke, was reported to have been killed by a bullet fired by the police while trying to disperse peaceful protesters at the Freedom Park, otherwise known as Gani Fawehinmi Park, in the Ojota area of Lagos.
Jumoke’s remains were wrapped in a cloth after neighbours found her around the venue of the protest.

Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the police did not use live bullets against the protesters.
He said the command’s findings showed the deceased must have died before the protest and that she didn’t die from bullet wounds but from a ‘sharp object’.
The police also said the location where neighbours and other sympathizers found the body was far from the protest venue.

No Harm Must Happen To Igboho
Worried by the recent skirmishes, pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, National Association of Yoruba Descendants in North America, has cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the Department of State Services (DSS) to ensure that no harm befalls Mr. Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
The group also known as Egbe Omo Yoruba in North America also called on the president and the security agencies in Nigeria to stop further harassment of Yoruba sons and daughters.

In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by Mr. Durojaye Odimayo Akindutire and Hon. Aderemi Samuel, its National President and National General Secretary respectively, Egbe Omo Yoruba described the news of unlawful raid carried out at the residence of Sunday Igboho as shocking, disgraceful, humiliating, and uncivilized.
The group said it believes in justice and fairness for every citizen of Nigeria and for any incident whatsoever, adding that it had always advocate peace, unity, and representing the diverse bridge of opinion towards mutual dialogue for peaceful resolution of any conflict within Yoruba community and Nigeria in particular.

“If the Department of State Services (DSS), the law enforcement agency representing Nigeria security apparatus has any reason to believe that Mr. Sunday Igboho has become a security risk to the government, either by unsubstantiated rumours, or valid intelligence gathering, it becomes a duty for the Nigerian government to exercise burden of proof, to pursue the charges of such offense with due process of law, and in tandem following legal procedures to prosecute him.

“The press release by the Department of State Services of Nigeria did not address that basic fundamental of criminal justice by stating the nature of crime, when investigation was conducted, not showing valid warrant specifying alleged criminal activity. There was no indication of any charges showing the crime he committed.
“Legal and due process was not followed based on the statement from the DSS. His house was raided by military-styled operatives, entire house was destroyed, members of his family were injured, and some were killed according to the DSS press release.

“This military-styled operation in the middle of the night against citizens of Nigeria is barbaric and fall short of the norms guiding the civilized twenty first century law enforcement.
“It also negates the core principle of fairness and justice. To add salt to the injury, the DSS spokesperson declared Sunday Igboho a wanted person, and asking that he surrender himself.
“For what offense or crime? The humiliating tactics in Nigerian law enforcement must stop.”

Anxiety Over Security Operations
Also, the Yoruba Global Alliance has noted that “the whole nation is aware that Mr Sunday Adeyemo resorted to self-help due to Fulani herdsmen widespread lawlessness, farm invasion, maiming, raping, kidnapping, and killing of Yoruba people in their own ancestral land”.
In a statement by Taju Tijani, the Director, Public Communications, the group said: “All his agitation undertakings had been peaceful and his awareness rallies were conducted without violence, killing or bloodshed.

“The Yoruba Global Alliance unequivocally condemns this irrational surrender to barbarism, lawlessness, and the flagrant abuse of the fundamental human right of Mr Sunday Adeyemo.
“It is becoming a norm under the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari that gangsterism, knee jerk reaction, brutality, and suppression of the inalienable right of Nigerians to peaceful protest have become the standard yardstick to measure his administration.

“In the place of respect for democratic mores, President Muhammadu Buhari has developed a strange fascination for militarism, haughty disdain for other nationalities that form this federation and ongoing state criminality which bothers on dictatorship.

“What is becoming evident is the Muhammadu Buhari’s reflex to military diktat at the whiff of opposition and the brazenness of his actions that does not augur well for the peaceful co-existence of the disparate nationalities that form Nigeria.
“Self determination is a right endorsed by the United Nations and a constitutional guarantee among many nations of the world. So, any fatuous categorisations of self-determinists as criminals and troublemakers run counter to the spirit of democratic liberty.”

“The Yoruba Global Alliance would like to remind Mr President that nations are governed by laws and not by guns. Nigerians cannot be forced to cohere. This provocative and howling insanity must stop.”

Similarly, another pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Coalition of Oodua Self determination Group (COSEG), challenged President Buhari and the Department of State Services (DSS), to deploy their strengths in going after the bandits in the bush.

The group, while condemning the invasion and destruction of property at the home of Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, by DSS operatives, described the act as a clear show of force and disdain for the Yoruba people.

In a statement signed by Comrade Ifedayo Ogunlana and Dele Daramola, its chairman and publicity secretary respectively, COSEG noted that “We cannot not sit and allow this irresponsible show of power go without condemnation, it is sad that our governments are misdirecting their interventiony.
“This brute show of power is yet to be used on Gumi’s friends in the bush. What is good for the goose should also be good for the gender.

“It baffles us that till today our security forces that are showing crude power and intimidation has not arrested any Fulani man that came to destroy town and villages in Igboho’s state nor have we heard that they stormed the houses of Fulani men that destroyed Igboho’s town last month. But they have the will and power to take the lives of Yoruba men and destroyed their property.”

No Going Back On Yoruba Liberation
Despite the tension in the land, the Yoruba One Voice (YOV) has said it would not give up on the liberation of the Yoruba race.

The diaspora group said its agitation was being supported by millions of Yoruba all over the world.
“In fact, this political, economic, social, and cultural perturbation has been on since 1960 when Nigeria got its independence from Britain.

“What we are seeking is simple: we want to direct our own affairs without interference because we have sufficient means for a comfortable livelihood and statehood,” Debo Adekoya said during a conference at the National Press Club, Washington DC,” the group said.

It added: “From all indications, there is no denying the fact that Yoruba are tired of these senseless killings, thereby seeking self determination in the most peaceful way.
“I was part of the struggle for this democracy, and it is sad that the democracy, we fought for are being mishandled by politicians who are like interlopers.”

Concerns Persist Over Kanu’s Arrest
Just as anxiety has ballooned in the South West, doubts have continued to characterise reactions on the arrest of IPOB’s Kanu.

The Pan-Niger Delta Elders’ Forum, PANDEF, on Saturday, asked the Federal Government to be bold and tell Nigerians the process that led to the arrest of Kanu.

PANDEF also cautioned the Federal Government on the consequences of ignoring or treating with contempt, the 16-Point Agenda presented to President Muhammadu Buhari on November 1, 2016.

Currently, the Youth in the Niger Delta have declared a “Vote of No Confidence” in PANDEF because it was the leaders of the region that stayed their hand when, in frustration, they had decided to cripple the national economy in 2016.

Arising from its extraordinary meeting in Abuja on Friday, PANDEF condemned the brutal and bloody midnight raid on the residence of a Yoruba Rights Activist, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, in the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo State, by agents of the Department of State Services, DSS, in a Gestapo manner, during which innocent citizens were killed and properties destroyed.

In a communique issued at the end of the stakeholders’ meeting, PANDEF declared that it stands in solidarity with Afenifere and the South-West people on the matter and called on Mr President to immediately call to order the security agencies and cease all forms of flagrant abuse of power.

“Tell Nigerians the truth of the process which led to the abduction of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and his clandestine, forceful repatriation to Nigeria, and hopes that he will be given a fair and open trial,” the group said.

It warned that the reported identification of sponsors of Nnamdi Kanu should not be an alibi to witch-hunt and persecute phantom enemies imagined by the government.

PANDEF expressed solidarity with the people of the Middle Belt Region in the face of brutal physical attacks and seeming plans to destroy their every means of livelihood by suspected Fulani gunmen.

On the issue of the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, by both the Senate and House of Representatives, on Thursday, July 1, 2021, PANDEF observed that the Bill fell short of the expectations of the Niger Delta people who bear the brunt of the consequences of the oil and gas industry operations in their lands.

Eastern Union Seeks Arrest Of Boko Haram, Bandits’ Leaders
Still in reaction to the arrest of Kanu, the Eastern Union (EU), a political pressure group for the people of the Old Eastern Region, has said that the re-arrest of the leader of IPOB had shown that the country has security men who can plan, coordinate, and execute projects if willing and determined.
Hon. Charles Anike, the EU National President, wondered why such security men with determination and sophistication had not been deployed to plan and arrest the leaders of Boko Haram, bandits and the legions of kidnappers freely unleashing mayhem on Nigerian citizens.

The EU boss stressed that although most people might not have agreed with Nnamdi Kanu’s method and approach, “certainly most of us believe in what he stands for; equity, fairness and justice.”

The group, however, advised the government to be very careful in the handling of the case the IPOB leader to avoid escalating the already tensed situation in the South-East in particular and the country at large.

“Regrettably, the biggest challenge with the Buhari government is the lack of diplomacy and tact in the handling of sensitive issues.

“The government should as a matter of urgency, consult with relevant stakeholders and civil society groups in the East to organise security and value reorientation programmes across the states of the South-East and South-South zones.

“The Federal Government should also employ the same efforts and determination to arrest the leaders of Boko Haram, leaders of bandits and kidnapping groups, that have been kidnapping students in the North for ransom.

“It is only then that their present action of the re-arrest of the IPOB leader can be justified. But, so long as the government keeps pretending, pampering and allowing criminal elements and terrorists from the north to continue to have free days in their criminal activities, deserved peace will continue elude us across the country, even with the re-arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” it stressed.

It added: “Another way to do it is that the government should not ignore all the points raised by the IPOB agitators.
“Total and genuine restructuring of the country will definitely lay to rest all the secessionist sing song.

“Otherwise, we can assure you that there are more Nnamdi Kanus that will spring up no sooner than later.”

Call For Amnesty
On a different note, President Buhari has been advised to grant Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB members amnesty for peace to reign in the country.

Lagos-based socio-political activist and critic, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, gave this advice in a statement signed in Lagos on Saturday.

Chief Onitiri pointed out that there were too many daunting problems confronting the nation presently that urgently needed all hands to tackle.

He pleaded with the Federal Government: “We, Democrats and lovers of Nigeria wish to implore President Buhari and the Federal government to please grant Nnamdi kanu and all IPOB members amnesty in the interest of peace in the country.
“This call is in line with the amnesty granted the Niger Delta militants and recently the Fulani bandits and terrorists as canvassed by prophet Gumi.

“The loud agitations in the country in all parts of the country are results of serious injustice in our system and the agitations cannot be addressed with iron hands or state brutal force.
“Otherwise we are heading for war which Nigeria cannot afford this time around.”

The social critic warned that the government should not make mistakes.

“You cannot underestimate the wrath of the people. There is abject poverty everywhere in the land. Poverty knows no religion or tribe.”

Chief Onitiri expressed strong opposition to the present situation where killer Fulani herdsmen kill, maim, rape and kidnap at will, without prosecution and mere freedom campaigners are clamped into detention will no longer be allowed or tolerated.“This country belongs to us all. No tribe or religion should be treated as superior,” he stressed. (Sunday Independent)

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