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Late humanitarian hero, Irish Priest Dermot Doran
By TINA TIMOTHY
Veteran international human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, has mourned the death of the humanitarian hero who saved over 1 million lives during the Nigerian Biafra Civil war, Irish Priest Dermot Doran.
Washington-based Ogebe, in his condolence letter of July 22, 2023 addressed to the President, Friends of Nigeria organization USA, Jim Clark, on the death of Biafra war-time humanitarian Father Doran also decried failure to learn from previous wars and prevent present pre-genocide.
Friends of Nigeria, founded in 1996, is the alumni association of Peace Corps Volunteers and staff who served in Nigeria, plus volunteers from other organizations such as VSO and CUSO, members of the Nigerian diaspora, and others with an interest in Nigeria. The Friends of Nigeria community has about 1,600 living members.
Some Peace Corp volunteers were involved in humanitarian relief during the war before the expulsion of the organization by the Nigerian government.
“I am reaching out to extend my deep condolences on reading the belated obituary of one of your co-heroes in the Biafra saga.
“I enjoyed very much my time visiting you all several years ago which gives us a perspective that Nigeria studiously avoids to document, recognize or teach and which I believe has brought us back to another pregenocide the last dozen years,” Ogebe wrote.
Ogebe, who is Special Counsel, Justice for Jos Project lamented that he had “struggled thanklessly and almost futilely to draw attention to the ongoing crimes against humanity.”
Continuing, he said: “I can’t believe how much I learnt from this powerful tribute which I fear we will have to relearn because we failed to take collective note of history (US, UK and UN inclusive) as I have struggled thanklessly and almost futilely to draw attention to the ongoing crimes against humanity.
“I should alert you that after the obituary below, I am including a photograph or two from the recent massacre of 346 people in 32 villages in Plateau state where I just returned to DC from visiting last week.”
