Secessionism and Terrorism: A Plea for Political Solution, By Magnus Onyibe

In seeking an amicable end to the lgbo struggle for self determination which started in 1967 when then eastern region governor, Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu declared the region as the state of Biafra resulting in the unfortunate Nigerian civil war of 1967-70, and with the recent appeal by the delegation of lgbo elder statesmen, clergy and socio-cultural groups branded ‘Highly Respected Igho Greats’ that visited president Mohammadu Buhari in Aso rock villa on November 19 ; most Nigerians (of which l’m one) were optimistic that the end of secessionism and continued preservation of our country as one nation with one destiny was most likely, a fait accompli.

The positive prognosis is predicated on the hope that the lgbo nation was on the verge of burying the hatchet of the civil war by dropping their secessionist tendency that has devastated the eastern region economically and sociopolitically in the past several years, and a pursuit that has generally done grave damage to the fabric of unity in our dear country.

The request made by the leaders of Igbo nation for the forgiveness of the leaders of IPOB that are being prosecuted by the federal government for their alleged involvement in the violence against the symbols of authority such as -abduction and murder of police men, burning down police stations and lNEC offices, (deemed by perpetrators as action counter against authorities for perceived injustice of marginalization) was considered the potential game changer that would facilitate the end of the prevailing atmosphere of anomie in that neck of the woods as some pundits like to characterize the violence ridden eastern region.

The optimism is further underscored by the fact that President Buhari was very courteous to the lgbo leaders that visited him, when against protocol, he requested that the leader , Amechi Mbazuluike, a 93 years old first republic parliamentarian and minister of aviation be seated in a chair, while he, (the president) remained standing with the others.

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And the president’s dignifying gesture did not end with only the respect accorded the visitors as he, in a rare gesture of magnanimity, expressed willingness to consider the plea of the ‘lgbo Greats’ for the president to temper justice with mercy by freeing, Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader currently facing charges for the crime of treason in court of law.

It was heartening when after listening to the plea for leniency from the respected visitors , president Buhari confessed that although their request is very difficult for him to grant, if he accedes to the entreaties, it would be the first time that he would be intervening in a judiciary process since he became president six years ago. With such a cheery and welcoming disposition of mr president, it was not difficult to conjecture that a quick resolution of the over half- a -decade long civil disobedience by the separatist movement was in sight.

As we are all well aware , the federal government has been accusing the separatist group of masterminding the orgy of killings that was pervading the south east such as the murder of fellow citizens, law enforcement officers and also committing arson ,(which the group denies) but for which they have been proscribed and its leaders are being prosecuted in the court of law.

In the light of what one can glean from president Buhari’s amiable disposition to the August visitors, a political solution appeared to be in the horizon.

Unfortunately, what had seemed like a home run (in a game of baseball, when a batter hits a ball that allows him make a complete run of the circuit without an error is considered a victory) the peace seeking men/women of goodwill in the beleaguered lgbo land, who had seen light at the end of the tunnel, are now being faced with the reality that the peace process may be at the risk of being truncated.

lf per adventure the pursuit of peace initiative is discontinued, it would be as a fall out of the abduction of three policemen and the gruesome murder of two of them allegedly by Eastern Security Network, ESN that is believed by law enforcement authorities, to be the military arm of IPOB.

Attorney General
of the federation, and minister of justice Abubakar Malami did not mince words about the mindset of government on the return of violence in the eastern region when he was featured by channels television in an interview program last Wednesday(1/12/2021):“Certainly, one thing I can tell you clearly is that the issue of pardon, out of court settlement or associated settlement is not right on the table.

“It is a bridge I enjoy crossing when I get there. I have unfortunately not got there yet.”

As the remote or direct factors responsible for the likely slow down of the policy of rapprochement by the authorities is the dastardly act of murdering two policemen in a very barbaric manner captured in a gory video clip circulating online, there is palpable fear that the crisis of secessionism may follow us as a nation into 2022 and perhaps beyond.

That gloomy prospect which is saddening can simply be surmised as one step forward , two steps backwards in the quest to end the saga of secessionism,and possibly, the return of peace in lgbo land in particular, and Nigeria as a whole.

As such, since the emergence of the stomach churning video online of a vicious act of savagery,(which l initially viewed without the audio and thought that it was a footage from the make-believe world of nollywood movies), my heart has been broken into smithereens.

The underlying reason for the heartbreak is the fact that the highly detestable act is clearly a violation of the peace accord between the elders and lPOB on one hand and presumably, the authorities in Abuja whom l had reckoned may not be averse to the return of peace in the eastern region and by extension the country as a whole, hence the Attorney General and mr President seemed to have been in acquiescence with the political settlement option.

Given the gravity of the crime of murdering active service policemen, it is not surprising that information and culture minister, Lai Mohammed has raised the tension in the polity by vociferously expressing government’s outrage over the killing: “… the continued attacks on security agents as well as agencies of government by ESN/IPOB are diametrically opposed to the call in certain quarters for a political solution to the IPOB issue, and wondered why those making such calls have yet to condemn the appalling murder of serving police officers.”

Admittedly, l am
one of those making the appeal for a negotiated settlement for the separatist crisis and l am nonplussed, and beyond appalled by the ugly turn of events after my last article titled : Negotiation As Antidote Against Epidemic Of Separatism.” In the referenced media Intervention, l had commended IPOB for rescinding its sit-at-home directive for the Anambra November 6 gubernatorial election to hold , while saluting the courage of the lgbo elders and leaders of thought that perhaps negotiated it and thereafter approached president Buhari for a political resolution of the crisis, just as l also extolled president Buhari for his willingness to consider the appeal by the lgbo leaders.

Despite the set back , I am encouraged that authorities in Abuja have not over reacted to the savagely act of decapitating active police officers in a most horrific manner by taking reprisal actions in the manner that ex president Olusegun Obasanjo did when the Nigerian military reportedly razed down Odi, a village in Bayelsa state, after a similar incidence of abduction and killing of 8 policemen on duty allegedly by criminal elements in Odi community.
The instant case of the recent murder of the abducted policemen in a gruesome manner by outlaws is a sad reminder of similar heinous crimes against humanity committed by members of the lslamic State, ISIS who were infamous for engaging in the bizarre act of beheading their captives in their hey days until they were decimated mainly through drone attacks by the global anti terrorism forces led by the US.

Even as my heart goes out to the families of the police men murdered in cold blood, l have no doubt that the negotiation train that was on full steam and heading towards the station for a political solution to the rising tide of separatism and terrorism in our country, (which l still reckon would commence with the release of Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB and Sunday lgboho of Republic of Oduduwa from detention) would not be derailed.

The presumption above is underlined by the fact that IPOB has been working with lgbo cultural and religious leaders to bring the orgy of violence to an end in lgbo nation as reflected by the agreement by the separatist group to lift their Stay-At-Home order in lgbo land before the Anambra state gubernatorial election on November 6, which apparently still subsists.

It is certainly not a mere happenstance that just before December 2, the date that lPOB leader, Kanu was billed to appear in court for the continuation of his trial for treason, the group reconfirmed their lifting of the stay-at-home order.

Presumably, those who perpetrated the dastardly crime of killing police men on duty suspected to be ESN operatives or possibly members who might have gone rogue, do not have the approval of the authentic lPOB leadership which appears to be willing to allow diplomacy prevail over resort to violence.

In the event that my presumption is correct, the onus would be on lPOB to remedy the precarious atmosphere occasioned by the abduction of three, and murdering two active duty policemen that has the capacity to roil the fragile peace or rupture the presumed armistice between the separatists and authorities in Abuja. Unarguably, it behoves of IPOB leadership (if they did not authorize the attack) to track and apprehend with a view to bringing to justice, those that committed the heinous crime which is against the Nigerian state.

That is one sure way that the seemingly derailed train of political settlement can be put back on track.

When suspected Fulani herdsmen under the aegis of Miyetti Allah- the umbrella body of cattle herdsmen in Nigeria were similarly accused of the crime of raping , maiming and killing innocent Nigerians in farms and on the high ways around the country , the association was tasked with fishing out their members that had gone rogue by engaging in such atrocities that are clearly criminal.

It is to the credit of the herders association that they cooperated with law enforcement agents to distinguish themselves from the criminal activities of those now termed bandits which is the new terminology for the outlaws -terrorists,cattle rustlers and kidnappers alike involved in the atrocities that are now occupying right and centre of life in our very challenged country.

Like Miyetti Allah , lPOB is morally required to restore good faith in the arrangement that it has with those negotiating on its behalf for the release of its leader now in detention to facilitate efforts aimed at ending the crisis wreaking havoc on lgbo nation specifically, and our country in general.

It is worthy pointing out that things might have gone awry in the ranks of lPOB and MASSOB state of Biafra agitators resulting in the gory killing of the two police men, as it is not uncommon for hardliners benefiting from a crisis to seek to thwart a peace initiative by throwing spanners into the wheel of progress.

For context, allow me share a similar conflict resolution effort that kept getting sabotaged by those opposed to it. The intractable Palestinian and Israeli conflict in the Middle East readily fits the mould and therefore a typical example.

It may be recalled that Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor and Palestinian U.N. observer Riyad Mansour have been accusing each other’s countries of undermining the most U.S.-brokered peace talks.

In expressing his frustration about the failure to resolve the conflict, as a result of sabotage, to resolve the unending Palestinian/Israeli conflict, Mansur blamed the Israelis:
“Israel has maintained its rejectionist stance and persisted with its grave breaches, constantly reaffirming its role as occupier and oppressor, not as peacemaker,” “Once again, Israel has thwarted peace efforts.”

As a counter point, the Israeli envoy, Prosor also pinned responsibility for the suspension of peace negotiations on the Palestinians by making the following comment:
“The Palestinians pledge dialogue while fermenting hatred,“
“They promise tolerance while celebrating terrorists. And they make commitments almost as quickly as they break them.”

Prosor concluded by accusing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of abandoning a chance to “tango with Israel” in favor of “waltzing off with Hamas.”

From the forgoing, typically, in the course of conflict resolution, pre conditions for peace are more often than not breached as evidenced by the forging hot exchanges between the envoys both countries that are feuding. But it is the duty of peace makers to keep trying to get the feuding parties to compromise on some conditions in order to arrive at amicable settlement satisfactory to all the parties to conflicts.

The reason for putting in perspective the Palestinian Israeli-conflict is that a similar scenario may be playing out against the peace initiative being driven by the emissary comprising of eminent lgbo cultural and religious leaders who recently visited president Muhammadu Buhari with the mission to appeal to his humane side in order to get the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria to temper justice with mercy by opting for a political solution to the separatists imbroglio capable of causing more conflagrations in our country.

In the light of the above , it is by no means an exaggeration to state without fear of contradiction that the activities of the separatists and counter actions by law enforcement authorities have had debilitating, if not paralyzing effect on the good people of lgbo nation, just as it has also earned Nigeria a bad name in the global human rights community. Which perhaps explains why there appears to be equal motivation on both sides for the peaceful resolution of the over 50 years old grouse by the lgbos which resurfaced in the past six (6) years against the federal government for its alleged continuous insensitivity to the lgbo cause despite the post war policy of Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation-the famous three Rs that seem to have been implemented in the breach.

It is bad enough that our beloved country has the misfortune of being mentioned in the same breathe as the countries that an ex president of the United States of America, George W Bush once referred to as being in the axis of evil. These are; Afghanistan, Libya,Syria and lraq, which are nations defined by terrorism that is fueled by religious extremism, manifesting in the massive killing of innocent people by Al Qaeda, lSIS,and Taliban that have transformed some of those countries, that were hitherto prosperous, into ground zero of poverty, and of the scotched earth proportions.

It is damning that Nigeria is now home to terrorist organizations similar to the ones in the Middle East -Boko Haram and ISWAP, that are equally turning our country into a killing field and therefore a sort of hell on earth . The terrorist groups in our clime have become so ruthless that international security and human rights agencies are now comparing between the terrorists in the Middle East and those in Nigeria, to determine which ones are more vicious and are wantonly and recklessly shedding more blood.

And Nigeria based terrorists seem to be winning the contest which is a testimony to how the sanctity of life has become so valueless to the merchants of death now haunting our country men and women like deranged ghosts from the pit of hell.

To add separatism or secessionism currently rocking our beloved nation to its foundation, to the list of demons responsible for our country being in the doldrums, is to put our country in the company of the likes of Spain – the leader in that orbit of infamy, where Basque region is the ground zero for separatists that have been agitating for self determination since 1959.

That would certainly be another low for Nigeria if she fails to quench the raging separatist fire so that our country would not be categorized as a hot bed for separatist agitations like Sudan , Ethiopia and Spain.
For Nigeria, (a country that once prided herself as the leader of the black race) to maintain the status of a well sought after bride, we have to do better than always being associated with negativity.

Our country got recognized worldwide and earned the enviable rank of being the leader of the black race after hosting ‘The Festival Of Arts And Culture, FESTAC’ in 1977 and the prominent role that she played in dismantling apartheid in Southern African region, as well as intervening to end the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone plus her peace keeping efforts and interventions in other conflicts as they develop on the continent and world wide.

As a nation, we have been unable to sustain the respect earned in 1977 for several reasons. And the worst of it is owed to religious insurgency, terrorism, banditry and separatism which we are threatening to overwhelm and dismember the nation.
It is amazing that, our country can avoid being branded a terrorist and separatist nation, if our leaders are willing to dialogue with the aggrieved members of our society, as dialogue, conversation or negotiation is by no means rocket science, but more or less a commonsensical activity.

Disappointingly, engaging in dialogue or negotiation is an option that our leaders hardly consider in conflict resolution in our clime. Hence boko haram religious insurgency was allowed to spiral out of control in the north until it mutated into the multiple terror groups-ISWAP , bandits , killer herdsmen etc now constituting a menace to society.

I shudder to contemplate the fear that the reckless killing of the two policemen by some outlaws may jeopardize the ongoing peace negotiation to end the crisis of Separatism in Nigeria through a political process beginning with freedom for IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu that would thereafter pave the way for peace in the region and thus boost the emergence of Nigeria’s president from the South East in 2023.

The concern is shared by the elder statesman Amechi Mbazuluike who has cautioned the youths who allegedly executed the police men to respect his age and give him the chance to return lgbo land to glory. The First Republic Minister who, disheartened by the dastardly killing, is credited with the following comment : “I plead with all agitating groups both known and unknown to give peace a chance for full restoration of security to the zone and the entire country.

“I am the only surviving Minister of the First Republic and plead that my age should be respected.

“I should be assisted to make peace in the zone and country before I join my maker”

Similarly, Prof Salihu Niworu who is the Director, Institute of Maritime Studies, Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, in a recent media interview also made a poignant comment about resort to violence by lgbos when he pointed out that engagement in anti government activities may constitute a stumbling block to the lgbo quest for the presidency of Nigeria in 2023:

“If presidential aspiration is by the barrel of gun, the North and South West have more population than the South East“

Thankfully, president Buhari, as a consequence of the killing of the policemen which is a violation of the relative peace in the region since the eve of Anambra state gubernatorial election about a month ago when IPOB lifted its sit-at-home order , has not, and is likely not to renege on his promise to take a compassionate look at the request made by the lgbo leaders that visited him to free Nnamdi Kanu from incarceration unconditionally.

That is quite commendable because if mr president had reacted harshly to the heinous crime of brutally killing policemen by unknown gunmen as had been anticipated, the negotiations would have go up in flames and the nefarious ambassadors benefiting from the atmosphere of anarchy in the east arising from separatist agitations, would have been rewarded as opposed to be disappointed for their role in the art of sabotage.

Strikingly, both sides(separatists and law enforcement agencies alike) appear to be motivated to resolve the conflict, hence the apparently more accommodating attitude and stance of the authorities in Abuja.
In the words of mark Twain -“History doesn’t repeat itself, but people often do—for better or for worse.”

It appears to me that the Buhari regime at this point in time, rather than repeating the negative aspects of history of settling crisis of ethnic nationalism,is more amenable to adopting the strategy of dialogue and negotiation- path that late Umaru Yar’adua applied in ending the militancy in the Niger delta. It is a counterpoise to the option of relying on the barrel of guns which is the path that was toed by Obasanjo and former military ruler , general Sani Abacha before him.

With the benefit of history , since the 1914 amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorates of the British empire into what is now known as Nigeria, the crisis of ethnic nationalism has been in existence . And conflicts arising there from have always been addressed through dialogue also known as negotiation via parliamentary meetings or conferences. After the negotiations, members of the Nigerian union accommodated each other by being sensitive to and respecting each other’s values. Such meetings that were common place under the parliamentary system which our country practiced after independence, are hardly applied under the presidential system now in practice.

Perhaps that is the origin or trigger for the tension between the ethnic nationalities that are supposed to be federating. Common sense dictates that a marriage that is devoid of communication between the husband and wife would be fraught with frictions that may develop into conflicts that may ultimately end up in a breakup.

It appears to me that the current governance system where there is hardly dialogue between members of the federating units, and even after a national dialogue is held, the recommendations are hardly implemented, may not be suitable or would not be the ideal governance system for a multi culture and numerous religions country like Nigeria.
More so because, the people of Nigeria were forced into a marriage of convenience by the imperialist Britain simply to facilitate their mercantile interests after Africa was forcefully appropriated by Britain following the 1884/5 Berlin , Germany conference where Africa was partitioned between Europeans.

To be fair to the British colonialists , they bequeathed to us the parliamentary system which in their judgement was the most suitable, perhaps owing to the ethnic and religion composition of our country post amalgamation that is similar to theirs.
But along the line , 1979 to be precise , the presidential system was foisted perhaps without taking into account the peculiar ethno-religious dynamics in our country. Hence the fortunes of Nigeria that was on track to be in the forefront of the comity of progressive and prosperous nations and a country which the iconic Nelson Mandela once touted as the savior of the black race has been going down the hill.

It is a no brainer therefore, to figure out that the struggle for separation or secession by any ethnic nationality from the Nigerian union on account of marginalization as Nnamdi Azikiwe, (the great nationalist) posited before independence , is a lazy proposition: but in the absence of dialogue, a break out of conflict may be inevitable. There are fundamental reasons why the multiple ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria are not talking to each other as much as we should.

How can we talk to one another when the mantra in top government circles is: ‘The Unity of Nigeria Is Not Negotiable’

Is it not curious that the slogan of Nigerian armed forces during the civil war that was prosecuted under then Head of state, general Yakubu Gowon is : “to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done?”

Strikingly, it simply implies that: ‘Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable’ .

On its face value , it is not a bad message because it has a nationalistic fervor.
And given that it is a military credo , it is also understandable.

But how does one explain the situation whereby our current crop of politicians have adopted and sustained the military mantra-Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable – 51 years after the end of the unfortunate and sad civil war -1967-70?

Common sense dictates that after the exit of the military that created it as a driving force for the prosecution of the war which is actually in furtherance of the task of keeping Nigeria one, it should have been jettisoned as soon the military exited the political space . But embarrassingly, that undemocratic, authoritative and dictatorial policy driven by the force of arms instead of dialogue which is supposed to be the currency and language of politics, has been allowed to persist by politicians who should know better.

To me it represents a failure on the part of our politicians who have taken over the leadership of our country , but have failed to jettison the totalitarian: Unity of Nigeria is not Negotiable mantra , long after the military era , whose Standard Operating Procedure , SOP is by diktat , and which justifies their resort to force in their quest to keep Nigeria one.
Having mounted the saddle of leadership of our country and given that dialogue amongst the multiple ethnic nationalities that make up the country should have by now become the norm rather than the exception , it is appalling that such inter ethnic conversations have not been deployed sufficiently, effectively or efficaciously in the 51 years of post Nigerian civil war to bolster unity amongst the multiple ethnic nationalities that make up our beloved country .

Let us take for instance the past 21 years of return to multi party democracy.
Only one National conference has been held. And that is 2014 National Confab organized under Goodluck Jonathan’s watch as president (2010-2015).
Former information and culture minister , Jerry Gana recently weighed in on the matter by making a case for more dialogue between the federating ethnic nationalities in an address that he delivered as part of the activities marking Urhobo Progressive Union 90th birthday anniversary.
Here is how he put it:

“The last administration convened a national conference in 2014 and we agreed on some certain fundamentals to ensure justice and fairness. Unfortunately, when this government came in, they made a terrible mistake. They never touched that report and that is the problem.

“That’s why we are now saying we should start that conversation. We should talk to one another and assure one another of justice and fairness because without equity, there can’t be peace. Without equity, we cannot be together.”

As if that scenario was not bad enough , the very well thought through recommendations of the 2014 Confab remain unimplemented over six (6) years into the eight (8) years , two terms, tenure of the president and ruling party.

It should be noted that presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007) and Umaru Yar’adua (2007-2010) never organized any ethnic nationalities conference. Obasanjo is particularly more guilty of not focusing on solidifying unity amongst Nigerians via dialogue by the federating Nationalities given that he served two terms of eight years so he had amble time. Yar’dua served only two years before his sad demise, so he may be excused and Jonathan, who was on the throne for a total of 6 years convoked a conference, barely a year before the end of the fullness of his second term, (some say first term) and was foot dragging on the recommendations of the Confab that he birthed which is why the onus to implement now lies in the hands of the present political leadership.

Compare and contrast the single time a National
Conference was convened in the past 21 years since the return of multi party democracy in 1999 to the 1953-66 (pre independence) period when major conferences between the ethnic nationalities were held at least four (4) times in lbadan , Enugu , Kaduna and London before the unfortunate military coup that ended the first republic-1966.

Going by the account of recorded history above , for our country to survive the current religious and ethnic identity crisis threatening the unity of the nation , there is urgent need for dialogue between the multiple ethnic nationalities and religious groups that Nigeria comprises of , in the manner that our founding
fathers did when parliamentary democracy was in practice in our beloved country during the first republic, (1960-1966.)
The above existential reality laid bare is the home truth that our leaders in both the executive and legislative arms of government must ponder and act upon before the curtain falls on year 2021 and the dawn of 2022 comes upon us.

▪︎ONYIBE, an entrepreneur, public policy analyst ,author, development strategist, alumnus of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts university, Massachusetts, USA and a former commissioner in Delta state government, sent this piece from lagos.