•The State is moving from ‘center of excellence’ into breeding ground for Rwandan branded “Interahamwe militias“
•UK, USA, EU must avoid treating Nigeria with conspiracy of silence of “the three musketeers” in Rwandan Genocide
•The Onanugas, Tinubus, Kayodes, Olomos, ors must let Easterners be and not push them to the wall
ONITSHA – International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) is condemning in strongest terms the ongoing well organised and systematic attacks on defenceless South-Easterners in Lagos State and other parts of the country. Intersociety also strongly condemns the “genocidal Igbonisation” dimension to the outcomes or publicly expected outcomes of the 2023 presidential and governorship elections in Lagos State; targeted at Easterners resident in Lagos and other parts of the country. It is alarming and shocking that the fundamental human rights of members of any ethnic nationality in Nigeria or any part thereof to conscientiously and freely vote or choose candidates of their choice during elections have been ethnically stigmatised or criminalised using cultural violence policy of “genocidal Igbonisation”. It is further shocking and alarming that the dastardly act is pioneered by State political actors and their agents with the country’s security and intelligence forces blatantly and brazenly exhibiting unwillingness, inability, inaction and conspiracy of silence.
Shocking and alarming too is the fact that the ethnic profiling and its “genocidal Igbonisation” are being oiled and fueled by former respected members of ‘the Lagos School of Democracy and Human Rights’-once celebrated globally as ‘Nigeria’s democracy and human rights champions’ who singlehandedly ousted the country’s darkest military gangs and their era. We are deeply shocked that these former rights and democracy nobles have so fumbled and wobbled to the extent of abominably transforming themselves into “promoters and prompters of electoral roguery and local and international image launderers of the leading beneficiaries of such electoral infamy”.
As if these were not enough, they have also become local and international blackmailers and inciters of violence and genocide against defenceless members of a voting population who recently voted candidates of their choice and consciences’. It is democratically abominable and unheard of that conscientiously voting candidates in an election or elections has become a ‘treason’ or ‘crime against the state’, warranting unleashing state actor jungle justice against such group or individual voters. We also wonder when it has become an international best practice to force or dictate to individual or group voting citizens on whom to vote for or whom not to vote for in an election or elections.
Easterners Threatened, Attacked And Killed For Doing Public Good In Nigeria
For want of space to historically and statistically go down memory lane, defenceless Easterners have been objects of organised group and state actor or government coordinated or aided attacks in recent years especially in the 2019 and 2023 General Elections. Easterners have also been at the receiving ends whenever the electoral outcomes reflected the true electoral wishes of the people including when the incumbents are voted out or presumed to have been voted out. There has also been incessancy of ethnic profiling or coloration of every event with public good or bad effects by labeling such as “Igbo produced or engineered”. Citizens of Old Eastern Nigerian Christianity and non Muslim others and their properties have been attacked or targeted for wanton destruction in recent times in Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Maiduguri, Abuja, Sokoto, Mubi, Yola, Lagos and so on. As recently as on 14th March 2023, over 100 Christians were abducted by Fulani Jihadists in Adunu, Paikoro LGA of Niger State for “being Christians and Igbo who defiantly voted against a Fulani Presidential Candidate (Atiku) during the 25th Feb 2023 Presidential Election”. As at seven days ago from today, 62 of the abductees were nowhere to be found. In Maiduguri, the popular “Monday Market” and others as well as Igbo business interests in Kano, Sokoto, FCT, etc have in recent times been severally visited with sponsored infernos-with the host Government turning blind eyes and doing nothing in the end; except occasionally shedding crocodile tears with empty promises never kept.
In Lagos State, Easterners, hatefully labeled “Igbo People” have severally come under attacks. In the past 117 days of 2023 or between 1st January and 17th April 2023, for instance, there have been at least four major fire outbreaks targeted at destruction of hundreds of millions of naira markets and other properties belonging to defenseless Easterners in the State. The above is in addition to catalogues of group violence, threats and fears unleashed on the Easterners across the State. At the tragic end of such infernos, nothing is heard from the host government, not even inclusive and independent probe panels to prevent recurrences and sanction the offenders. There have been social media driven ‘cultural violence’ including hate speeches or incitement to ethnic cleansing or genocide-sum-total of which has put Easterners and their properties in Lagos and other parts of the country in grave danger. Such endangerment is also not without concomitant ‘industrial scale’ reprisal effects if genocide erupts. Verifiable social media video clips and chat messages abound detailing appointees of the Government of Lagos State and top-shots of the Lagos branch of APC-controlled Government of Nigeria openly threatening the Easterners and putting their lives, dignities of human person, liberties and properties in grave danger and fear. These are broadly and brazenly perpetrated-with the country’s security agencies especially the Police IGP, CP-Lagos State and State Director of DSS, etc, conspiratorially turning blind eyes and doing nothing or aiding and abetting same with impunity till date.
Status Of Lagos And Nigeria’s Road To Genocide: 84,250 Defenceless Religionists Killed In 14 Years
Apart from our shocking observation that genocidists and inciters of ethnic and religious cleansing are rapidly emerging from “the School of Lagos Saints”, birth is also being given to “Lagos Interahamwe” and “Lagos School of Cultural Violence”-in conspiracy with the country’s security forces in full replication of the 1994 Rwanda genocide perpetrated by presidential guards and “Interahamwe genocidal militias”. The historical ‘status of Lagos’, written by Criminologist-Researcher, Emeka Umeagbalasi is contained here:https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/318525/lagos-was-founded-by-igbo-bini-priest-kings-over-500-years-b.html.
For the report on massacre of 84,250 defenceless citizens, massacred on the grounds of their faith since July 2009, see the report here: https://intersociety-ng.org/5068-citizens-massacred-for-being-christians-in-nigeria-in-2022-1041-slaughtered-in-first-100-days-of-2023/https://intersociety-ng.org/5068-citizens-massacred-for-being-christians-in-nigeria-in-2022-1041-slaughtered-in-first-100-days-of-2023/
Lagos On The Road To The Butcheries Of Kigali
Our ‘special early warning statement’ is strategically timed to coincide with the 29th Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide of 7th April to 23rd July 1994. Like the “Butcheries of Kigali” under assassinated President, General Juvenal Habyarimana, Lagos is speedily on the road to genocidal Kigali and dangerously descending into Nigeria’s “Center of Butcheries” from ‘Center of Excellence’. This is projected, criminologically, to rise to an apogee under Ahmed Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s ‘INEC-declared President of Nigeria’. The State, having witnessed modern governance over 160 years and benefitted from massive federal and state infrastructural and social developments as Nigerian capital for several decades, has been governmentally turned upside down since 1999, with present debt overhangs of over N1.5trillion which was the sum-total of Nigeria’s total domestic debts as at June 2007. With over 20m inhabitants and most densely populated in Nigeria, all hands must be on deck to save the State from calamitous toxemia. The messengers or fanners of embers of genocide or ethnic and religious cleansing must be stopped and their messages totally discarded. God forbid, the State explodes into complex humanitarian emergencies such as ethno-religious killings and counter killings and other forms of ‘reprisal radicalism’, the State will be irreparably, catastrophically and calamitously doomed.
ICC Invitees Must Stop Threatening And Endangering Easterners In Lagos And Nigeria
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) is calling on “the ICC Invitees” and others breeding genocide or inciting ethno-religious cleansing against defenseless Easterners in Lagos and other parts of the country to carefully learn the bitter lessons of the Rwandan Genocide of April to July 1994. They must timely be warned to allow defenseless Easterners to live in peace with their neighbors in dignity. The last time we checked, Easterners particularly members of the Igbo Ethnic Nationality are present in not less than 90 countries of the world including the most powerful among them; thereby making them the most traveled and pastorally settled, educated, industrious and connected Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria. Despite their large size, the Ethnic Nationality is the most peaceful in Nigeria. With such global network and connections, pushing them to the wall and into genocidal self defense will most likely have serious retaliatory effects and consequences far beyond the imagination and containment of those fanning the embers of the anti Igbo/Eastern genocide. It is therefore dangerous and a time-bomb threatening such populous, strategic and powerful Ethnic Nationality with genocide or incitement to them.
ICC Invitees Must Respect The Constitutional Liberties Of The Easterners To Live And Let Live
Intersociety is specifically calling on all those listed in the recent petition (7th April 2023) to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the political camp of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour to retrace their steps before it is too late. By the clear provisions of the existing 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, Easterners including members of the Igbo Ethnic Nationality are empowered and protected to peacefully reside, work and co-exist/mix with others anywhere in Nigeria. These fundamental human rights are clearly and unambiguously provided for or contained in Sections 38 (thought, conscience and religion), 39(expression), 40(assemble and association), 41(freedom of movement) and 43(right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria). Similar provisions are provided for in the country’s acceded regional and international rights treaty laws. With specific reference to the names listed in the Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour’s recent petition to the International Criminal Court (ICC), they are as follows: Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Idowu Owohunwa; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Femi Fani Kayode, Bayo Onanuga, Sam Omatseye, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye, Reno Omokri, Dele Alake, Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, a traditional ruler; the Baale of Igbara Jakande area in Eti-osa Local Government Area of Lagos State and Chairman of Lagos State Parks and Garages (LASPG), Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo); among others. Intersociety is joining other lovers of collective peace and security to prayerfully appeal to them to let Easterners and their properties be and live in Lagos and other parts of the country. It is recalled that the above names were recently dragged to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, The Netherlands by the political camp of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour over “organized crimes against humanity” before, during and after the just concluded elections in Lagos State.
UK, US And EU Must Avoid Being Rwanda’s “Three Musketeers” On Nigeria
“The three musketeers” was coined to internationally refer to “industrial scale” silence and conspiracy roles of the then Governments of France, UK and Belgium in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. In other words, the three countries then had available intelligence concerning the imminence of the Genocide but refused to take unbiased and proactive measures to quench the Genocide. The three countries were also reported to have been held down by vested ethno-cultural, economic and military interests in exchange for catastrophic human tragedies that followed. The Catholic Church through its nuns also sold their consciences to the Devil and became butchers and egregious conspirators in the Genocide. Like the ICC Invitees who are mainly former social saints during Nigeria’s anti military era struggle; the Catholic nuns implicated, were found to have slit the throats and body parts of those that sought refuge in the Catholic Church buildings and missionary compounds in Kigali and other parts of Rwanda. The beastly and macabre acts were perpetrated by the nuns in crudest display of tribal bigotry and barbarism. It is therefore on account of the above that Intersociety is calling on the trio of UK, US and EU to sincerely watch over the embryos of Genocide rearing their ugly heads in Nigeria particularly in Lagos part of the country.
If Rwanda, a country of just seven million people could be plunged into Genocide that killed over 1.3m during and after the Genocide and generated refugees of over 2.5m; what then becomes of Nigeria and territories, boundaries and borders of UK, US, EU, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, New Zealand, Australia and others if Nigeria-with explosive population of over 210m explodes and plunges itself into Genocide?
Signed
For: International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety)
•Emeka Umeagbalasi, Criminologist/Researcher
Board Chair @Intersociety
•Obianuju Joy Igboeli Esquire
Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law Program @ Intersociety
•Chidinma Udegbunam Esquire
Head, Campaign and Publicity Department @ Intersociety
•Ositadinma Agu
Head, Int’l Contacts and Mobilisation @ Intersociety
