The above report by the DSS is alarming and disturbing and if left unchecked will pose grave security threats to the Nigerian state and also threaten National peaceful coexistence. To my non-Nigerian audience the acronym “IPOB” means “Indigenous People of Biafra” while the acronym “DSS” means “Department of State Security” which is another name for the Nigerian secret police.
To qoute the news report from NewsRescue website “Investigation by agents of the Department of State Service (DSS) has uncovered that members affiliated with the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) abducted five Hausa-Fulani residents in Abia State. The announcement was issued by DSS official Tony Opuiyo from the headquarters in Abuja. Mr. Opuiyo identified the five victims as Mohammed Gainako, Ibrahim Mohammed, Idris Yakubu, and Isa Mohammed Rago. They were reportedly abducted from Isuikwuato Local Government Area (LGA) in Abia State. The abducted men were later discovered at the Umuanyi forest, Abia State, where they were suspected to have been killed by their abductors and buried in shallow graves, amidst fifty (50) other shallow graves of unidentified persons. Arrest and investigation conducted so far, revealed that elements within the IPOB, carried out this dastardly action.”
To begin with I condemn any act of violence that target any tribe or adherents of any religion or sect and also condemned all acts of revenge killings. These are murderous terrorist acts that should be condemned by all. I am also not in support of the independence drive of the IPOB though I concede that they have valid grievances that should be address by the Nigerian government and the gross marginalization of our Igbo brothers and sisters of South-Eastern Nigeria by the present Nigerian regime has fueled this agitation for outright independence.
To the best of my knowledge IPOB have been conducting all its activities and programs peacefully despite provocation by the Nigerian security agencies and the recent killings of its 22 members in Aba in a peaceful rally. This is why the news report with the above caption is alarming. IPOB is not the only organization that the oppressive and tyrannical Nigerian regime is trying to associate with violence despite its peaceful posture, the same Nigerian regime have been trying to associate the peaceful Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) with violence after the brutal Zaria massacre by the Nigerian Army that killed close to 1000 defenseless and unarmed Shia Muslims in Zaria to serve the Saudi Wahhabi agenda in Nigeria.
The most alarming part of this report is the sectional agenda displayed by the DSS which is an organization that is supposed to unite all Nigerians. From the DSS report 55 shallow graves were discovered but the DSS only chose to highlight only 5 out of the 55 by highlighting their identities and tribes. The question is what does the DSS want to achieve by promoting this deadly tribal and sectional agenda at a time when Nigeria is gripling with so much security challenges?
Are the DSS not aware that such an inflammable report might result in reprisal attacks against the Igbo communities of Northern Nigerian and that will result in the loss of innocent and valuable lives and the destruction of properties? Does the DSS which is an organization meant to protect all Nigerians wish to light the fire of tribal war in Nigeria? Why can’t the DSS hand over the case to the Nigerian police to unravel the identities of the other 50 corpses that were discovered in shallow graves alongside these 5 before making public statements? Are the other 50 unidentified persons that were also discovered in shallow graves not Nigerians that deserve the attention of the DSS?
Finally, It is important to note that the Director-General of the DSS is a sidekick of the Nigerian President Buhari and his front. Such display of tribal and sectional agenda by the Nigerian regime is a threat to the peace, security and coexistence of the Nigerian state. Nigerians did not see such display of “efficiency” from the DSS when recently hundreds of innocent Nigerians were brutally massacred in Agatu, Benue state.
Harun Elbinawi
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Elbinawi.wordpress.com
