Some young men and women recently marched down the streets of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, demanding a breakaway from Nigeria. Waving the flag of the defunct “Biafra”, they chanted war songs as they also demanded the unconditional release of Mr. Nnamdi Kalu, the detained director of the pirate “Radio Biafra” that has been peddling hate speeches. One of the protesters simply named Okechukwu said: “I will not stop being part of this struggle to actualise the sovereign state of Biafra.”
The latest protest was sparked off by the arrest of Kalu on his arrival from the United Kingdom. His arrest, which has triggered a wave of protests in many of the South Eastern states, followed a clampdown on “Radio Biafra” and a manhunt for those behind it because of its allegedly inciting broadcast. The director general of National Broadcasting Commission, Mr. Emeka Mbah, had earlier announced the seizure of the terrestrial equipment of the illegal radio station.
However, the protest is also a continuation of the activities of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), led by an Indian-trained lawyer, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, and based on the philosophy of non-violence. At inception, MASSOB activities revolved around peaceful protests and rallies amid the hosting of flags at different locations in the Southeast. In the recent past, its activities had dwindled, noticed principally in celebrating key dates or events or in commemorating the dead. But even in so doing, there had been occasions when its members breached the public peace and invited the rage of the authorities.
However, in dismissing the renewed pro-Biafra agitation as no more than a scam, former President Olusegun Obasanjo believes the promoters ought to be ignored rather than being lionised. “This is a fake agitation,” said Obasanjo. “These are boys who want to take people unaware and get money out of people in the name of Biafra. The people who are doing this are the same people in 419 business, they are the same people you will find in drugs all over the world. To them, this is another source of making money.”
We want to agree with the former president and for that reason urge the authorities not to play into the hands of the miscreants. While we do not hesitate to condemn any advocacy of violence against the Nigerian state, especially at a time the nation is engaged in a bloody war against the terror of Boko Haram, we must also insist that when or where such cases arise, the state must respect the rule of law and due process. Such rules of engagement should, and must, include the right of the individual to legal access. It is for that reason that we believe that the arrest and detention of Kalu must comply strictly with the provisions of the extant laws of the land.
The reports that he is being denied access to his lawyers and doctors can only be counter-productive and we call on the relevant authorities to accord him all his rights within the law. The consequence of any denial of right to fair legal process by Kalu can quite easily vitiate the authority of the state in this case and turn him into an international celebrity in a world that has become hyper sensitive about human rights abuse. Already, international human rights groups have waded into the matter as the foreign media latch on to the issue of his detention.
Finally, what purpose did the recent protest and indeed all the agitations serve? It is a reminder that the Nigeria nation still has a lot on its hands. Even at that, we believe that there are many avenues through which grievances could be expressed, and addressed, without sounding war drums.
