A recent shoot-on-sight order against persons considered enemies of state in the Southeast by President Muhammadu Buhari, is worrisome. Amby Uneze writes
The recent shoot-on-sight order by President Muhammadu Buhari cannot be the solution to the insecurity in the Southeast today. Besides, importing soldiers and police personnel from the Northern part of the country to the Southeast with the charge to shoot-on-sight is more of a military culture. The essence of democratic rule is the total involvement of the people in the governance of their affairs and not government by force or kill-on-sight.
Before the current madness of attacking police and correctional facilities by the so-called unknown gunmen in Imo State, the people of the state had known peace all the while. The state and its people were regarded as one of the most peaceful states, where visitors and people from other warring zones found peace.
The whole craze about shooting and the rest of illegal activities being perpetrated in the state by the unknown gunmen started recently as a result of the deployment of soldiers in the Orlu area of the state. What started in a particular spot as a result of an alleged shootout between the police and members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) – a security outfit formed by the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) – has indeed created a big tension and worry in the country.
The acceptance by Governor Hope Uzodimma in faraway Presidential Villa, Aso Rock after a meeting with President Buhari to have invited the soldiers to Orlu, his political zone and where he hails from, sparked off the insecurity challenges in the state today.
But, as often canvassed, the simple solution to the problem at hand could have been dialogue and not force. Dialogue is the only conflict resolution that soothes the mind of an agitator or aggrieved person(s). It is unfortunate that the Nigerian leaders lack it, maybe, because they feel the authority resides with them and therefore, every discussion must start and end with them. They also don’t thinkthat peace could be achieved at a roundtable.
Thus, with the shoot-on-sight order and subsequent deployment of soldiers and police, such actions aredetrimental to the immediate solution mechanism of the insecurity at hand. People of good conscience have condemned the call and urged the President to rescind such directives and possibly call for a dialogue or stakeholders meeting to iron out the issues.
Amid rising insecurity that has enveloped the Southeast region, stakeholders are raising concerns over the Presidency’s directive of “shoot-on-sight” order. The concerns specifically arose over the order targeted at protesting Igbo youths, especially, against the backdrop of recent posting of northern soldiers to quell the disturbances as well as their mode of engagement in the zone.
The Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese, Most Rev. Dr. Anthony Obinna, while commending the decision of the 17 Southern Governors that met last week in Asaba, Delta State capital, where they took a collective decision to ban open grazing and sent a strong message to the federal government on restructuring, flayed the authorities for the mass movement of soldiers and police from the Northern part of the country to Southeast without clear mission of their movement.
He accused them of ulterior motives, even as the people of the Southeast are being subjected to series of dehumanisation including killing of innocent people, especially, youths by these security personnel.
The cleric, who spoke during the Sunday sermon at the Assumpta Catholic Cathedral, Owerri during the occasion of a Holy Mass marking the celebration of 2021 World Communication Day, emphasised that Nigeria has not changed from the colours of military regime since the current administration, adding that the people still suffer as if democracy did not exist.
Obinna stressed that democracy seemed not to be working in Nigeria, because the leaders have failed the people, but noted that, “I commend the Southern governors for waking up from their slumber to now speak what the people want. In the past, they had failed the people by doing only what Abuja wants, but what they did this past week is a wakeup call to redress the anomaly by banning open grazing and demanding for restructuring of the country”.
On security, he also decried the situation. “We are in trouble, because the government has failed to provide security for the people. The idea of importing soldiers and police from the North to Southeast to continue to kill our innocent people is worrisome”.
According to him, “We are encouraging the governors of the South east, including our Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma to speak up on the ills of the society. The federal government is dividing us, external forces coming to Imo State to continue to kill our people in the pretence of protecting us. Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) came up because the federal government had been treating the people of the Southeast as slaves and second class citizens”, he said.
Last week, apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, raised fresh worries over the directive to contain the tension when it condemned the “shoot-on-sight” order and insisted that the situation clearly confirmed the uneven handed way the federal government had been treating matters affecting the people of the zone.
Ohanaeze insisted that the way and manner soldiers were carrying out their duties in the zone in the guise of checking insecurity, indicated that a plot was afoot that could trigger “another war and genocide in the zone.
“The pattern of deployment of northern military officers to the southeast lends credence to the above report. Sahara Reporters revealed that in preparation for the above, the Nigerian army has posted Northern Muslims as Commanders over its operations and brigades in Anambra, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Benue, Edo, Delta and Rivers states.
“In Anambra, the Cantonment Commandant of the 302 Artillery Regiment Onitsha is Col. Abdulsalam Sambo, a northern Muslim; In Imo, the Commander of 34 Brigade Obinze is Brig Gen Ibrahim Tukura, another Muslim; in Abia, the Commander of 14 Brigade Ohafia is Brig Gen M. Ibrahim, a northerner, while in Akwa Ibom, the Commander of 2 Brigade Uyo is Brig Gen Faruk Mijinyawa, another northerner. This is truly worrisome”, Ohanaeze stated.
Another Igbo group, Human Rights Advocates, took the matter further by alleging that apart from those deployed to the zone recently, the military formations, including Navy and Customs were saturated with officials from the northern part of the country. The group disclosed that in addition, northern soldiers, among other patrol activities, man military checkpoints in the zone.
But Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which seemed convinced about the motive behind the “shoot-on-sight order”, said the alleged move would commence from Orlu, Imo State in the next few days, warning that the federal government should learn from history by not fighting an unwinnable war against nationalism.
Ohanaeze further advised the Buhari-led government to “seek possible peaceful options as the only solution that guarantees national unity and peaceful co-existence”, just as it observed that the dream of Nigeria’s unity was receding and fading fast with violence, crises and conflicts.
Credible information has it that the Nigerian military has drafted reinforcement troops from some of its formations fighting insurgency in Borno State to join the troops in the Southeast region over military’s clash with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Military sources alleged that the reinforcements were drawn from some battalions including the 231 Tank Battalion in Biu, Borno State, which is under the 3 Armoured Division, Jos, Plateau State. As of January 2021, the Commanding Officer of the 231 Battalion, Biu, was a southerner, Lt. Col. M. E. Obi, who is ordinarily versed in the workings of the South-East. But, it is not sure whether he will be in the Southeast alongside the reinforcements.
“Yes, some troops are moving from the North East to the Southeast as reinforcements. They started moving from Wednesday. Among them are those from the 231 Tank Battalion. They are believed to be more trained in quelling uprisings,” a top source confirmed.
It was also reliably learnt that the army planned to blow off some of its military hardware, including explosives, to create panic for the IPOB and ESN militants and ward them off security stations.
According to reports, the Nigerian Army will be moving-in new ammunition and explosives into the 34 Artillery Brigade in Obinze, near Owerri in Imo State, in an apparent show-of-force to dislodge the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Eastern Security Network operatives.
The 34 brigade confirmed this on Friday, saying the blowing of explosives would last from May 14 to May 21.The acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Lt. Babatunde Zubairu, in a statement, however, called it the “demolition of unserviceable ammunition and explosives.”
His words: “The people of Obinze and surrounding communities are advised to keep away from the range area during the period of the exercise. This is not a cause for alarm as the Nigerian Army remains committed to the safety of Nigerians,” Zubairu had said.
But a source insisted that, “The message is clear. It is to warn the ESN and IPOB guys that the military is in town and there should be no nonsense. The army is also expecting to bring in a new cache of ammunition and other confidential artillery.”
In the last one month, there were allegations that the soldiers had killed not less than ten innocent people, mainly youths, who were going about their normal business to fend for themselves. Recently, the Army gunned down two innocent passersby in front of Imo State Government House, Owerri.
The deceased persons met their untimely death while attempting to cross the road in front of the Government House, when the soldiers opened fire on them without flagging them down to identify themselves.
It was learnt that one of the deceased, identified as a 24-year-old Miss Divine Nwaneri and a first year student of Imo State University was in company of three other friends in a custom-colour Lexus 250-IS car was shot as they drove past the Government House roundabout at about 10pm on Sunday.
Another victim, a farmer, delivering some pigs in a bus was also shot dead Tuesday morning in front of the Government House roundabout. The lifeless body of the farmer was left in his driver seat until about 12noon, when it was evacuated.
As if that was not enough, the same soldiers allegedly shot sporadically across the major streets of Owerri Municipality, specifically around Hausa Quarters (Ama Hausa), Douglas road, Mbaise road, Wetheral road, etc. all through the night of Monday as inhabitants scampered to safety.
One young man also identified as a student of Imo State University and a final year student wasreportedly killed by a stray bullet along Ama Hausa area.
A businessman, Noel Chigbu was equally not luck. Noel, the operator of Sharwarma Zone in Akwakuma area of Owerri, was killed by military men at the Amakohia flyover in Owerri at about 10pm for allegedly “violating checkpoint rules.”
It was gathered that the soldiers, who snuffed life out of him at the Checkpoint had dumped his remains at the Federal Medical Centre, morgue, Owerri, took his badly shattered car to the police station and made an entry that his relatives should visit the health facility and claim his body.
Noel was said to have acquired a new Camry car and had gone to drop off his friend that fateful night. But, he never returned. He left a four-month pregnant wife, a two-year-old son and four year old daughter.
Already, the Imo people are worried over the maltreatment, harassment and unnecessary punishment soldiers have been subjecting the people in the state capital. Several commuters and pedestrians are also feeling the heat as they are being asked to raise their hands up, frog-jump and other inhuman treatments.
Frustrated by these developments, a Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), last week, also accused the military of extra-judicial killings of youths of the region, alleging a calculated plan to reduce Igbo youths to nothingness.
In a statement, Goodluck Ibem and Kanice Igwe, President and Secretary general of the group, said: “These killings and more that happened in recent times, are tangible proofs that the military are on a secret mission to exterminate Igbo youths in the southeast. The killing of unarmed agitators and pampering of Boko Haram terrorists is a clear testament that Ndigbo have been marked for extinction by the Nigerian military.”
