We know foreign sponsors – FG
Akeredolu explains President’s silence
In his first major assignment as the Acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Abdul Kafarati, yesterday granted an order proscribing the pro-Biafra group-Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The court, also declared that the activities of IPOB in Nigeria, particularly in the South-east or South-south regions, henceforth, constitutes “an act of terrorism.”
It went further to restrain “any person or group of persons from participating in any of the group’s activities.”
Kafarati granted the orders after hearing an ex-parte application filed and argued by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Justice Kafarati directed the AGF to ensure the publication of the IPOB proscription order in the official gazette and two national dailies.
Malami was accompanied to court by the Solicitor General of the Federation (SGF), Tayo Apata; Acting Director, Civil Litigation, Mrs. Maimuna Shiru and other lawyers in the Federal Ministry of Justice, to include T. A. Gazali and Oyin Koleosho.
The judge heard and granted the ex parte motion filed by Malami, in the (judge’s) chambers.
In a suit number, FHC/ABJ/CS/871/2017, the federal government is asking the court to declare that the activities of the respondent, in any part of Nigeria, especially in the South-east and South-south region of Nigeria amount to acts of terrorism and illegal.
“It prayed for an order of the court to proscribe that the existence of the respondents in any part of Nigeria, especially in the South-east and South-south regions of Nigeria, either in groups or as individuals by whatever names they are called and publishing same in the official gazette and two(2) National dailies.”
The suit also contained “an order of the court restraining any person or groups of persons from participating in any manner whatsoever in any form of activities involving or concerning the prosecution of the collective intension or otherwise of the respondent under any other name or platform however called or described.”
This suit is backed by an affidavit sworn to by CPL Kolawole Mattew of the Nigeria Army, in support and certificate in compliance with Section 84 of Evidence Act 2011.
Granting the order in his chambers, Justice Kafarati declared that “the activities of the IPOB either in group or as individuals by whatever names they are called and published by same in the official gazette and two (2) National Dailies is granted.
“Also, that an order restraining any person or persons from participating in any manner whatsoever in any form of activities involving or concerning the prosecution of the collective intention or otherwise of the Respondent under any other name or platform however called or described is granted.”
FG aware of foreign backers – Lai
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has disclosed that the sources of funding of the IPOB are known to the federal government, and that efforts are on to block same.
“Terrorists do not publish where their funding is coming from. But we know the countries that are supporting IPOB. We know the sources of their funding, though I am not at liberty to disclose them here.
“We are taking steps to block them and we are also taking a lot of diplomatic actions in respect of the countries that are supporting them,” the minister said, while featuring yesterday on a Nigerian Television Authority Breakfast Show, “Good Morning Nigeria,” monitored by our reporter in Abuja.
Mohammed disclosed that most of the countries backing the group were doing so out of ignorance, and deceiving them into believing that this is a country where not only genocide takes place, but that “Nigeria is a country where Muslims persecute Christians.”
“As we speak today, IPOB has written letters to many governments outside Nigeria, international parliaments sending fake and cloned videos, claiming there is genocide in Nigeria.”
He called on the global community not to fall for the IPOB deceits and avoid double standard in taking positions on the matter, while taking cognisance of the sovereignty of Nigeria.
While maintaining his earlier position that the IPOB was being sponsored by alleged treasury looters and disgruntled politicians to pull down the APC-led government, the minister cautioned the media and opinion leaders against fanning the ember of crises.
According to him, “the kind of comments and headlines in the media as well as comments from certain quarters are the types that give oxygen and confidence to the IPOB.”
“They must exercise restraint because the only reason we practice our profession or be a commentator is simply because there is peace in the country.”
He also took time to speak on the military activities in the South-east, the controversial declaration of IPOB as terrorist group by the military as well as the proscription by governors in the region.
“There are a lot of arguments regarding the constitutionality of the action of the military and the South East governors. People must realise that we are dealing with issue of national security and I do not think that the military and the governors should fold their arms while the country is set ablaze.
“I have heard a lot of comments as to whether the military has the right to declare IPOB, a terrorist group. What the military has done is to catalogue all the activities of IPOB, which are not different from that of terrorists groups.”
Continuing, he said: “IPOB activities are not jokes. If there have not been the proactive actions on the part of the military and the South-east governors, there would have been retaliations from other regions and the entire country will be set on fire.
“We cannot be talking of semantics or procedure when the nation is moving towards crises and precipices. It is only in a Banana Republic that you can see non-state actors doing what IPOB is doing.
“The actions by the military and the governors should be seen from the perspective of ensuring internal security and averting chaos.”
Also addressing the State House correspondents yesterday before the court ruling, Mohammed said, “for those who are fixated with legality, I have good news for them: President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the process of proscribing IPOB, and the procedure is on as I speak.”
“But I ask, if the President had been overly concerned with legality, where would Nigeria have been today? If attacks in the South-east had attracted reprisals elsewhere in the country, what would have happened?
“But for the quick action of state governors in the South-east and the North, there would have been a conflagration of immense proportions,” he said.
The minister commended the South-east governors for being proactive and “making it clear to IPOB that it has no support for its violent campaign.”
“By its action, the governors have cut off the oxygen that IPOB needs to survive. If the elected governors of all the states in the South-east have banned the activities of IPOB, who then is the organization fighting for?
‘IPOB is a contraption against the Buhari Administration, and that it is being sponsored by those I call the Coalition of the Politically-Disgruntled and the Treasury Looters. I stand by that statement despite the noise emanating from the usual suspects.
“Finally, IPOB has decided to externalize its campaign. It has written to governments and parliaments in the West alleging genocide in the South-east. Even a dictionary definition of ‘genocide’ does not support that claim. IPOB has also engaged in using highly-emotive videos of killings, which it harvested from other lands and were doctored, to hoodwink the international community,” the minister added.
The minister also said Kanu had been making provocative statements capable of inciting ethnic violence across the country and even daring soldiers, saying all these were enough grounds for government to act fast.
“I ask him, which country in the world would tolerate this? Unfortunately, Nigerians we have short memories at times, or we tend to be very mischievous because this thing is being turned into the North is persecuting the South- east or Muslims persecuting Christians. We have forgotten that in 1983, there was a group called Maitasine in Kano, they were crushed by Shagari government, they were Muslims and northerners.
“When they relocated to Burukutu, they were again crushed by Shagari, when Buhari became Head of State, the same Maitasine raised their heads, he chased them far into the Chad Republic as then the Head of State, I remember that time, he was accused by America of trying to expand Ghadafi’s agenda. Abacha in his own time dealt also with Maitasine and he was a Muslim.
“President Yar Adua in 2010 was on his way to the airport when he got a report about Boko Haram, he sent army to go and destroy them. These were Muslims from the north dealing with essentially Islamic Muslim insurgencies. Anything about insurgence or terrorists act you don’t think about religion, you don’t think about ethnicity, you think about the unity of the country.
“Honestly Nigeria has been very lucky, last week there would have been massive bloodshed if reprisals had taken place outside the South-east, and it didn’t take place because our traditional rulers, our governors and other leaders went out to pacify people and the kind of stories trending on the social media have not helped things.
“As a matter of fact, there was one stating that a major general had been killed, not knowing that it was a retired major that was killed in Benue state over land matters, that would have set the entire country ablaze. As cosmopolitan as Abuja is, it took the FCT minister to mobilise all the 17 graded traditional chiefs and emirs in Abuja to really hold meetings with all the stakeholders.
“To pacify the situation and they think its a joke. You can imagine what would have happened if the people of Kano or Kaduna started retaliation, so we are in a very dangerous situation and actually we are sitting on a keg of gun powder. The peace that you are seeing is deceptive, we must continue to work on it and we must continue to counter this very untrue narrative.”
Buhari’s silence
Also, Governor of Ondo state, Rotimi Akeredolu has explained that President Buhari remains silent on the IPOB controversy in his address to the UN General Assembly because he did not want to escalate the crisis before the world body.
Buhari’s speech had been criticised by Nigerians for highlighting problems in other countries while ignoring his own nation.
Akeredolu, who is part of the president’s delegation to the annual event, told State House correspondents in New York yesterday that IPOB was a local issue that could be contained by local means.
“IPOB agitation is not something you escalate to the level of the United Nations for now. It’s something that you can contain. It is something that you can contain within what I will call our territorial jurisdiction.
“Why escalate it to the United Nations? That means, it’s like us wanting to bring what…I mean, they (United Nations) know of it. It’s not that they don’t know of it, but it’s not an issue for now and it will never be an issue in Nigeria for me as a person.”
The governor, however, said Mr. Buhari highlighted other problems facing Nigeria such as the Boko Haram insurgency, corruption and repatriation of stolen assets.
