By Elochukwu Nicholas Ohagi
For Family Writers Press
Hello to all the good and conscientious citizens of great Britain, I am writing this letter to you all to query your consciences on the plight of the people of Biafra. In 1967, probably out of ignorance, you all watched as the Nigerian government in collaboration with your government (British government) murderously slaughtered innocent citizens of the then newly declared Biafra nation, by bombing hospitals, schools, market places, farm lands and blockaded the Biafran territory resulting to the death of about 3million hapless Biafran women and children orchestrated by severe hunger, which is today being classified as one of the greatest genocide ever experienced in the whole of Africa in particular and the world in general. Are you all now going to watch again in 2018 as the Nigerian government, with tacit support from your government continue in their barbaric and murderous killing of Biafrans in their own land unabated?
Let me remind you all incase you have all forgotten the crimes of your government against the people of Biafra. In 1967, after the new nation Biafra was declared by the then military governor of the Nigerian Eastern region, Col. Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, that declaration angered Yakubu Gowon who levied a war against the new nation in a bid to quell their secession and the British government during that genocidal orgy of violence, supplied weapons and sent the British soldiers to help Nigeria to decimate and partially exterminate the Biafran people with no regards to whom the aggressor was.
However, prior to 1967 when Biafra was declared, precisely in 1966, in the streets of Northern Nigeria (Hausa/Fulani enclave) more than 700 Biafrans were mindlessly butchered and their decomposing bodies littered in the streets for vultures to feast on. Biafrans, who made it back to their homeland alive, together with those at home made a solemn decision to remain in their own side of the country until peace returns. But incidentally, your government thwarted every avenue for peace, due to their economic interest in Nigeria. For record purposes, Biafra and Nigeria reached a peace agreement in Aburi Ghana, but Britain, through BBC came with their propaganda campaign on how all Nigerian military governors have ‘bowed down’ to Lt Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in Aburi Ghana. This made General Yakubu Gowon to renegade on the peace accord. Something that set the two nation up for civil war. A war that Britain cancelled all rules of engagement as to annihilate, destroy, subjugate and eventually exterminate Biafrans from the surface of the earth.
Till this day, your government has continued to support the Fulani government of Nigeria against the people of Biafra. They are not even regretting the atrocities and crimes they committed against the Biafran people.
Similarly, not too long ago, your government supported the Nigerian military government of Sani Abacha, to murder Ken Sarowiwa, an Ogoni activist and his other eight (8) brothers. Their offence was standing against the injustices meted on their people by Shell BP and Nigerian government. For more than 60years, your government has been drilling oil in the coastal parts of Biafra, leaving the entire area polluted and ravaged till today. Their aquatic life destroyed and agricultural farm lands in ruins. Your government has used monetary inducement to shut any mouth rising to protect the people, and those that refuses the blood money, your government through the Nigerian government eliminates them. And I ask the good and conscientious citizens of Britain, wether all these inhumane treatments being meted against Biafrans are good and be allowed to fester? Is it proper to allow more people systematically killed by the Nigerian government unabatedly? Let your consciences be your judge.
It as a verifiable news that the Nigerian government has continuously marginalized the Easterners (Biafrans), they have systematically removed them from infrastructural development, placed economic embargo on them and impoverished them with reckless abandon, yet they are the hen that lays the golden egg. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari has continued the slaughtering of Biafrans for peacefully demonstrating and demanding for referendum as the generally acceptable way of fighting for the right to self determination.
Let me also bring this to your subconsciousness, that in 2017, Buhari led APC government unleashed the military on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Onitsha, Umuahia, Aba and Port Harcourt. An operation that left hundreds of Biafran youths dead. Amnesty International have their report on it. A little Google search will expose this and feed you more.
Do not forget in a hurry that some years back you all demanded to exit European Union (EU) upon the campaign for Briexit, no one was killed or mistreated by the British military or even the police. No military tanks rolled out and your government recognized the right of all British citizens to have a say in their own country and to decide how best to live as humans. The successful and victorious exit of Britain from the EU saw the resignation of the then Prime Minister, David Cameron and today your government now believe that really, power belongs to the people.
I can also remember when Scotland demanded for a referendum to exit Britain. Hence, I did not see killings and incarceration of any form or shade. What I saw was a former Prime Minister who went directly to the Scottish people convincing them on the need to remain in Britain, that is true democracy in play via negotiation. Upon all these, yet they were given the right to a referendum, though it turned against those that supported exit. But then, they were not killed, rather they were allowed to determine their future and where they want to belong. We saw them go to referendum and we saw them vote Yes to Britain. Why then is your government standing with a murderous government of Nigeria, who has reputation for dehumanizing and killing her own citizens? Why? Does that mean Biafrans can not get the same treatment as the Scottish through a democratic process ? Why is that of the Biafran people so different? Why is economic interest more important than the lives of Biafrans being killed on daily basis for demanding for referendum as the Scottish? What economic interest is worth the spilling of innocent blood?
For how long will your government continue to maintain the flow of oil with the blood of Biafrans as the bargain?
Many Biafrans are being incarcerated in various Nigerian prisons without trial. The leader of Indigenous People Of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is also a British citizen is still missing after the Nigerian military invaded his father’s Royal Palace in September, 2017. These and many more are the plight of Biafrans in Nigeria and must not be allowed to continue undisrupted and unquestioned.
In the 60s, one of our own, in the person of Dr Akanu Ibiam wrote to the Queen of England over the injustices the British government was supporting against Biafra, but it yielded nothing. Today I chose not to write to the British government, but to you the good people of the great Britain.
Now, something big is about to happen. Fulani herdsmen is rampaging, killing peaceful Easterners inside their farms and houses. Are we going to let them kill us all ? When we raise a stick in defence, they tagged us terrorists, think of what will happen if we eventually take up guns and bullets to protect our lives, hell will let loose, I must confess. I sincerely wish to urge you all press on your government to do the right thing even if it is this once. Do not watch like in 1966 as they ignite another war that will engulf Africa. The British government should as a matter of prestige, initiate the arresting and prosecution of all the war criminals in Nigeria like Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Olusegun Obasanjo and others. Also quickly compel the Nigerian government to initiate the process of reparation and compensation to the families of those that were killed during the Biafra war and till date.
