By Prosper Okoye, Abuja

The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said that the governors in the South Eastern states are collaborating to put an end to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra’s Sit-at-home order.

“Once we put in place the vigilante in the community, we are going to focus on opening up Anambra and ending the sit-at-home once and for all.

Because what had happened is that there are seven people pursuing a cow, but there are eight people chasing after those pursuing the cow, but now I think the reverse is becoming the case,” Soludo added in an Igbo proverb during a recent town hall meeting in Abuja.

The Sit-at-home order is enforced throughout the southeastern states on Mondays, the 30th of May every year, and every other day that the leader of the IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, is taken to court.

“Even though there are no killings in my area in Anambra, the news of the killings in other parts of the east makes people comply with the Monday sit-at-home order. People don’t open their shops in the big markets, and on the express, people don’t move freely. But in the inside areas, shops open, and people move about watching their backs,” a resident in Anambra, Ada, told DAILY ASSET.

Although the leader of the outlawed group, Emma Powerful, has denied IPOB’s role in enforcing the Monday’s sit-at-home order, and other violence in a recent media statement, the unknown gunmen still enforcing the order are tied to the group’s fighting arm, the Eastern Security Network.

However, DAILY ASSET learned that the “Unknown gunmen” are allegedly led by Asari Dokubo.

“Under former President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s Southeast region, once the most peaceful, suddenly exploded in a wave of inexplicable violence. Prisons, police stations, court houses, electoral commission offices, and random public establishments were attacked and razed by armed gangs. Individuals were kidnapped, hacked to death, or gunned down in broad daylight by hooded men who escaped without a trace. Dr. Chike Akunyili, husband of Late Prof Dora Akunyili, one-time Minister of Information and DG of NAFDAC, was gruesomely murdered by these men in an attack with no obvious aim other than to instill public fear. Many went missing and were never found, and gloom descended on the peoples of five states best known for their industry and enterprise.

“For years, not a single one of those crimes was solved, and not a single culprit was successfully apprehended and prosecuted by law enforcement operatives. Officially, fingers were promptly pointed at IPOB, the Biafra separatist organization, for every incident – sometimes even before investigations formally opened. IPOB vehemently denied these accusations, but government propaganda was too strong. Many soon believed the government and joined in demonizing IPOB for mindlessly turning the region into a war front. Gradually, though, everyone began to realize that there was something fishy in the official position.

“Federal and state authorities had all the means to nab the gangsters but preferred to issue increasingly sterile press statements instead. It soon became clear that the armed forces, police, and other official security agencies were either in cahoots with the criminals or consciously turning a blind eye to their activities. In villages across the Southeast and North Central regions, locals began to notice that whenever the Army and Police showed up for patrols, Unknown Gunmen or armed “herdsmen” followed shortly afterwards. It was as if the patrols were surveillance missions for the bad guys. So, villagers took the hint and scampered for safety whenever those who were supposed to protect them reported for duty. It was even law enforcement officials who coined the moniker, “Unknown Gunmen” (UGM) to describe criminal elements they were paid to hunt down.

“People with experience in security matters soon concluded that Nigeria was dealing with “false flag operations” – crimes deliberately committed (in this instance by secret agents of the state) to incriminate an innocent party to achieve some dark political objectives. The problem was: There was no concrete evidence or proof to show the world. Those who were supposed to gather evidence were busy covering the tracks of the criminals.

“Well, that mystery lasted until Asari Dokubo, the voluptuous and loquacious Niger Delta warlord, visited the Presidential Villa in Abuja as a guest of the new Nigerian leader, Bola Tinubu, only two weeks after the latter’s inauguration. At the end of his visit, Dokubo addressed a press conference from one of the chambers of the villa, a rare privilege accorded only to close allies of an administration.

“Unable to control his impulses whenever in front of cameras and microphones, Asari said several things that have since become subjects of controversy. One of the few which almost evaded public scrutiny holds the key to the mystery of the Unknown Gunmen. He said he was “in charge of security in six states of the federation,” and his boys were responsible for some of the successes in the security situation of the country for which the Armed forces often get credit.

“To add color to this sketchy claim, he recounted an actual operational experience in these words: “… my men and I discovered a camp in Imo with hundreds of vehicles. Where are the owners? If you want me to show you pictures, I will show you. We discovered their camp, kicked their asses, and sent them to where they belong.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, Dokubo boasted: “I am a participant in this war. I fight on the side of the government of the Nigerian state; in Plateau, in Niger, in Anambra, in Imo, in Abia, and in Rivers state and in Abuja. Today you’re traveling to Kaduna on this road, it’s not the army that makes it possible for you to travel to Abuja, or travel to Kaduna, vice versa. It is my men, employed by the government of the Nigerian state, stationed in Niger.”

“In those words, Asari Dokubo blew his own cover. He owned up to working in an undercover capacity or as a non-state actor in a sector which belongs exclusively to the Federal Government. He owned up to extra-judicial killings. He mentioned specific theaters of operation – Imo State and the Abuja-Kaduna highway. He named those who hired and paid him – “the government of the Nigerian state.” It was like a painter framing his masterpiece.

“Three of those states named by Asari Dokubo (Anambra, Imo & Abia) are in the Southeast. Two others and the Federal Capital Territory (Niger, Plateau, and Abuja) are in the Middle Belt. Another state (Rivers) is in the South-South. All named territories have one thing in common in the last few years – random, unsolved killings and attacks on members of the opposition, rural farming communities, and government facilities. Anambra, Imo, and Abia were the epicenter of unknown gunmen activities in the period leading up to the last elections. Niger and Plateau were the main theaters of operation for the so-called “Fulani herdsmen.” Kuje Prison within the FCT was attacked, and inmates set free.

“So, what exactly was Asari Dokubo’s “security brief” in a region (the Southeast) where Army and Police checkpoints adorn nearly every hundred meters of the highway? What was he doing in a state (Imo) where a special military task force was assigned to “crush” separatist agitations? What was he paid to do for a country that boasts about a dozen security agencies with hefty yearly federal appropriations? More still, what “contract” is Asari desperately lobbying to retain with the new administration of President Bola Tinubu, for which reason he broke all protocols of civility to support the Tinubu candidacy and gain his attention before and during the last elections? Why has he been so vociferous with his anti-Igbo rhetoric in courting the Tinubu camp – knowing that Igbophobia is one of the favorite weapons of the APC in its struggle to retain power after the failed Buhari years?

“If you read between the lines and fill in the blank spaces, all the fingers point in one direction – Asari Dokubo is the man behind the mask of Unknown Gunmen. He was recruited and paid by the Buhari Administration, working closely with the Imo State Governor (Hope Uzodimma), to help deal with the threat of Biafra in Southeast Nigeria by unconventional means. Asari Dokubo, in turn, recruited, coordinated, and paid the men who carried out all those killings and criminal activities to blackmail IPOB and ESN. Plus, at least some of the mysterious attacks on villagers and facilities in the Middle Belt region.

“That’s what he meant when he boldly said, “I am a participant in this war.”

The trouble with people who talk too much is that they ultimately talk themselves into trouble. Asari Dokubo has now talked himself into deep trouble – beyond being broke. Not only has he antagonized the armed forces, which he was recruited to “help,” he has also given away the identity of the evil masquerade terrorizing the neighborhood.

“In trying so hard to corner the next “security contract” after squandering what he was earlier paid for hatchet jobs under President Buhari, Melford Asari Dokubo Goodhead has given away his own secret position. He is like a drunken and unprofessional sniper who uses his weapon indiscriminately. His enemies can see clearly where the deadly shots are coming from. His position in the bushes is no longer a mystery. The sniper himself is now a sitting duck. It’s only a matter of time before he too is sniped. That’s the way the cookie crumbles,” the source noted.

Meanwhile, the Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, has been making efforts to stop the sit-at-home order enforced in the state. This includes the threat to sanction business owners that comply with the order by closing down their businesses and calls to arrest Emma powerful.

Military Victories:

Furthermore, the military has recently announced that some IPOB fighters were killed in Delta state, while others were arrested, and arms were recovered. This announcement sparked numerous comments on social media, with most questioning the truthfulness of the report, including a tweet by Emma Powerful dismissing the report as mere propaganda against the IPOB.

FROM TAYESE Mike, Yenagoa

Ikarama is a Community under Okordia Clan in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State which is also blessed with crude oil in large quantity that have brought untold hardship and penury to them. The oil that suppose to be a blessing is more or less a curse as a community with less than hundred thousand people cannot feel the impact of their God given resources.

What a sad and pathetic situation and the agony Ikarama people are facing might not be too different from other oil and gas producing communities across the Niger Delta.

Why Ikarama case is so peculiar is because the community has witnessed the highest frequency of oil spill since 1991 and till date  not much has been done to clean up the environment and proper remediation carried out within and around  the community and its environment.

The peaceful Ikarama Community that have been enjoying agrarian life in time past started their problem when oil was discovered in 1964 and from that time till date every valuable things to the Community have virtually been eroded due to the activities of the multinationals. Shell Petroleum Development Company started operation of oil exploration in Ikarama community and also Exxon Mobil since that same 1964 but nothing to show forth as an oil producing community.

The constant oil spills in the community has caused so much environmental pollution as the people can no longer farm while fishing activities has completely come to a halt since fish cannot survive in an Hydrocarbon polluted areas, most of the economy trees have gone into extinction while so much sickness and diseases have ravaged the community. Diseases like cancer, skin disease, infertility especially in men, blood disorder, asthma, still birth and other horrible disease due to the activities of the Oil Companies.

The Community cannot boast of a good health center, clean water and other social amenities that make life more meaningful despite the fact that every part of the community is blessed with crude oil. The recent incident that took Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) to the Ikarama Community was the case of a young man who was trying to make a living for himself and his family hired an excavator last year to excavate the ground for fish pond but surprisingly oil was oozing out of the ground and the same experience this year after spending so much resources only to end in futility.

Visiting the community is the Director of HOMEF and his team in company of Morris Alagoa an environmental Activist to see the extent of oil pollution in the community. Dr. Nnimmo Bassey described Ikarama Community as the capital of oil spill incident in the whole of Niger Delta because Ikarama community has the highest frequency of oil spill. It’s really shocking to see the level of pollution in this community. Meanwhile we heard that shell has come severally to take samples of the soil at various depths but till date, nothing has been heard about the result been released.

Nnimmo said what really brought HOMEF to the community was to see for themselves the sad situations of a community youth who have invested so much by trying to excavate the ground for fish pond last year and this year and surprising oil was coming out of the ground. He said, they want to make sure the result of various samples shell have collected so far is been released for proper action.

Not just NOSDRA only should involved in it but Ministry of Environment at both the state and federal level should get involved in the process of ascertaining the level of contamination, not just in one location but the entire community soil because oil pipeline transverses the length and breath of the Community and in fact other Niger Delta Community “we are very disturbed by what we are seeing that plants will remain stunted for a over a year. It says a lot about what the people have to contend with and it is a sad thing that government will just be carrying on as if nothing is happening, as if Niger Delta is just a place to be exploited, this is totally unacceptable.

He described the health challenge of the people as pathetic because anywhere there is activities of oil and gas activities, oil spill, gas flair and other unwholesome activities will follow like exposing them to hydrocarbon. They will definitely have serious health challenges like skin disease blood disorder, cancer, still birth infertility especially in men amongst the rest. So the critical thing is to clean up the environment, carry out heath audit across the Ikarama Community and the rest of the Niger Delta, take measure to remove the sickness and diseases hiding in the body of the people or already manifesting and they should make sure they stop completely the oil spill and the gas flares.

Shell and other oil companies must need to carry out thorough remediation in the community. The HOMEF Director said what is going on in Ikarama and the Niger Delta can be called environmental racism and they won’t do this in their country. So we are calling for enough clean up.

As the oil companies are planning to sell of their Assets and move to deep waters, obviously they are running away from responsibility and accountability and before they move to the deep waters operation they should consult with the communities that they are leaving and must be ready to clean up the environment they have polluted over the years and carry out proper remediation and make sure adequate compensation are paid.

Seeing the pathetic situation of the people and the community environment is Mr Alagoa Morris, an environmentalist, who said  monitoring the environment demanded factual and evidence-based data collection, recording and reporting. Alagoa who had written over seventy (70) reports on Ikarama oil spills called on Shell and other oil companies to be proactive when such happens for the safety of the rural dwellers, and the aquatic lives that the people depend on. 

As military coups have all of a sudden become fashionable in the West African sub-region and the Nigerian Army continuously dealing with rumbles from its officers, Sumaila Ogbaje in this piece harps on the need for the Nigerian military to dedicate itself to its constitutional responsibility especially as its hands are full from all manners of security challenges posed by Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists, bandits and separatists groups.

It’s no longer news that Nigeria experienced long history of military rule, during which members of Nigerian Armed Forces twice truncated democratically elected governments.

The first was in 1966, and the second in 1983.  The military presided over the affairs of Nigeria for a cumulative period of 29 years.
Experts have viewed military government as an antithesis to democratic governance, as the country’s constitution is often suspended to give way for decrees as seen in Nigeria when the military took over.
These periods were viewed as the era of military intervention in Nigerian politics, where the centre was governed by military Head of State and the states by Military Administrators.
Nigeria will be heading for election in February 2023, which will make it 24 years of unhindered democratic governance since the end of the military regime in 1999.

This is a huge step towards consolidating democracy in the country, in spite of the challenges being encountered within the period arising from bad governance by elected officials, poverty, insecurity, among others.
Recent military coups in some African countries had sparked fears in Nigeria owing to numerous challenges bedeviling the nation.
They include over a decade of insecurity, ranging from terrorism and insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North- West and North-Central as well as secessionist agitation in the South-East and South-West.
In spite of these obvious threats, the Armed Forces of Nigeria has continued to demonstrate unalloyed loyalty to the nation, providing support to civil authorities in the protection and defence of Nigeria.

The military has also come out at different times to reaffirm its commitment to protecting democracy and civil rule in the country, warning that it will deal decisively with any personnel found engaging in any act of disobedience to democratic order.
In the words of a former Commander of United States Central Command, Gen. Joseph Votel, an apolitical military was essential to maintaining balance among all institutions in a country, as the military often confront threats of active pandemic, civil unrest and economic crisis.

Votel said that resolving these crises would require coordinated efforts involving the federal government and state governments, the military, press, business communities and academia.
According to him, although, the military is an entity within the executive branch, its place within the constitutional order requires special consideration and respect to secure the intentions of the nation’s forefathers.

The four-star general posited that the U.S. military had at one time or the other came under intense scrutiny, but had managed to maintain the esteem of the people it served.
“For our democratic system to work, civilian leadership must have trust and confidence in the military and its leaders, without concerns of partisanship. Like those civilian leaders, every person who joins a military branch, both enlisted members and officers, takes an oath “to support and defend the constitution.”

According to him, that shared loyalty to the constitution should give elected leaders the confidence that the military and its leaders are serving the common good.
“It therefore behooves that elected leaders would always want prudent military advice that is free of political bias,’’ he said.
Before and after the 2015 general elections in Nigeria, there were accusations and counter accusations about involvement of some senior officers of the Nigerian Army in the various elections, which the military hierarchy took decisive measures to address.
Before the 2019 elections, the then Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, set up of a “Special Standing Court Martial’’ to try any partisan personnel during the general elections.

Buratai had warned that any Nigerian Army personnel found hobnobbing with politicians or being partisan will be investigated and sent to the Special Standing Court Martial.
He added that any officer or soldier who wishes to be sympathetic to political, religious or ethnic cause should voluntarily retire from the Nigerian Army.
So, as the 2023 general elections draw near, the current military hierarchy has also drummed its determination to ensure smooth and safe conduct of all elections come 2023 across the country.

During the just concluded Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Second Quarter Conference in Abuja, the Army Chief, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, ordered for a review of Nigerian Army Rules of Engagement and Code of Conduct ahead of the general elections.
Yahaya directed all personnel of the Nigerian Army to remain apolitical while providing enabling and secured environment for electoral processes to thrive, assuring that the army would continue to enhance civil-military relations and provide necessary support in aid of civil authority.

He said that the Nigerian Army must continue to discharge its constitutional roles in support of the civil authority without compromise.
“Accordingly, commanders are reminded that as the 2023 General Elections approaches, troops under their command must remain apolitical and operate professionally.
“They must continuously review their contingency plans for the provision of security support through an effective mechanism of cooperation with other security stakeholders.
“As earlier highlighted during my opening remarks, the reviewed Rules of Engagement and Code of Conduct for Operation Safe Conduct guiding troops during the upcoming 2023 General Elections will be distributed in earnest.

“I therefore urge you to thoroughly sensitise troops on their contents and implore them to operate in accordance with extant provisions throughout the period,’’ he said.
Also, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, reiterated the commitment of the armed forces to supporting and protecting democratic governance and institutions to effectively discharge their constitutional responsibilities.
Irabor, while addressing newsmen recently, warned politicians and their supporters who are planning to cause trouble during the 2023 general elections to desist, saying the military would not stand by and watch anyone cause trouble before, during and after the elections.
He said that though it was obvious that some individuals were not desirous of peaceful elections, the armed forces would give necessary support to the civil authority to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections.

According to him, the military will ensure a peaceful period during the upcoming elections, so that everyone will have a country to be proud of.
The CDS also advised those desirous of getting political positions and appointments after elections to conduct themselves peacefully.
“Anyone who is looking forward to be elected, must do it within the ambit of the provisions of the law, because we will not in any way stand aside and see those who perpetrate violence all because they are looking for political office or appointive offices.

“Nigeria remains a nation that must live in peace, desire to live in peace, and Nigerians deserve to live in peace.
“And so, we will not allow criminals among those or if you like, thugs that might have made themselves available for anyone to use.
“We are working very closely with the police and we stand ready to give them all the support that is necessary, because going forward, Nigeria must be peaceful and that is what we are looking forward to,” he said.
Indeed, Nigerians are looking forward for peaceful elections and happily the Nigerian Army has pledged unalloyed loyalty to sustain and deepen democracy. (NANFeatures)