By Cajetan Mmuta
Awka
Irreconcilable key factors were said to have been instrumental to the avoidable Nigeria/Biafra civil war that cost the wiped valuable generation of citizens. To date, the pains of excruciating socio-economic and political injustices have refused to leave the scenes of the South-East geo-political zone and other sections of the country.
Sadly, successive governments have paid deaf ears to the yearnings and aspirations of the zone for fair, equitable, and balanced recognition of potentials of the zone, as well as unhindered inclusion into the main scheme of things.
To date, the zone with the command of huge commerce and trade as well as human capacity has continued to clamour for a shot at the nation’s presidency of one of its own as had been done with other zones. The move, the people strongly believe, is part of measures to assuage their pains of yesteryears and obvious injustices.
For instance, it is on record that the South-East zone has five states as against six states each in the kitty of five other geopolitical zones that make up the country. Also, the zone has, tactically, and severally been schemed out in the mindless appointments into key or sensitive positions in every government.
These and many more are part of the agitation by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by Nnamdi Kanu. The IPOB movement, no doubt, has permeated into the confines of South-East states and beyond with the members’ strong and massive agitation for freedom from the oppressive grip of the state and possible secession.
Apprehensive of the massive support enjoyed by IPOB members, the Federal Government intensified the manhunt for Kanu and his collaborators which paid off in June last with his dramatic arrest in Kenya and eventual extradition to Nigeria.
So, began the Federal Government’s trial of Nnamdi Kanu by the Federal High Court over treasonable felony, terrorism, and other criminal charges. The IPOB leader is presently in the solitary facility of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja. His team of lawyers led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq, has battled to secure his release, to no avail yet.
