That show of force in Umuahia (3)

After rain comes sunshine. There is always a light at the end of every dark turnnel. These are adages of our elders. They are absolutely words of wisdom. Words that our youths in the vanguard group of the indigenous people of Biafra (lPOB) now proscribed should embrace and allow the wild dust to settle.
There are many ways to go about the actualisation of whatever their demand may be, but definitely not through violent agitation which is like a wild wind that blows no one any good. Apart from resurrecting insecurity, both the economy, education, social, political, religious life of everyone would be affected and moreover individual freedom would be trampled upon. It is unfortunate that even those involve are not assimilating this peaceful messages because some of them are like an intoxicated man who may not listen to any elderly advice until he is run down by a moving train. After all, it was one of our revered son, late Nnamdi Azikiwe a former president of Nigeria who said” you don’t argue with a man with a gun. Neither is it advisable for you to stand in front of a moving train”.
While updating its activities in the South East, the Army claimed that the Python dance (Egwu Eke) part two included other security agencies like the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp, Department of State Security Service, Federal Road Safety Commission, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency and Nigerian Immigration Service all synergizing, and the dance attracted many onlookers and by so doing, they were able to stabilize the initial unrest as criminals (kidnapper, hiding among the onlookers were fished out and handed over to the police.
Impressive and commendable outing by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General TY Buratai, accompanied by the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Eric Kelechi Igwe, and the General Officer Commanding 82 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar. As the COAS led the open ‘egwu eke’ dance and embarked on a humanitarian health restoration gesture to the people of Ebonyi and later moved to Cross Rivers, lmo and Enugu States.
This is how dances are celebrated by the lgbo people. Dance of joy, happiness and celebration.
But there is another type of dance which is a war dance. It is the Ohafia war dance in Abia state. ln the days of old , heads are sacrificed and the ground teaste blood when the drums are beating for this dance. Unfortunately that was the type of war dance Nnamdi Kalu and his fellow travellers were anticipating. The Ohafia war dance has today been turned to a cultural dance by the lgbo people for the sake of peace thereby mellowing down its original potency. Today, the Army reminded the youths of Abia of what their forefathers where use to, but the state governors has helped to stop the war drums.
The Army told the lgbo youths in clear language that there is another dance that the same Python can dance to their admiration. Yes, the Python that danced roughly yesterday, can also dance peacefully today depending on the turf and drum beat. Yesterday, the dance was rough in Abia, but today the same dance is peaceful and accompanied with cheers and tears being dried off the faces of those hypertensive people of Ebonyi, lmo and Cross River States.
These people danced the new Python dance of peace and also benefited in the areas of dental, optometry, laboratory services and blood pressure measurements, free eye glasses, de-worming tablets, assorted drugs, mosquitoes nets and sanitiser of various categories. While all these were going on, the main man in the eye of the storm was alleged to had gone into hiding, while some members of the Abia State House of Assembly called on security agencies to immediately locate and arrest Nnamdi Kalu and one would ask, why now? Were they not in session while he was spreading his tentacles of agitation around the Eastern states? How come they did not invite him to parley with him and listen to his complaints so that they can forward them to the National Assembly. They played the Ostrich only to wait for such a time as this when the federal might descended on Nnamdi Kalu with the proscription of lPOB and tagging it a terrorism group. Many are however asking, did the Ministry of Defence ever tagged the Boko Haram a terrorist group? Instead, it was more comfortable describing them as insurgents. Many observers therefore wondered the essence of declaring lPOB a terrorist group. Who dos not know that Boko Haram was a terrorist group affiliated with lSlS, El -Shabab and Al-Qaeda?
By dispersing IPOB with the power of firearms could present two directions, which are either to bring the key players of lPOB to the dialogue table for heart- to – heart discussion not minding the draconian moves so that peace can be achieved or envisage a marriage of like minds with Nnamdi Kalu who might go underground and embark on a more devastating agitation that would seek for arms to strike.
Truly, what the proscription means is projecting and selling Nigeria as a full scale breeding terrorist country. If that is not well understood by the government that by this actions and pronouncement, foreign investors would be scared so also are other foreign donors. ln all of these, the federal government should embrace peace instead of being quick to label groups as terrorists knowing the international consequences. After all, the government opened its arm to the Niger Delta Avengers and even the Boko Haram sect, so why not do same with IPOB for the sake of national peace.
(Concluded)