Insecurity in the South East geo-political zone and alleged Fulani Jihadist agenda

An alert has been sounded, which claims that there is a Fulani Jihadist agenda to overrun the South East geo-political zone of the country through intensification of terrorists’ attacks that have been going on in some communities in the five states of the zone – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States.

There are, literally, daily gory stories and horrific video clips of communities being invaded and sacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen with many of the natives either being shot or macheted to death, and of houses being razed, women being raped, and farmlands being destroyed by cattle grazing brazenly on people’s farms.

The alert, in the form of a document that is currently being widely circulated, claims that the seemingly well-orchestrated agenda is state supported or condoned and not being resisted or addressed by the Governors, legislators and other leaders of the South East zone, stressing that the target dateline for the conclusion of the sinister assignment of total occupation of the geo-political zone is November/December 2022.

Insisting that only a miracle will see the 2023 general elections hold, the outcome of which many hope will stem the onslaught, the document, which cited well documented credible sources to authenticate its claim, therefore called on communities, especially in the South East zone, to work out security schemes, preferably on a town-by-town basis, “for reclaiming the region from the aggressors, already lodged in Ala-Igbo.”

This, it said, is to avoid an imminent cataclysm, and to escape the entire zone being overrun and made to face the same fate that befell Christians in Turkey and other places in North Africa that were once largely Christian but now predominantly Moslem.

Full text of the statement reads:

INSECURITY IN ALA-IGBO: A COMPILATION OF ORDINARY PEOPLE’S OBSERVATIONS & UNDERSTANDING FOR CONSIDERATION BY IGBO LEADERS & SECURITY EXPERTS

(November 2022)

FACTUALIZATION

For Documented Sources, Factualization of the observations, kindly see the list of some Fact Sources at the end of this submission.

OBSERVATIONS

1. Understanding of its nature as Jihadist Terrorism
2. Appreciate that the scores of trailers of terrorists intercepted by Amotekun in Yorubaland, is the minimum quantum of terrorists already lodged in Igboland
3. Credible sources in the public domain have noted that it is sovereign sponsored
4. Jihadist-type terrorism evident in the activities of uniformed and un-unifornmed (often joint) occupationists and road blockadists, seen in invaded territories like Isuochi/Umunze/Lokpanta/Ihube and Enugu/Opi/ Umulemgbe
5. Jihad-type tax collection points administered by alien civilians under the watchful eyes of armed, uniformed but equally strange-looking persons can be seen along several highways in Ala-Igbo: about three of such booty-collection points can be seen between Obosi and Mgbidi, along the Onitsha -Owerre expressway; they constrict the 3-lane expressway to one lane to be able to capture every victim in their tax net. So apart from being subjected to Jihadist taxation, you are further tortured with hours of queuing up and devastation of your schedule.
6. To assume that the Sovereign is willing and, or, able to solve the problem is unrealistic. BUT it is safer to assume either mischief by the Sovereign or incapacity by the Sovereign or both
7. Acknowledging that, for whatever reasons, SE Governors are unwilling to confront it; indeed, failure of governance and mal-governance could be considered as a cause of terrorism against Ndi-Igbo, because such weakness, as exhibited by South East Governors, provokes external aggressors in view of lack of “balance of force; the external aggressors consider the region as empty and as having enough supply of willing agents.
8. Also, SE Senators & Representatives, as well as other political party elite from Ala-Igbo are non-challant about addressing the scourge.
9. If all serving Igbo Senators, Representatives, Ministers, Executive members of major political parties, were to meet, using their non-vulnerable locus standi, as the people’s deputies, they would find a solution. But alas, they are non-challant, or complicit in the plan for ethnic subjugation of Ndi—Igbo.
10. Church Leaders are, strangely, indifferent to Jihadist terrorism – even with their knowledge of how Turkey changed from nearly 100% Christian to nearly 100% Moslem.
11. Yet, Fulanization & Islamization are the two inseparable sides of the same Jihadist coin – at least in the Nigerian context. They are a composite product that must go together like palm oil and palm kernel: both of them come together in the palm nut. So, there is no real issue of wondering over the nature of the problem.
12. Are the Bishops, Overseers, Prophets, Apostles, Pastors, etc waiting for the stage to come when Igbo Christians will be asked by the Jihadists, on the highways or at church worships, “your faith or your life?”
13. So far, there are indications that the Church Leadership in Nigeria is giving confusing signals to the global community regarding the nature of the problem: For example, one recalls listening to a Nigerian Cardinal explaining that the insecurity challenge in Ala-Igbo is a result of “ignorant Igbo youth who were not born when the first war was fought and were, therefore, involved in activities that could lead to war”. Yet, we know that those “ignorant” youth were agitated because they were aware that their homeland was being targeted for a JIHAD. These and similar misrepresentations can be called up on Google.
14. If the Church Leadership, agrees that there is JIHAD indeed, they are the best people to decide how to protect the faith because they know the history of the “disappearance” of Christianity in Turkey & North Africa, more than any ordinary person like me does.
15. The fact that even Moslem communities are also attacked should not be an excuse for not understanding the ORIGINAL intent, purpose, strategy & targets and champions of the introduction of the current wave of Jihad in Nigeria.
16. The fact that some of the terrorists get “mad”, possibly because the blood has entered their eyes, and they start killing their own people, and ravaging their land and looting their cities, instead of continuing the southward invasion, is no excuse to conclude there is no Jihad. Even historically, Jihad in Middle East & Asia was characterised by palace coups, infighting and factionalization. That did not alter the core movement and core motive.
17. If some Fulani Jihadist terrorists originally mobilized from all over Africa to take over Southern & Middle Belt of Nigeria get engaged in other activities en route, that would not be enough to make the targeted peoples trivialize the threat.
18. Because terrorists & Jihadists are being allowed to operate freely and virtually condoned by Federal & SE State authorities, it is expected that local criminals would be activated to join the destruction; certainly, apart from the core “purposeful” Jihadists, the movement itself creates an environment of anarchy that induces the emergence of other strands of criminality, with varying missions; in short, upsurge in local criminality is catalyzed by, and moralized on, the accommodation of external terrorism by the Federal & South East governments
19. Hence, the sovereign & sub-sovereign authorities, should be held responsible for the general insecurity facing Ala-Igbo
20. And, so we must continue to emphasise the largely imported-nature of the anarchy; noting that while it is apparently democratized in geographical spread, it has peculiar implications for Ala-Igbo because:

• Igbo are the African Jews and, therefore, natural Jihad targets
• Igbo are the ones who respected forefathers of the terrorists had historically asked them to hate (and “kill”)

21. We must appreciate that the scores of trailers of terrorists intercepted by Amotekun in Yorubaland, is the minimum quantum of terrorists already lodged in Igboland. Nobody – no governor, no Local Government Chairman – is preventing them from entering and opening camps and colonies in Ala-Igbo
22. It should be reasoned that the motives of the terrorists differ for each region: for Ala-Igbo the motive is to cleanse off
23. It should be appreciated that Jihadists have an imminent deadline for overtly overrunning the region and declaring their rule – most probably, in November/December 2022.
24. The only condition that makes the 2023 General Elections realistic, is the GOD factor – a miracle, because with God all things ae possible; but from “scientific” human examination of the reality, it would be foolhardy to conclude that 2023 is realistic.
25. In any case, those scores and hundreds of Nigerians and Ndigbo in particular, who are being massacred extra-judicially with no authority caring, do not have any 2023 – theirs is finished; IT COULD BE ANYBODY; so, let’s not trivialize the ongoing tragedy and satanic festival of blood
26. While keeping our eye on the ball of the seasonal politics, we must resist the temptation of succumbing to the salivation of the prospects of a favourable outcome in 2023 elections to neglect the breathing existential threat
27. It is left for each region to protect itself or be eaten alive. Some discerning regions and States, seem to be already reflecting this understanding in their strategic security positioning, while pretending not to doubt 2023.
28. In view of this pessimistic but realistic scenario, it would be a losing and lousy strategy to wait till 2023 elections, as the aggressors are likely to have a deadline of November/December 2022, to complete their conquest
29. Any serious group of people in Nigeria should have a scheme for redeeming itself from the cataclysm before, not after, 2023
30. The imperative is for any group who have the capacity & patriotism to liberate Ala-Igbo, to speedily set up and dynamize a security scheme for reclaiming the region from the aggressors, already lodged in Ala-Igbo, preferably with a target of end-November 2022.
31. Such an initiative could better be configured on a town-by-town basis: Let the security task team, mobilize every town to liberate and protect itself, along a strategic time plan

(NOTE: INCORPORATIING THE GOVERNORS OR THE NON-CREDIBLE OHANEZE, WILL CASTRATE THE EFFORT)

31. All the above are consistent with Ndigbo associating, cooperating & strategizing, asap, with other regions to achieve security

FACT SOURCES

Among other sources validity of the above observations can be Googled from:

1. Abubakar Kawu Baraje (“How we brought in Fulani …”)
2. Katch Oninuju & Fulani Jihad
3. Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, Samuel Uche – Testimony on encounter with the terrorists
4. d. Obasanjo’s statement on Fulanization & Islamization

e. Gov Sam Ortom’s Statements on Fulani Invasion of Benue State

1. Dr. Obadiah Mailafia’s declarations on Jihad, Terrorism & Fulanization
2. The outcries of Theophilus Danjuma on State-sponsored Terrorism
3. h. The unhidden messages in the planned RUGA and Waterways Control laws