Of Orji Kalu, Igbos and saboteurs – Lessons of History By Uzoma O Nwagwu

The contest for emancipation of any group is inevitably fraught with activities of saboteurs. In fact, conspiracy, sabotage and treachery are some of the tendencies perpetuated on any society in the struggle for their survival. One common thread with saboteurs, traitors,or betrayers is their sad ending. Throughout history, we see this trend repeated over and over again; yet many people refuse to learn from it.

A certain Igbo folklore story is told of Udekwe Uyadi who was slaughtered by his people, over his community and the mother’s community bitter land dispute skirmishes. Udekwe’s community’s claim of the piece of land was based on the fact that their forefathers owned it and were buried there. By tradition, you cannot bury any person in a land not owned by him. His maternal community were said to be warriors who sojourned, and the earlier elders of Udekwe’s community, out of compassion allowed them to settle and intermarry. However, over the years, the settlers grew in power and influence crossing the boundaries, which resulted in the inter-communal war. Going by Igbo cosmology, an Okene  (nwa di ala) is assumed to have a stake in his mother’s place and he is expected to show compassion in matters concerning his mother’s homeland. Every time a meeting was held in Udekwe’s town, the maternal community quick got to know the meeting’s outcome. Udekwe’s community for a long time wondered how the warring community got every piece of information they discussed in their meeting, until the Chief priest warned of the impending danger and identified the betrayer. One morning, while Udekwe was cycling back from his usual journey to his maternal home, his people ambushed him and he was brutally slaughtered. That was the end of sabotage and Udekwe’s community prevailed. This is just a story of the tragic end that awaits saboteurs.

Anyone who engages in sabotage is an enemy of the movement or process as the goal is to weaken the struggle or agitation and perpetuate oppression. In some cases, they try to hide their identities; at other times they act with a certain degree of bravado in the hope that their sponsors will save them in times of trouble. History has shown otherwise. Norwegian born Maximo Guillermo, better known as Max Manu, briefly fought on the Norwegian side before his arrest by the Gestapo in 1941, but later became a saboteur. He suffered endless, nightmares, alcoholism and depression following his activities as a saboteur. In the Bible, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver hung himself. The same faith was received by Achan who betrayed the nation of Israel after the demolition of Jericho. Achan and his family were stoned to death.

In Nigeria Ndigbo are in the center of the storm. Events in the Nigerian-Biafran War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), implementation of the indigenization decree immediately after the civil war which left Igbos with a handout of twenty pounds no matter how much money they had in their Bank deposits, floating of operation python dance which has continued unabated to murder Igbos, barbaric activities of Fulani herdsmen, Jihadist islamization 0f Nigeria, are all sharp pointers to entrenched saboteurs and their sponsors.

What is the crime of Igbos? Igbo agitation is for a better deal in Nigeria, a geo-political space where they can control their destiny. Where this is not achievable, they are asking for self-determination as the only way forward. Nnamdi Kanu and his Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPoB) have suffered harrowing experiences for insisting on self-determination of Biafra land. Ndiigbo is the only tribe in Africa where over four million of her people were slaughtered in cold blood in a state-sponsored genocide. Ndiigbo have suffered economic and physical genocides. Our farms have been over-run by Fulani herdsmen armed with AK47 and sophisticated weapons. We have been shortchanged at every turn to tolerate betrayers and their hegemonic godfathers. Does anybody need to be a rocket scientist to understand that Ndiigbo are the object of high-wire conspiracy and hatred? In these unending atrocities, there are still Ndigbo who are betrayers, traitors, and saboteurs to the Igbo cause? To say the least, this alludes to the role of lunacy in history or thoughts from the lunacy fringe.

In my duty as a soldier of Igbo freedom, I never cease to warn of the impending doom if not worst than the Achan treatment, for the likes of Orji Kalu, all Igbo saboteurs whether they occupy influential positions or preside over the king’s court at state levels. Those, whose hands look like monkeys, must remove their hands from our pot of soup before strangers come and accuse us of being primitive cannibals. Saboteurs, Traitors, Betrayers beware!!