From Joe Idika

Port Harcourt

THE police in Port Harcourt, Rivers State yesterday arraigned 45 persons in an Oyigbo area magistrate court charged with treason for allegedly declaring a state of Biafra by hoisting the defunct secessionist flag at Oyigbo.

According to the prosecution which arraigned the accused persons on the five-count charges, the suspect's action was capable of removing from office "the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Head of State of the Federation and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The prosecution led by Mr. P.M. Izonye, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) told the court that the offences were punishable under section 516 A (1) and 41 (a) of the code laws of Eastern Nigeria 1963 as amended by the Criminal Code Amendment Edict No. 5 of Rivers State 1974.

They were also charged with attempted murder of Sergeant Okon David and police corporal Edmond Mbeoduru by allegedly inflicting matchet cuts on their heads and wilfully and unlawfully damaged one Toyota jeep marked PF 3054B with the inscription (ALGON) property of the Nigeria Police Force."

The offences, according to the prosecution, were committed on May 22, 2001 at Oyigbo, a suburb of Port Harcourt in the Oyigbo Magisterial District. Izonye told the court that the accused persons have a case to answer as their action was allegedly unconstitutional and capable of derailing the Fourth Republic which was two years old on Tuesday.

Barrister Churchill Ohaneto Ibeneche, the executive director of Consulting Centre for Constitutional Rights and Justice who stood the accused persons' lawyers, asked the court to grant them bail, saying the charges were framed.

Ibeheche said that should the magistrate remaind the accused persons, it would lead to injustice which would not be a reflection of the principles of the present civilian administration.

"This is not a military era where persons are detained on framed charges and allowed to languish in detention," the counsel said.

He urged the magistrate to grant them bail, adding that although the issue of the court's jurisdiction was yet to be discussed, it will not be proper for the accused to remain in police custody.

He said what happened in Oyigbo was a case of fighting between a police team and a commercial motorcyclist which later degenerated into looting and arson.

But the magistrate G.O. Omereji Esq ordered that the accused persons be remanded in custody and adjourned the case till June 4.

Many many tnx for all the news. You've made my day:

“What had started as a belief was transmuted to total conviction; that they could never again live with Nigerians. From this stems the primordial political reality of the present situation. Biafra cannot be killed by anything short of total eradication of the people who make her. For even under total occupation Biafra would sooner or without Colonel Ojukwu, rise up again.”
Fredrick Forsyth, Biafran Story

When the come comes, the happen will happen!

The petition letter to (1) UNHRC and (2) the UN Secretary General, were delivered at the UN today. Within minutes, the letter fot the later was picked up for delivery to him. Same, was for the former (UNHRC).
So folks, I'm satisfied and optimistic that our plights and pleas will be investigated.

For those of you who want to send their donation to MASSOB, directly, I'll furnish the address, shortly.

Let's be unwavering in our support and fight for Biafra Actualization. The darkest hour is the nearest dawn.

Its been a great pleasure to serve this worthy cause.

Here's where you send your direct contribution to MASSOB:

Biafra Foundation
733 15Th Street, N.W.
Suite 700
Washington, DC
20005.

Memo: Biafra Actualization Fund

Subj: [Biafraland] The beginning (2) [MARA ONWE GI]

Date: 6/6/01 12:28:18 PM Eastern Daylight

RESEARCH! STUDY!! RESEARCH!!! STUDY!!!!

"The Egboes cannot be driven to an act, they become most stubborn and bull-headed, but with kindness they could be made to do anything; even to deny themselves of their comforts. They would not as a rule, allow anyone to act the superior over them, nor sway their conscience, by coercion, to the performance of any act, whether good or bad, when they have not the inclination to do so; hence there is not that unity among them that is found among other tribes; in fact,everyone likes to be his own master."

WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES ...

By: JAMES AFRICANUS B. HORTON (1868)

Igbo mma mma nu, Umu New Biafra KWEEEENU.

Can the blind lead the blind? It is important that our mantra be, RESEARCH, STUDY, RESEARCH, STUDY. For until we take this mantra to heart no matter the fire in our bellies, no matter the zeal with which we pursue our goal of NEW BIAFRA, it is all for naught!

In the e-mail of approval of each new member, the following passage is included, "Now that you are a member of BAF, it is important that you get together with like minded Biafrans in your area and start discussing issues related to our New Republic of Biafra based on more than thousand years time tested Igbo philosophy". We must take this to heart. Where ever we are it is important that we start building study groups or cells, lets use the libraries, lets talk to elders who we know have information about Igbo they can share with us, lets then share our findings with each other on the net, radio, newspapers, ... Western Civilization is excellent for her record keeping, lets avail ourselves of its many libraries. We should also study and unravel the meanings behind the many parables left behind by our foreparents since these serve as sign posts for the way forward for Ndi Igbo. More importantly, we still have many elders amongst us whose knowledge of Igbo is immense, lets talk to them and record their answers for posterity.

In the 1800s an Igbo, James Africanus B. Horton, made some observations in the introductory quotation of this write-up about Igbo (Egboes). Has anything about Ndi Igbo changed today? Does it not explain the term, "Igbo enwe gi eze"? Does it not explain why the so called Igbo leaders have never been able to agree on who should be "THE IGBO LEADER"? Was this not an exercise in futility? If they had taken time to find out who and what they are, would there have been the need for that futile exercise, when the Igbo race is threatened with extinction? Consider the saying by our foreparents, "only a madman will say he is the king of Ndi Igbo", yet those who have forgotten what and who they are continue to try to anoint themselves as THE IGBO LEADER - TUFIAKWA!

"In Igbo Society, each Village of community, sees itself as autonomous, sovereign, and would not accept dictation from any other group. In most traditional Igbo Societies, the entire village or community acting as Amala, Oha, (Community Assembly), makes the laws." - LEADERSHIP SERIES, Ekwe Nche. Now compare the above quote about a practice of Ndi Igbo that is thousands of years old, to that quotation by James Africanus B. Horton. Our foreparents in their infinite wisdom, understanding the make-up of Igbo, had to come up with a unique form of governance for them. Are Ndi Igbo not the the first world's democrats, do they not have a history of democracy (OHACRACY) to prove it? Is the world not now moving to democracy, a subset of Ohacracy? Why would Ndi Igbo now strive to move away from a form a governance that has worked for them for thousands of years, and the only system guaranteed to continue working for Igbo because of their make-up?

The Movement Ekwe Nche, although about five years old, does trace its beginning to 1927, when Igbo Amazons rose up against the British Empire and promised that not only would they drive them out of Igboland, they would return to the ways of their foreparents. Although that revolution was unsuccessful, the seed had been sown. Today Ekwe Nche and other Igbo based organizations continue to make that prophecy true.

Who are the members of Ekwe Nche? Ekwe Nche consist of Elders who have been in the fight for Igbo liberation for more than forty years, scientist, doctors, students. market women, traders, ..., most of them working for the Biafran cause in OBSCURITY. They all have one thing in common, an unyielding, uncompromising, unbending belief in a New Biafra based on Igbo philosophy, culture and tradition. A nation where OHA is supreme. A nation where the COLLECTIVE is once more supreme and no one man/woman can decide the faith of Igbo. These our brethren understand what "Egbe belu ugo belu" means and have no ambition to swallow other Igbo organizations. They understand that for Igbo to move forward, all views must be respected, no matter who expresses that view. These our brethren are motivated by the drive to serve Igbo and ask nothing from Igbo in return. They understand that the fight is not just against both the Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba mafia but also against an international plot headed by the British to make sure that Igbo does not live up to her potential.

A little has been written about EKWE NCHE but it is important that we mention some of the great organizations involved in this fight in DIASPORA, remember that this is a very old list, and as more organizations step forward, it will be updated.

Let us say NDEEEEWU to these Igbo Biafra organizations:

EASTERN MANDATE UNION ABOARD

WORLD IGBO COUNCIL

EKWE NCHE

In Washington DC:

ENUGU STATE ASSOCIATION

ABIA STATE DEVELOPMENT UNION

IKEDURU PATRIOTIC UNION & FRIENDS

ORLU PEOPLES ASSOCIATION

UMUNNA PROGRESSIVE UNION

MBIERI UNITED ASSOCIATION

IZU NGWA, WASHINGTON, DC METRO AREA

OKOROSHI AFRICAN CULTURES INC

If you like, you can mine your borders, but that's hardly Biafra's concern. Nigeria is a signatory to anti-land mine laws, Biafra is not.

So, I'd strongly recommend land mine plantation at the borders with Northern Nigeria, especially. However, should the Western Nigeria allow itself to be over-ran by the Northern jihardist (as we expect), then our entire border with Nigeria will be mined. This is a tight security measure. One who's surrounded by enemies sleeps with one eye open. Eternal vigilance is the mantra.

Bature, if you recall, the type that was used in Abagana (ask your brothers who fought Biafra for clarification) was a land mine if I am to borrow the British definition.

Yeah, the human rights record of the US was badly dented by their involvement in forcefully rescuing Kuwait from the hands of Sadman Hussain who had instruction from allah to annex and conquer Kuwait.

I'm sure also fighting for muslim Albanians aginst Slobadam Milosevic did not help America's case.

Did you get my drift???