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EKWE NCHE ORGANIZATION (a non-profit organization registered under U.S. law) P. O. Box 408250 Chicago, IL 60640 U.S.A Phone: (773) 206 - 9401 E-mail: ekwenche@hotmail.com June 14, 2003
Dear Sir or Madam: The Igbo Nation Worldwide cordially invites you to its Second Igbo Landing Dedication and Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. The ceremony will take place October 11-12, 2003, at Sheraton North Charleston Hotel, 4770 Goer Drive, Charleston, S.C. 29406. This year’s commemoration in South Carolina is sequel to a similar conference and dedication August 30-31, 2002, held at St. Simons Island, Georgia, also in the United States.
The ceremony is being organized and hosted by Ekwe Nche Organization, with the assistance of sister Igbo organizations in Canada, Nigeria, and the United States, including Africa Connect based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Cultural Education Institute, based in Teaneck, New Jersey. Ekwe Nche is a non-profit organization registered under U.S. law that is dedicated to independent statehood for Igbos through non-violent means, foundation of a political system based on Igbo indigenous heritage, and (re)unification of Igbos in Igboland with tens of millions of their brothers and sisters from all over the world, including the United States and the Caribbeans. Our members are drawn from the Igbo Nation worldwide, including Nne Alaigbo (or Igboland), Haiti, Jamaica, the United States, and the West Indies.
Igbo landing commemorations are multi-purpose ceremonies that simultaneously honor the freedom-fighting struggles of our ancestors (who drowned themselves after disembarking from their ships in the New World rather than be slaves), promote closure and healing from the pains of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and strengthen the blood and other cultural ties between ancestral Igbos and their brothers and sisters in the global diaspora. South Carolina is chosen for sanctification this year as an Igbo landing site because of its acquired reputation as an “Ellis Island” for African American “migration” to the United States, given the massive amount of slaves, estimated at “over 40 percent” that passed through the State. Information we received in the course of our research for this conference reveals that “almost all of” the slaves who entered the Charleston port, were “briefly quarantined on Sullivan’s Island, before being sold in Charleston’s slave markets.”
Highlights of this year’s dedication include a keynote address by a distinguished Igbo American educationist, an address on the state of the Igbo Nation Worldwide, presentations from branches of the Igbo Nation Worldwide, launching and presentation of an Igbo Calendar (Kalenda Ndi-gboo or Calendar of the Ancients), a procession to Sullivan’s Island and cleansing of the site, and an Igbo social forum and roundtable. The complete program of events for the ceremony is attached to this letter of invitation.
Important dignitaries expected at the ceremony include the keynote speaker; representatives of sister Igbo organizations from various parts of Nigeria, Canada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; and a designee of the High Priest of Nri who will conduct the cleansing at Sullivan’s Island. Individuals and organizations attending the ceremony are advised to lodge at the Sheraton Northern Charleston Hotel, where we have secured a special group rate of $99 a night (Single/Double), plus tax, that they can take advantage of if they book their accommodations 30 days before the date of the conference. Contact information for the hotel are as follows: Phone: (843) 747-1882; and Fax (843) 747-1895. The hotel also has a website accessible at www.sheratonnorthcharleston.com. Individuals and organizations seeking to send congratulatory or solidarity messages to Ekwe Nche Organization and/or the Igbo Nation Worldwide or simply to advertise their products may buy space in a booklet of program of the events for the conference that we are preparing. The following donations apply: $300/back inside page; $100/full page, inside pages; and $75/half page, inside pages. Further information relating to the conference, including updates, will be released as those information become available.
See you in Charleston, South Carolina! Sincerely,
Committees on Igbo Culture and Tradition For and on behalf of Ekwe Nche Organization
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THE IGBO NATION WORLDWIDE PROGRAM OF EVENTS FOR IGBO LANDING 2003 IN CHARLESTON, S.C. October 11-12, 2003
“After their horrific ‘Middle Passage,’ over 40 percent of the African slaves reaching the British colonies before the American Revolution passed through South Carolina. Almost all of these slaves entered the Charleston port, being briefly quarantined on Sullivan’s Island, before being sold in Charleston’s slave markets.”
Friday, October 10, 2003
Participants arrive by road and by air in Charleston, S.C, and lodge themselves, at their own expense, at Sheraton North Charleston Hotel, 4770 Goer Drive, North Charleston, S.C. 29406. Note: Participants, please ensure that you book ahead of time before arriving by Friday evening. Take advantage of the group discount rate we have secured for the conference by booking your reservation at least one month in advance. Phone: (843)747-1882; Fax: (843) 747 - 1895.
Saturday, October 11, 2003
Notes: (1) Unless otherwise indicated, all events take place in the Sheraton Conference Center. (2) Light music will intersperse events as necessary. 7 - 9 a.m. Continental Breakfast at Sheraton Restaurant 8 - 10 a.m. Registration ($25.00 donation per participant) 10 - 11 a.m. Breaking Kola Nuts 11 - 12 p.m. Welcome address by Ekwe Nche Organization 12 - 1.45 p.m. Lunch on your own 1.45 - 2 p.m. Introduction of Keynote Speaker 2 - 3 p.m. Keynote Address by Maazi Vernon Alufiel Grier, Ph.D. 3 - 4 p.m. Address on the State of the Igbo Nation Worldwide by Ekwe Nche Organization 4 - 5 p.m. Solidarity Messages from Igbo Sister Organizations 5 - 6 p.m. Address and/or Presentations from Branches of the Igbo Nation Worldwide (no order imposed) • Igbo Biafra • Igbo America • Igbo Canada • Igbo Haiti • Igbo Jamaica • Igbo Israel • Others (including individuals) 6 - 7 p.m. Presentations and Addresses Suspended for Dinner at Sheraton Restaurant 7 - 9 p.m. Presentations Continue following Dinner.
Note: Presentations and addresses generated at the conference will be used in the preparation of proceedings of the conference that will appear after the Conference. To facilitate the production of the proceedings, presenters should please tender copies of their speeches to Ekwe Nche Organization by September 30, 2003.
9 p.m. - Events Over for the Day; Participants Retire into Their Lodgings for the Night
Sunday, October 12, 2003 Notes: (1) Unless otherwise indicated, all events take place in the Sheraton Conference Center (2) Light Music will intersperse events as necessary. 7 - 8 a.m Continental Breakfast at Sheraton Restaurant 8 - 9 a.m. Breaking of Kola Nut 9 - 9:30 a.m. Procession to Sullivan's Island; 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Introduction of Eze Nri Designee; Performance of Dedication Rites at Sullivan's Island 10:30 - 11 a.m. Return to Sheraton North Charleston Hotel for Summation and Closing Event 11 - 11:30 a.m. Launching and Presentation of Igbo Calendar by Ekwe Nche Organization 11:30 - 1 p.m. Igbo Social Forum and Roundtable 1 p.m. - End of Ceremony Participants Depart to Their Various Destinations - Until the Next Conference in 2004 in Haiti! *************
___________________ No Biafran will be permitted to play Mother Theresa to the Yoruba and Hausa-Fulani, but play Osama Bin Laden to the Igbo or Biafrans! Posts: 1182 | Registered: Mar 2001
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___________________ The greatest thing about America is the right to disagree with the power structure without fear of torture or death at the hands of the government Posts: 217 | From: Ogallala, Nebraska, USA | Registered: May 2003
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I was only looking for an explanation. Do you have any clue and who wants to be Ibo anyway?
___________________ The greatest thing about America is the right to disagree with the power structure without fear of torture or death at the hands of the government Posts: 217 | From: Ogallala, Nebraska, USA | Registered: May 2003
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Fear not; for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the East, and gather thee from the West; I will say to the North, Give up; and to the South, keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the Earth;
Isaiah 43 : 5 - 6.
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Since you show some interest in this great Igbo event or "event Ndi-gboo", allow me to enlighten you.
We are about to correct the mistakes of our so called previous Igbo leaders (who strived to bring nations who had nothing in common under the same umbrella of an abomination called nigeria) and so doing will bloodlessly actualize Biafra, which is the smaller goal, the major goal being to fulfill the comamndment of YAH for the time has come for the tear in the Igbo Collective psyche be repaired!
Umu Chukwu will once more return to the culture, tradition and philosophy that had been our mainstay for thousands of years and we will actualize the Biafra that was in existance hundreds if not thousands of years before the abomination nigeria came into existance (View the map in the book written by Africanus Horton before 1850)!
Oha KA!
Posts: 166 | From: chicago | Registered: Jun 2003
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Welcome to BiafraNigeriaworld. All I can say is that you fasten your seat belt. The ride does get very bumpy out here.
Ndewo!
___________________ Awo's political idea was based on the assumption that any town beyond Owo was Igbo or Hausa. Awo was not socialised; he was not a good mixer because he did not have the opportunity, which the secondary school offered. ~TOS Benson, Baba Oba of Lagos Posts: 2644 | From: United Kingdom | Registered: Apr 2001
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Welcome to BNW. You have given the best answer to the likes of Mota Ogallala. Every announcement at BNW is not for everyone. If it is not for you, just read it and move on.
Posts: 50 | Registered: Mar 2001
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Whaaoo Another excuse to embezzzzzzzzle funds. Hmmm a whole lota people will get chief, dr., prof., dr dr, and ichie titles out of this.
___________________ though tribe and tongue may differ in brotherhood we stand Posts: 25 | From: westchester new york | Registered: Jun 2003
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First of all, I ask you that you please pardon my disdain for your "actualize Biafra" rantings which is more likely to send you to jail the moment you step your foot on Nigeria.
It stinks to the high heavens when someone like you hiding in your basement somewhere in the rocky mountains exhibiting treason looking for a guinea pig and dreaming. Don't do it here. Do it in Nigeria.
___________________ The greatest thing about America is the right to disagree with the power structure without fear of torture or death at the hands of the government Posts: 217 | From: Ogallala, Nebraska, USA | Registered: May 2003
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Since we seem to be talking at each other, we shall at least continue your education and the education of other ****** -area citizens.
Below is a Newspaper report on Last year's "Ebo Landing"!
From EKWE NCHE ORGANIZATION
"Representatives from the Ibo tribe and Christian and Jewish representatives and guests gather Saturday at St. Simons Island to commemorate the 199th anniversary of slave drownings that took place at the site."
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Ceremony pays tribute to Ibo sacrifice
By SHAUNDRA L. LEE The Brunswick News
The story of Ibo Africans who drowned themselves off Dunbar Creek in 1803 near St. Simons Island rather than become slaves is legendary around the world.
Present-day Ibo tribespeople from Nigeria, the homeland of the Ibos, and from other countries around the world converged on St. Simons Island Saturday for a special tribute and ceremony to honor their ill-fated ancestors.
The Ekwe Nche Organization, an international coalition of indigenous Ibo tribespersons that focuses on education about the tribe, sponsored the event.
Ibo culture mandates that proper respects be accorded to the spirits of the perished slaves numbering 13 by some historical accounts - so their souls will have peace.
"Basically, we did this ceremony so that we can take them home," said Emeka Onumonu, one of the event's organizers.
The dedication ceremony was part of a weekend-long conference the organization held at Epworth By The Sea.
Rites were performed by the representative of the Eze Nri, the high priest and ultimate spiritual guide in the Ibo tribe.
"We salute our brothers and sisters in their desire to be free," said Okpala Eze Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh, the Eze Nri representative for the occasion.
After prayers from Christian and Jewish representatives, a native plant of Nigeria was chopped up as a sign that the perished spirits have been released.
More than 100 people turned out for the occasion, many of them local residents and members of organizations such as St. Simons Island African American Heritage Coalition and the Brunswick Nation of Islam.
"This is a very exciting and momentous occasion," said Odis Muhammed. "To have actual Ibos, from Nigeria, to bring honor to our ancestors is wonderful."
Frankie Quimby, a St. Simons Island native and part of the Georgia Sea Island Singers, helped the Ekwe Nche organization with getting permission from the owner of the landing, which is located on private property.
"We sing about this place over the world. For them to be here, it's very special," Mrs. Quimby said.
Posts: 166 | From: chicago | Registered: Jun 2003
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It is a shame I was not allowed to use the rightful term for that british birthed abomination nigeria, but so be it, by the time I am done, you will understand my hatred for that abomination of an insult to Africa!
But Let us continue with your education, so that we all can at last understand that we have nothing in common and peacefully dissolve that abomination and save mother Africa from the continuing stench of that insult of a so called country!!!!
Oha Ka!
(The author is an African American Igbo, or American Igbo and should be forgiven for calling Biafrans nigerians or for using the term Ibo for Igbo!)
EKWE NCHE ORGANIZATION
Cafe Ami ~ Magazine
The Awakening & In-Gathering of The Ibos By: Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, Jr.
On Friday and Saturday, August 30th and 31st of 2002 a historic event took place on the small island of St. Simons, Georgia which is located about seventy miles south of Savannah. A Chicago based group of Nigerians, who are from the Ibo tribe, called together Nigerians and all others from Canada to Haiti and all points in between, to come to the place on St. Simons Island known as Ibo Landing.
The Chicago based group of Nigerian, Ibo have an organization called "Ekwe Nche", which is in the Ibo tongue "A Clarion Call" organized this historic event on St. Simons Island, the event was called to mark the sanctification of the place where thirteen Ibo men cast themselves into the sea rather than live as slaves. It is said that these thirteen men locked arms together and jumped into the sea, to the great surprise and dismay of their captors.
The Ibo Landing event was held to acknowledge the heroism of these thirteen brave men and to give their spirits a proper and fitting memorial through an ecumenical service that was attended by several religious groups. Among the groups represented were, Okpala Eze Nri Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh, who represented the High Priest and ultimate spiritual leader in Ibo Land. Okechukwu Ikejiani, M.D., a retired physician and professor from Canada, Mr. Bruce Dan Carey from Gary, Indiana and his wife Chief Dele Jane Asawe, who is of the Ibo tribe, Moreh Elisha Israel from Cincinnati, Ohio and Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, Jr. spiritual leader of Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, in Chicago, Illinois.
On Friday morning all guest attended an opening ceremony, which was the breaking of the Kola Nut, an event by which all Ibo functions are begun which represents the cultural unity of the Ibo people. A tribal elder offered prayer, and everyone present washed their hands, then partook in eating the Kola nut, which was dipped in a mixture of peanut butter, honey and red pepper grounded into a powder. Dr. Justine Akujieze, of Chicago gave the welcome address and explained the purpose of the event.
The speech by elder statesman, Okechukwu Ikejiani, M. D., who is 85 years old, was very moving and insightful. Dr. Ikejiani was moved to tears as he appealed to the Ibos and African Americans present to unite and develop the organizations necessary to work to better the lives of the Ibos who are still in Nigeria. Dr. Ikejiani has traveled extensively and he promotes Ibo culture, history and heritage in his lectures.
At 3:30 p.m. Mr. Bruce Dan Judah Carey, presented a paper on the history of the Ibo, Ndi Igbo and the Hebrew people. Bruce's paper was both insightful and scholarly as he showed the connection between the Ibo people and their ancient Hebrew ancestors. Bruce detailed the various customs of the Ibo that are strikingly similar to the customs of the ancient Hebrews. Which include circumcision of their males on the eighth day after birth, abstention from pork and shellfish, the concept of rest from labor on the seventh day and observance of a day called Yomora Kippura, which comes in early fall, among the Ibo people and Yomora Kippura has all of the customs attached to it that a Jew finds in the laws concerning Yom Kippur.
Okpala Eze Nri Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh, who represented the High Priest of Ibo Land, gave a powerful lecture on the conditions of the Ibo people under the current government of Nigeria, and he also spoke on the significance of the Kola Nut, in Ibo culture. Eze Nri Onyesoh, wore a red kipah with an eagle feather and a tallith, with 613 fringes, which is the garment worn by all Ibo priest when they officiate at a cultural ceremony. I found the attire of Eze Nri striking, because, I was wearing a Kipah and I wore my tallith, the only difference was that the Eze Nri wore his tallith, vertically, while we Jews wear our tallith horizontally.
Moreh Elisha Israel, spoke about the differences that he saw between the Hebrews and the customs of the Ibo people. Moreh Israel did not understand that the customs of the Ibo people were actually Hebraic in their content and structure.
I was invited to speak and I could only compare what I was witnessing to a true awakening of Ibo people to their Hebraic cultural roots. As I thought about why we were in St. Simons Island, Georgia, my mind returned to an episode in Jewish history concerning the Jews at Massadah, who in 73 a.c.e. cast themselves from the walls of their fortress rather come under the control of the Roman Empire. I was inspired by the history of the thirteen Ibo men, who were led by a chief of the Ibo nation, to revolt and become martyrs rather than slaves. My mind and spirit were led to the song by James Weldon Johnson "Lift Every Voice and Sing", in which the writer says in the last verse "Let us be true to our God, and true to our native land".
These thirteen men were in fact true to their God and true to their native land, and they followed one of their chiefs into martyrdom, when they refused to bow to their captors and become slaves.
Saturday August 31, 2002 was a momentous and awe stirring event, after the breaking of the Kola Nut and prayer, we all proceeded to the site of the IBO Landing. The owners of the property have maintained the actual site of the Ibo Landing for nearly 200 years. I was awe struck as the elderly white woman invited the group of 150 to come onto her property and conduct our services.
The "Ruach Kodesh" (holy spirit) overwhelmed me, as several of our group went out onto the actual landing site, and we prayed in the Ibo tongue and in the Hebrew tongue, for the spirits of those men that gave their lives for freedom. The pier has been preserved in its original condition; everything in that space was as it was nearly 200 years ago. It is a local legend that fishermen refuse to approach the site of the Ibo Landing, because it is said that you can hear the voices of those brave souls that became martyrs for freedom. The event was powerful, spiritual, awe inspiring and uplifting as we connected in a way that words cannot express with the souls of the departed.
The final part of our services was the sharing of the Kola Nut. An Ibo elder led us in prayer for the departed souls that engulfed the entire group with a singular thought. We became one people, with one God, one aim and one destiny.
The Ibo group Ekwe Nche has made a commitment to find other Ibo Landing sites up and down the east coast and to reclaim and redeem the souls of our lost brothers and sisters. The Ibo people are connected to the Gullah speaking people of Haiti, the Caribbean and Florida. The Ibo people are also found among the Geeche speaking people of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Mississippi. I am from South Carolina, I am a Geeche, I am an Ibo, and I am a Jew. Kol Israel Haraybim! (All Israel is responsible for each other).
Posts: 166 | From: chicago | Registered: Jun 2003
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In case you still have not yet gotten the message, below is a third write-up!
Oha Ka!
"Indeed one of the most chilling but encouraging aspects of the convention was the presence of veterans of Biafra Relief campaigns in America during the Nigeria-Biafra war (1966 - 1970), in which more than 2 million Igbo perished. The presence of these proud and redoubtable nationalist warhorses - now older and grayer - was a source of strength and inspiration to the delegates, who saw their experience as an invaluable asset in future mobilization efforts. "
Igbo in America hold second protest at Nigerian embassy
Tuesday, August 8, 2000 SEARCH NIGERIAWORLD Match
THE IGBO COALITION IN THE AMERICAS AND EKWE NCHE ekwenche@hotmail.com
In commemoration of the assassination of Major General J. T. U Aguiyi Ironsi, Nigeria's first and only Igbo executive Head of State; the massacre of most of all the Igbo/Eastern officer's of Nigeria Armed Forces Personnel and the subsequent pogrom which culminated in the genocidal extermination of more than 50,000 defenseless Igbo civilians in all hamlets, villages, towns and cities in Northern Nigeria by Hausa-Fulani Islamic feudalists and their proxies in July 29, 1966 through September, 1966; "The Igbo Coalition in the Americas" held the "Second Biafra Genocide Convention" in Washington, D.C. from July 28 - 29. Coming on the heels of the "First Genocide Convention" which took place in May in the same city, and which attracted representatives from such states as Illinois, Virginia, Florida, Iowa, the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.), etc., this meeting saw the appearance of new delegates from the states of Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. It was also characterized by a higher level of sophistication in message articulation and delivery as well as in heightened Igbo national fervor.
Indeed the second Biafra Genocide Convention was similar to the first in two important ways: Both emphasized the importance of protest marches and symposia. Thus in July 28, delegates carrying the Biafra flag - now fortified by two new ones: the Black nationalist and American flags - engaged in a peaceful and non-violent march in front of the Nigerian embassy in Washington, D.C. They sang Biafra nationalist songs such as "Chetakwanu Chukwuma Nzeogwu" and "Agaghim Ahapu Biafra", which they supplemented with these chants: "Sharia No Way, Shagari No Way, Buhari No Way, Usama No Way, Gaddafi No Way!" The novel addition of Bin Laden and Gaddafi in the chanting underscores the fact that both are the two most popular heroes in Nigeria's Moslem Sharia States with their pictures splattered all over the place. Usama Bin Laden is the fugitive Saudi Arabian multi-millionaire alter ego of the antediluvian Islamic Taliban dictatorship of Afghanistan. He is wanted in the US for the deadly bombing of the New York World Trade Center as well as the extremely bloody explosions at the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Gaddafi is the fanatically Islamic Libyan dictator implicated in the 1988 Lockerbie airplane bombing in which 270 people died, most of them Americans. He, Gaddafi, has also declared a jihad against Christianity in Africa, calling it a "false, infidel and irreligious faith." This Moslem despot, who is building a $330 million "Jihad University" in Kano, Nigeria, has vowed to Islamize and Arabize the countries of Black Africa.
In order to show their opposition to these two modern Arab slave masters, demonstrators at the embassy carried placards some of which read: "MASSOB = Freedom and Democracy", "Sharia = Seccession and Death", "Gaddafi = Sharia = Terrorism", "Usama Bin Laden Turns Nigeria Into Afghanistan", "Stop Genocide Against Igbo", and "Live Free in Biafra or Die a Slave in Nigeria."
The second part of the convention was the symposium, which took place at Howard University located in the U.S. capital. The hall was decorated with the Biafran flag, the Black Nationalist and the American flags, and the Igbo pictures of genocide, also the ancient Igbo writing known as the Nsibidi. The event began with the singing of an Igbo nationalist hymn, the performance of the ancient Igbo ritual known as Nzu ceremony (a novelty), the presentation of kolanuts and the saying of opening prayers. Then followed the presentation of papers by renowned Igbo scholars and professionals. Most of the papers went beyond the listing of the crimes of the Nigerian state and its mis-rulers against the Igbo, and dealt with ways and means of mobilizing Igbo at home and abroad against the continuing series of pogroms and massacres perpetrated against them by Moslem Sharia-mongers. All the presenters were in unanimous agreement that the Igbo demand for an independent and sovereign state of Biafra was not only legal and ethical, given Nigeria's blood-soaked history of serial genocide against the Igbo, it was also unequivocal and non-negotiable.
Indeed one of the most chilling but encouraging aspects of the convention was the presence of veterans of Biafra Relief campaigns in America during the Nigeria-Biafra war (1966 - 1970), in which more than 2 million Igbo perished. The presence of these proud and redoubtable nationalist warhorses - now older and grayer - was a source of strength and inspiration to the delegates, who saw their experience as an invaluable asset in future mobilization efforts. Nonetheless, it was a chilling sight to watch these veterans relive their Biafra nightmare as they gazed at the genocide pictures of Biafra past and present - of gouged eyes and decapitated bodies as well as the recently brutalized and dead victims of the Islamic Sharia code. Like the delegates, the veterans lamented the apathy of many Igbo in the U.S. to the plight of their people in Nigeria. They reminded them that the freedom and luxury they enjoy in America was achieved by sacrifice and blood by those who hated tyranny and loved liberty. And that since liberty, stability, peace and prosperity will forever elude Nigeria, the only hope for the Igbo is the actualization of an independent and sovereign state of Biafra. Calling on Igbo in the U.S. to go beyond talking and complaining but to utilize the immense political and diplomatic influence of the U.S. to shape events in Nigeria through organization, mobilization and demonstration, the delegates warned that this could be the Igbo last chance to save themselves from centuries of Hausa-Fulani genocide and slavery. The Igbo in Diaspora were urged to support organizations like "Aka Ikenga", MASSOB , etc., who were in the forefront of this struggle for the liberation of the Igbo at home. One of the delegates vowed: "I fought this same battle thirty-four years ago. I will be dead before I let my children and grandchildren fight the same battle in another thirty-four years. We must have Biafra so that future generations will live in freedom, security and prosperity."
Indeed the words of the Jewish writer, Bruno Bettelheim (1903 - 1990), should be a warning to complacent Igbo. Condemning millions of Jews who never resisted but went quietly to their death in Hitler's death camps during the Nazi holocaust, the author of the landmark study, "Individuals and Mass Behavior in Extreme Situations" (1948) warned: "All people ... who dare not defend themselves when they know they are in the right, who submit to punishment, not because of what they have done but because of who they are, are already dead by their own decision." If you are waiting to act until the Sharia fire starts burning down your village, Bettelheim's words may soon be too late for you and your people. That genocidal Sahara wildfire has already consumed the core north of Nigeria without any serious challenge. It is now rushing southward in all its fiendish fury and destructive power. WAKE UP! NDIIGBO! Your time has come! And your freedom beckons! Fear not! The mighty Soviet empire could not extinguish the fires of freedom and liberty burning in the hearts and souls of the captive nations of the communist gulag: the Armenians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Poles, who for so long lived in the bondage of that evil system. The Nigerian empire, which is worse than the Russian gulag, cannot stop you either. For God, history and justice are on your side. Indeed you have nothing to lose but your chains! A lutta continua!
Rev. Fr. Ahamefula Nnorom, Ph.D.
Posts: 166 | From: chicago | Registered: Jun 2003
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First of all, be it known to you that I'm a half cast, half native American and half Nigerian, so I do not know what your problem is with the intent to sow seeds of discord in Nigeria's new democratic fabric.
If you have a problem with the origin of the name Nigeria, you should change it through the legislative process rather than fabricating write-ups that is likely to send you to jail.
All you posted here was nothing but propaganda with limited or no marketing prospects. I hope I have made it clear to you. I don't know why 'am responding to fake handles of yours.
My name is Mota Ogallala Tekumseh, the proud native American.
___________________ The greatest thing about America is the right to disagree with the power structure without fear of torture or death at the hands of the government Posts: 217 | From: Ogallala, Nebraska, USA | Registered: May 2003
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As a reminder and based on my principle, let it be known that I do not respond to the heckling of fake names. When you decide to argue your points with a genuine "Biafran" name, I will respond to you.
___________________ The greatest thing about America is the right to disagree with the power structure without fear of torture or death at the hands of the government Posts: 217 | From: Ogallala, Nebraska, USA | Registered: May 2003
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What kind of "Igbo name" is Mota Ogallala? If you are not Igbo, why are you concerned about something called Tgbo Landing?
Posts: 199 | Registered: Mar 2001
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Slowly but surely, all war criminals in Africa are being rounded up. Today the war criminal Taylor, tomorrow, the war criminals and those who committed crimes against humanity: Obasanjo, Babangida, ....
Below is one of the many documents that will lock and put them away for ever and this abomination happened to Ndi Igbo in your your country nigeria - TUFIAKWA! (Cued from "Jan. 15: Before and After")
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"But the most horrible and repulsive aspect of this shocking story was the atrocities committed against the captives before they were killed. They were stripped , flogged, tortured and made to lie in a pool of water mixed with human urine and faeces, a mixture which was sometimes converted into “meals” which the Eastern soldiers were forced to consume. When after some days the doctors pleaded that the detainees be given food, they were served with rice mixed with carbolic acid."
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IKEJA
Of the ghastly events that took place in military stations in various parts of Nigeria on July 29 and after, those that occurred at Ikeja are the most remarkable because there the annihilation of Eastern officers and men was most complete and the atrocities most horrible to relate. Ikeja, too, soon became the rebal headquarters into which Lt.-Col. Gowon and his men moved immediately it became likely that his role in the Central Operations Room in Lagos would be detected. Gowon hoisted and flew in front of the 2nd Battalion Headquarters at Ikeja the secessionist red, yellow, black, green and khaki flag of the “Republic of the North” from the end of July to the end of August. And yet, throughout this period, he had assumed the offices of the “Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Head of the National Military Government of Nigeria”, and claimed that he was striving to hold the country together at a time of crisis. Furthermore, in accordance with the Northern plan for secession, all available aircraft at Ikeja Airport were commandeered and used in repatriating the families and belongings of Northern top civil servants, servants and others the moment the Northern operations began in the Lagos area.
At Ikeja, troop movements even began some days before July 29. On July 26 a basket-ball team from Abeokuta arrived at Ikeja in battle order to rehearse and reconnoiter against the impending operations. Before midnight on July 28-29, Lt.-Col. Mohammed, Major Alao and Major Martin Adamu alerted and addressed the Northern soldiers in secret and spurred them on to action. Then followed the usual disarming of Southern troops, the seizure of the armoury and magazines and the distribution of arms and ammunition among Northern soldiers. To this was added the disruption of the communications system.
Subsequently, in the early morning of July 29, troops from Abeokuta (presumably those who had come to reconnoiter a few days earlier), under 2/Lt. Longboem, surrounded the house of the Commanding Officer, Lt.-Col. Henry Igboha, who, however, fled to safety. Other officers of Eastern origin were trapped in their houses or captured elsewhere in the barracks and killed. As for other ranks of Eastern origin, at about 5 a.m. the Northern soldiers surrounded the Quartermasters’ department and all approaches to the training area from the quarters of other ranks. The Northern soldiers were armed with rifles and machine-guns which made it difficult for anyone to escape. At about 6.30 a.m. the signal shot was fired in the area of the Commanding Officer’s house, and there immediately followed continuous firing in various directions, particularly in the quarters of other ranks. Troops going out on physical training were intercepted and the Easterners among them shot or locked up in the Guardroom. Later the captives were led out in groups and shot in the open in the full view of those still in detention to give them a foretaste of their fate. Some Eastern soldiers, however, managed to escape by hiding in the ceiling of their houses (some of them for as long as twelve days), in the bush or in nearby villages.
The operations of the Northern troops at Ikeja were extended to the general public in a manner not practiced elsewhere on July 29. Members of the Nigerian Police Force, customs officials and other civilians on the highway leading to the Airport were arrested and taken to the barracks for detention. Before mid-day over 200 persons, soldiers and civilians, has been detained in the Guardroom. The number continued to increase until more killings and release were made.
Then in the evening of July 29, Lt. Walbe, the officer in charge of the final brutalities committed against the Supreme Commander, retured to Ikeja, full of joy, to report to the rebels the “most welcome” news of the capture and murder of their Supreme Commander. This was the news Lt.-Col. Gowon, who had appeared at the Ikeja Barracks before daylight, had been waiting for. The way was now clear for him.
The following day, July 30, the civilians in the Guardroom were released and the particulars of the Eastern soldiers there collected. From the master-list thus complied the killing squad called out those to be shot or slaughtered in order of seniority; that is, from senior Non-Commissioned Officers down to privates. The killing squad comprised mainly the unit’s Regimental Police, Sgt. Edward Kilba, Cpl. Damara, L/Cpl. Madi Finger, L/Cpl. Luka Langtang and others. The Eastern soldiers were usually tortured and their hands tired behind them. But after the miraculous escape of one Eastern Corporal, the rest were handcuffed behind before they were escorted like goats to the slaughterground some fifty yards behind the Guardroom. In the process the Northern soldier-butchers exchanged knives and took their turns in slaughtering their “comrades” of Eastern origin.
But the most horrible and repulsive aspect of this shocking story was the atrocities committed against the captives before they were killed. They were stripped , flogged, tortured and made to lie in a pool of water mixed with human urine and faeces, a mixture which was sometimes converted into “meals” which the Eastern soldiers were forced to consume. When after some days the doctors pleaded that the detainees be given food, they were served with rice mixed with carbolic acid. There was one special case which stood out from the rest. Capt. P. C. Okoye, who was on his way to attend a course in the United States, was caught at Ikeja Airport, tied to an iron cross, beaten most severely with horse-whip (koboko) and (still on the cross) thrown into the Guardroom where his body got so badly swollen that he died.
The bestialities of the Northern troops at Ikeja reached their height on August 22. That day Lt. Ichoghi brought Eastern detainees who had been forcibly removed from Benin Prison to Ikeja where they underwent the usual ordeal of flogging and torture before five of them were killed. That day, also, Lt. Nuhu brought the news that the Military Governor of the East had requested that troops of Eastern origin be flown home. Consequently Lt. Nuhu gave instructions that the remaining twenty-two Eastern Non-Commissioned officers, mainly Lance-Corporals, be executed. And yet, long before this date, Lt.-Col. Gowon, the “Supreme Commander” had been telling the world that the Northern massacres in Nigeria had ceased and that “conditions had returned to normal”.
LAGOS (INCLUDING IKOYI)
Posts: 166 | From: chicago | Registered: Jun 2003
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Does Mota sound Ibo to you? Mota means tears. I'm sure you know what it is, the drama in President Andrew Jackson's administration against the Cherokee nation.
I was concerned about "Tagbo Landing" just out of curiosity.
I am Mota Ogallala Tekumseh, the proud native American.
[ June 25, 2003, 09:41 PM: Message edited by: Mota Ogallala ]
___________________ The greatest thing about America is the right to disagree with the power structure without fear of torture or death at the hands of the government Posts: 217 | From: Ogallala, Nebraska, USA | Registered: May 2003
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Now I see why Nwabiafra gave you a lone star. You are an annoying irritant.
Where did you see "Tagbo?" The typo was "Tgbo." I hope the 1/28th Igbo blood in you can comprehend that. Nkita Nebraska.
Posts: 199 | Registered: Mar 2001
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First of all, I ask you that you please pardon my disdain for your "actualize Biafra" rantings which is more likely to send you to jail the moment you step your foot on Nigeria.<
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