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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Nigerians must resist militarised democracy, says Odumegwu-Ojukwu
VARIOUS events in the current administration betray a military reflex which Nigerians must resist, former Biafran leader and Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, declared yesterday.
Speaking publicly for the second time since his controversial invitation to Abuja by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), Odumegwu-Ojukwu dared them to stop pussyfooting and go ahead to arrest him if they were convinced that his actions and conduct in recent times were contrary to democratic norms and the laws of the country and constituted a danger to national security.
Apparently referring to the statement credited to the SSS that he feared arrest because of personal comfort, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who said he would not want to join issues with them, affirmed that he was not afraid of arrest.
He said: "It should be clear. I am a citizen. I have rights. We have a constitution. It says exactly how these things should be dealt with. Why are you pussyfooting around? If I have committed any offence, arrest me. I fear no arrest and I can never run away from my residence."
He spoke at his residence while receiving a delegation of the National and South-East executives of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) who paid him a solidarity visit.
The delegation was led by the party's Deputy National Chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu spoke just as the erstwhile President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Eze Ozobu (rtd), warned that the Igbo would not allow anybody to arrest or humiliate Odumegwu-Ojukwu, especially when the manner of his invitation did not conform with the law.
The APGA presidential candidate, who recounted his experiences with the SSS since the issue began Wednesday last week to the delegation and other prominent Igbo who thronged his residence, maintained that he would not honour any invitation by SSS, no matter the guise.
"We are here looking at and considering something which, on the surface, is very simple but in the actual fact something that is very deep. I live here as a free citizen of Nigeria and as I always say, judge me by what I do, by what I say but don't judge me by what you think I will do or say and don't judge me by what others have said about me.
"I was here. Suddenly, a young man who was sent from the Security Service said he would like to see me. With my clear conscience, I asked them to let him in. He came in and said his name was Duru, that he came from the SSS and that his director-general would like to see me tomorrow. I said okay, that is fine. But he told me that it is in Abuja. I then said that was a bit odd. Just like that? He said 'yes', I said 'okay', do I go by foot or donkey?'
"So, I told them 'look, let's get this straight. If your director-general wants to discuss anything, he can come here at anytime, I will grant him audience. If the matter is so serious and that I need to be arrested, here we are. There is no middle course. He said it does not warrant an arrest. I said go back and tell them it is not convenient. We can talk about it on Monday or Tuesday.
"But as it happened, on Monday he phoned me and I asked him what the problem was again. I told him that it was not my intention to go to Abuja on such a spurious invitation and that I couldn't understand why they themselves don't know how to handle matters of this nature.
"I don't know, but whoever was the director-general, I am older probably than his father and he can't treat me in that offending manner. I told them that in case they didn't know that it is for situation such as this that he has a deputy and many assistants and that he has people in various states. Talk to them. Give them the message and they will come and see me. But I have no time to go to Abuja and they should tell him so and I reminded them again that unless the matter is so serious, I have to know. In which case I should be under arrest and I will co-operate.
"By this time, news have started filtering out as to what is happening and eventually, the next thing I know was that he (the SSS operative) came to this place and provided for me a ticket for myself and one aide to go to Abuja. It was Sosoliso; it was economy ticket for both myself and my aide. But the one that I really found amusing in a situation like this is that it is a one-way ticket.
"Then I prepared and began to take stock. Too many things have happened in Nigeria under this government, so many people in the political scene have been just rubbed off, killed, assassinated. One thing goes for all of them: till now we are talking, nobody has ever found the culprits. It is feared that you don't ever take a chance with the government. People have been killed in the hospitals, in their own houses and so on. I said no. I made an indication that 'if you have something to discuss with me and it is not of a serious matter worthy of an arrest, you are invited and I will guarantee the safe departure of your agent or yourself. So here we are.'
The Ikemba continued: "I am so ashamed of their response. Somebody was writing from the SSS and said so many rather insulting things, but I will not trade insults with minions and beyond that, I have not got the habit of coming back from Sierra Leone in handcuffs. I served in the Nigerian Army; I was never court-martialled. So I will not relegate myself to start exchanging words. I told them that it is most unfortunate that the name of the director-general doesn't strike me because in my service to Nigeria, I appointed so many directors-general.
"So I really don't know why there is crisis, discussion vis-a-vis an invitation or arrest if it is a matter of arrest. A lot of people have been coming trying to console me. I said no, this is Nigeria and I make it very clear that whoever is planning all these will take a personal responsibility because I have done nothing. I have been very careful not to do anything. I have a right. They said I support Biafra, how can't I? I declared it. How can't I? I ruled it for so many years. It is not hidden that I support MASSOB, why not? It is an opinion, and you say to us, this is a democratic government, no. If you say okay by so doing I have committed treason or act of treason, then whoever he is, is irresponsible for not arresting me. So this is actually how we are, what we are doing."
Fielding questions from reporters, he stated that he had not heard any other thing from the SSS since he declined the invitation, stressing, however, that he received rumours that majority of people in the country were in support of the position he had taken over the invitation.
He maintained that there could be a better way of resolving the matter other than the invitation to Abuja by the SSS, which he insisted was "spurious".
Asked whether he suspected the hand of President Olusegun Obasanjo in his current ordeal, he said: "I hope he is not. President Olusegun Obasanjo is my friend. I think I know him and I will just, for the sake of our Republic and for the happenings and developments and the unity of this country, I hope he doesn't have a hand".
Chief Odumegwu-Ojukwu said it is time to determine whether the country is democratic or not.
"I have seen so many activities of the present government that will make me believe that if nothing else, they have got a sort of military reflex, but they have got to be halted. What I am trying to do is to halt them, to tell them you cannot, I am a citizen and you, Mr. President, is my servant," he added.
Earlier, Okwu said the party's delegation, made up of the national leaders and leaders from the South-East, came on a solidarity visit to Odumegwu-Ojukwu to consult with him on his face-off with the security agents so that the party would decide on a proper cause of action.
"Our party believes in the rule of law and the power of government and security agencies to compel an individual to appear for interrogation, but such powers must be exercised in a lawful way," he said.
He stated that the party might head for the court to stop further intimidation and harassment of Oduwegwu-Ojukwu as well as alleged dictatorial tendencies of the security personnel to the people of the country.
Meanwhile, a member of the Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) was yesterday arraigned before an Abuja Chief Magistrate's Court. He was charged with unlawful assembly.
Chukwudi Okeke, a 26-year-old businessman at the Wuse New Market, Abuja, was charged with others at large.
They were charged with unlawful assembly, incitement, breach of public peace, wearing and carrying of emblem and flag.
Police prosecutor John Udeh told the court that the accused was arrested on August 28, this year by one Lawson Shekodoze attached to the Wuse Market while on surveillance duty.
Udeh said that during investigations, a Biafia Coat-of-Arm, a copy of MASSOB constitution, four Biafra calendars and six Biafra stickers were recovered from the accused.
He said other items recovered were two Biafra magazines, a register containing names of 20 Biafrans and two stay-at-home orders of every Biafran member, adding that Okeke confessed to be a member of MASSOB intelligence agency.
The prosecution also prayed that a bench warrant be issued against 20 others at large.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges, while his counsel, Prince Uwagbokwu applied for his bail.
In his plea, Uwagbokwu argued that the accused was presumed innocent by law until the contrary was proved. He added that Okeke had been in detention since August 28.
He said the accused would provide reasonable surety to guarantee his presence throughout the trial, assuring the court that his client would neither jump bail nor impede investigation.
The prosecution, however, objected to the bail application on grounds that the offences were not ordinarily bailable and that granting him bail "at this infant stage" might jeopardise investigation.
The Magistrate Othman Musa issued warrant for arrest of the other 20 members, and ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody.
He adjourned the case to October 25, for hearing.
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