October 28 2006

This is the News Analysis segment of the Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcasts

For October 28^th, 2006

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

Fellow Biafrans:

We have confirmed reports of mistreatment and torture of Ralph Uwazurike, the unjustly imprisoned leader of MASSOB, by Nigerian Prison authorities. Such mistreatment includes beatings, denial of access to family-prepared meals (keep in mind that Nigerian Prisons do not provide adequate [if any] food for the inmates); denial of visitation rights and denial of access and communication with his lawyer, his family and his friends.

Recall that Ralph Uwazurike was abducted at gunpoint by the Nigerian SSS agents who were disguised as Youth Corp Service members, about 1 year ago, imprisoned without trial and eventually transferred from SSS private jail-dungeons to the Nigeria Prison system. The order for Uwazurike’s arrest was handed down from General Obasanjo. Before the arrest, the Nigeria High Court system had published an injunction against further harassment and arrest of Uwazurike by the SSS and the Nigeria Police; obviously, the Nigeria SSS, the Nigeria Police, and the Nigerian President, General Obasanjo, have no qualms about disobeying Nigeria Court injunctions.

We fail to understand the ongoing, and this specific, inhumane action of torture by Nigeria against Ralph Uwazurike. There are International Standards and Laws dealing with the treatment of Prisoners as contained in the United Nations Charter and the Geneva Conventions which Nigeria is signatory to. There are Human Rights Laws against such mistreatment and torture. Nigeria and its leaders are in flagrant contravention of these legal International stipulations; therefore, since Nigeria is for all intents and purposes a centralized autocratic regime, the leader of Nigeria, General Obasanjo, and his top commanders, are to be held responsible for these crimes.

We have brought Uwazurike’s torture to the attention of world-bodies. We now call on the UN to do its duty. We call on the Geneva Convention signatories to discharge their obligations under the Convention. We call on the Human Rights organizations to do their work. Today, General Obasanjo, in spite of atrocities and inhuman acts such as the above, is still “welcome” in world-capitals: this ought not to be so. The Head of the Nigeria SSS, Colonel Are, makes trips to foreign countries. He ought to be arrested the moment he sets foot on any other country’s soil. The same goes for Ehindero, the Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, who carries out Obasanjo’s inhumane orders without question. All International airports and seaports should watch out for him and be ready to arrest him for atrocities committed by him and the Police Force which he controls. The top officials of the Nigerian Prison system should not be allowed to arrive in any other country without being immediately arrested. The World must be willing to do its duty—its legal duty, besides its moral duty. These men need to be arrested and tried once they leave the shield of Nigeria’s geographic space. Nigeria’s Ambassadors in all Foreign Missions in the world ought to be hauled in and these brazen human rights violations and other crimes of Nigeria read to them in the manner of a “riot act.”

Of course, we ask for the unconditional release of Ralph Uwazurike, but that’s hardly enough: those responsible for this brazen injustice and act of inhumanity must be arrested and tried by International courts. We ask for the unconditional release of Ralph Uwazurike, Uchenna Madu, and other leaders and members of MASSOB, from Nigeria’s jails. The World should not allow Obasanjo and Nigeria to continue this brazen, criminal act of holding these members of MASSOB in Nigeria’s jails, because that is the greatest injustice of all: that the World should look the other way and party with Obasanjo and Nigeria as they commit the worst Human Rights violations in the present era, with such arrogance and glee.

Nor should the World forget what Ralph Uwazurike and MASSOB stand for. MASSOB (Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra) is a non-violent organization seeking the non-violent restructuring of Nigeria in order to allow the emergence of Nations which want to exercise their rights of Self Determination, given the fact, which is well understood to the World today, that Nigeria is in fact a failed State, an unstable, unworkable and irredeemable behemoth tottering on its final death throes, yet threatening to destroy, on its way out, everything and everyone. Ralph Uwazurike and MASSOB offer not just to Nigeria but to the entire World, a non-violent way out of the unstable untenable quagmire called Nigeria today. At the same time, Self Determination actualization for the Nations currently fighting and dying in Nigeria, leads to stability in the region, as the emergent new sovereign entities focus their energy on healing each her own society and polity for its own survival, and mindful of its obligations to contribute positively to the world at large.

Nigeria’s current flailings are making huge waves which batter and disrupt World Energy Markets, resulting in global procurement- and consumption-anxieties. As long as Nigeria exists, even in her present moribund phase, such will remain the reality and experience of the world. There is no way to stabilize or shore up Nigeria; not only is this impossible—because of structural and foundational flaws—it would also be a continuing effort in futility, as traditional supporters of Nigeria can attest to. Nigeria is moribund, and is structured to wreak great havoc on the world-systems even as she dies. This terminal global mayhem can be avoided should MASSOB’s agenda of non-violent actualization of Biafra come to fruition right about now. Biafra will stabilize the region because the emergence of Biafra also guarantees sovereign regional and community ownership and control of local natural resources for all the proper parties; as well as guarantees equitable negotiations and equitably shared control of any erstwhile communal resources. Biafra and the other emergent nations each will be eager to work cooperatively with the rest of the world to aid effective and expeditious nation-building and other inter-national exchange: clearly, stability is not only in every party’s best interest, but becomes the first desire and first institution, thereby replacing the insecurity and volatility that was Nigeria.

This is why Ralph Uwazurike must be released from Nigeria’s jails. This is why other MASSOB leaders and members have to be released from Nigeria’s jails. We need them to continue, and we need to give them full encouragement, to carry out this non-violent, constructive and clearly inevitable survival agenda. Frankly speaking, the rest of the world ought to fully support the MASSOB agenda. There is no alternative—unless instability-and-insecurity-in-perpetuity, death and destruction, can be counted as alternatives.

Biafra alive! Because it is God Who makes it so.

That’s the News Analysis for the week. Thank you.

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God bless and keep Biafra, and you, until our next broadcast. Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcast continues (http://www.biafraland.com/vobi.htm), now with the summary of the News Analysis in Igbo language.

Ndi Biafra, ekele e o-o! Anyi e kelee unu.

Nkea wu akuko nke anyi na a kpo News Analysis, si na Voice of Biafra International Radio, di na Washington DC, na ala America, na a bia ra unu na abali a.

Ozi e rue la anyi nti na a nazi e megbu Chief Ralph Uwazurike oke mmegbu, na ulo-mkporo ebe Obasanjo tinyere ya, nke mere otu afo taa. Ozi ya si na ha na a ku Uwazurike ihe, na a kuru ya ahu; na o nweghi onye a na e kwe ka o hu ya anya—ma o wu lawyer ya, ma o wu ndi ulo ya; na ha a naghi e kwe ka e si ulo butere Ralph nri. Udi mmegbu na mkpagbu di otua megidera Iwu Ikwu ndi Oha Mba Uwa na ile, United Nations.

Anyi e dee la akwukwo zigara ndi uwa maka ihe aru na njoo a. Anyi na kwa a gwa ndi Uwa na ha ga e me ihe ziri ezi na anya mmadu na Chineke, nke wu bo Obasanjo na Ehindero, onyi isi ndi Police, na Colonel Are, onye isi ndi SSS, na ndi isi nde Prison Nigeria—bo ha ebubo maka otu ha siri megide Iwu Uwa maka ihe ojoo ha mere Uwazurike. O wuru ma ukwu kpatu ndea na Mba ndi Uwa ndi ozo, anyi si ka e jide ha, wega ha na ulo-ikpe, kpe ha ikpe maka ihe ha mere Uwazurike.

Anyi na e kwu kwa ka ndi Uwa nye aka ka e weputa Uwazurike na mkporo ndi Nigeria. Ma Uwazurike, ma Uchenna Madu, na ndi ndu na ndi otu ndi ozo ndi MASSOB: weputa unu ha dum site na mkporo Obasanjo. O nweghi ihe ojoo ha mere; o nweghi iwu ha dara.

Ma ndi Uwa mara kwa na ihe Uwazurike na MASSOB na a cho, nke wu nweta Biafra, ga e weta udo na oga-ni-ihu na ebe a, ebe Nigeria wetara ogbaa-ahara na obi-erughi-ala, nke mere ka Mmanu Biafra ndi Uwa na a cho, ka o ruteghi la ndi Uwa aka. Ndi Uwa mara kwa na mgbe anyi nwetara Biafra, Mmanu ga e ru ha aka otu anyi na ha ga e si e kpezi ya. Uwazurike na MASSOB choro nweta Biafra na uzo nke udo; ma, a hafu Nigeria, Nigeria ga e were onye owula laa na ala-ili ya wu Nigeria; ihe nkea putara wu ogu na mma na obara—nke wu uzo nke Nigeria. Ma, uzo MASSOB na Uwazurike wu uzo nke udo, uzo ziri e zi na anya Chineke na na anya nke Madu. Maka nkea, ndi Uwa kwesiri la i kwado ihe MASSOB na Uwazurike na anyi na e me i nweta Biafra.

Biafra, ndu gi! Biafra, ndu gi!! Biafra, ndu gi!!!—na ndu anyi kwa. Maka Chineke nonyere la gi—nonyere kwa ra anyi!

Ndewo unu.

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Voice of Biafra International (VOBI) broadcast continues

Voice of Biafra International (VOBI)
A SHORTWAVE Radio Broadcast Service
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