March 3 2007

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

For March 3^rd, 2007

You have heard the news; now, the analysis…

Fellow Biafrans:

On February 27, 2007, we received information that the case against “MASSOB-53” by the government of Nigeria was thrown out by the court finally, because the government had no case and was never really present to prosecute the case. Thus ended another chapter in the book of Great Injustice and Human Rights Abuse perpetrated against our people by Nigeria, an Evil Tome written by Nigeria with the blood of our people. However, the entire living nightmare and its result is also a high watermark for courage and bravery, for commitment and determination, for endurance and sacrifice, and for patience—for love of Biafra, demonstrated by the MASSOB members of this much venerated group. For, the MASSOB-53 gave their lives and gave up their livelihood for the agenda of MASSOB, our People’s agenda of the actualization of Biafra for the benefit of the entire Nation of Biafra and its people.

We are quite elated to have our MASSOB-53 members out of Nigeria’s dungeons; our eyes are filled with tears of sorrow for their ordeal, yet, tears of joy for their final victory and for their freedom. We are glad that MASSOB-53 has scored this at once symbolic and yet, very substantive victory over the Mighty Pharaoh’s kingdom, Nigeria, as such to advance the entire struggle for Biafra actualization many notches further. While we all can gauge more or less the effects and results of their heroic act, no one but they can know the real personal cost of this victory. We thank them immensely. Biafra thanks them immensely.

The injustice against MASSOB-53 started on Saturday, September 11, 2004, during a Soccer Tournament named for Uwazurike, in a Park in Lagos; by the time it was over, two-and-a-half years later last week, unimaginable bestiality had been unleashed on them by the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian court systems and Nigeria government security and judiciary elements, all with the full knowledge, and under the personal direction, of Obasanjo and his Nigeria’s Attorneys-General. It is no consolation that each act of wickedness by Obasanjo and Nigeria’s agencies under his control against our MASSOBians only exposed Nigeria for the evil empire that it really is, and served to further ridicule it.

How do you explain to the populace that, one attending a well pre-publicized soccer tournament in an open public park, either as a concessioner or as a spectator or as a player, would be arrested by Nigeria Police in full gear:—for “Treason”? For “waging war against Nigeria”? For “intimidating President Obasanjo of Nigeria”? Yes, those were some of the charges pressed against the MASSOB-53. To support these charges against the MASSOB-53, the Police then planted and then boastfully displayed the “Thunder-n-Awe Weapons” used by the “well trained MASSOB army”—of soccer tournament attendees—which the Police claim were recovered from the playground—really dangerous and “lethal weapons” such as machetes. Yes, that’s how it went down, folks, that September 11 2004..

Among those arrested and imprisoned, Chioma, the youngest, was then a 16 year-old school girl; to hide this fact, the Police deliberately inflated and recorded her age as 18; but, the Police then had to artificially reduce the age of the 72 year-old grandfather, Pa Stephen Solomon, to 40’ish to meet the letter of the law barring geriatrics from incarceration. Mrs. Gloria Mokwe, there to sell bottled water, was evidently pregnant, but the arresting Police must have joked about how she was hiding Biafra’s “weapons of mass destruction” under her skin. Sunday Nwaibe was there, too, since the charges read thus: “that you Sunday Nwaibe ‘m’ and fifty-two others mentioned above on the 11th day of September, 2004…” There was a medical report plea on behalf of Mr. Obiora Nwoye eleven days later: he was sick and dying of chronic ailments. Another one of the MASSOB-53 developed psychosis in jail later; one of the most vocal had disappeared (most likely “was disappeared”), and till today, no one has accounted for him.

To Nigeria’s shame, the MASSOB-53 were not arraigned in court for many weeks where Nigeria’s law stipulates 48 hours. A Federal Court order for the unconditional release of the MASSOB-53 if the Inspector-General of Police and the federal Attorney-General could not prepare charges and proper arraignment within four days issued on December 23, 2004, 3 months later, had not been obeyed as of February 8 2005. Bail was not granted for over one year; and even then, only to some of the 53, and at almost impossible-to-meet conditions. The rest of MASSOB-53 were to languish in jail until the final dismissal of the case this week. All this time, either the Police failed to bring the 53 to court on the day of arraignment or trial, or the Government’s prosecuting counsel failed to appear in court, and even when there, was unprepared and or asked for—and got—an adjournment. In the meantime, thousands of dollars were spent by MASSOB as obligatory bribe to Police and prison officials for the welfare of our 53; and for bail. During this time, a Report on the Condition of Nigeria’s Prison came out and was frankly terrifying: one can only wonder what our 53 went through and experienced while in there.

In all this, the direct hand of General Obasanjo was obvious. The Attorney-General (AG) of Nigeria was directly and publicly involved in the case—both the first AG and his later replacement. Since the office doubled as the Ministry of Justice, Nigeria’s Minister of Justice was thus intimately involved in this travesty and sham of a case. So was Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police (the first one, as well as his later replacement) and whomever he assigned the case to.

It is against this mountain of Evil and Injustice that our MASSOB-53 prevailed to bring us a Mountain of Victory, to prove to us that Light always overcomes Darkness; that Darkness has no staying power and shall dissolve under its own burden. MASSOB-53 exposed Nigeria for what it is: a completely Evil Place. In all this, is encouragement and proof that: we stay the course, we get Biafra. Biafra rises just as, and also because, Nigeria will certainly tire from its supporting evil and collapse within itself.

It is in this vein that we demand the unconditional release of other MASSOB members still being held in Nigeria’s jails because Nigeria only makes a mockery of itself by continuing to hold them unjustly and on trumped-up charges. We therefore call for the immediate release of Ralph Uwazurike, the leader of MASSOB, Uchenna Madu, the Information Director of MASSOB, other MASSOB officials; along with other MASSOB members in various Nigeria’s jails, and all Biafrans jailed for pro-Biafra activism. We also call for the release of Asari Dokubo, the leader of the Niger Delta nationalist movement. Their cases should be dismissed forthwith.

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.

Obi di anyi ezigbo uto maka Okaa-Ikpe Nigeria nke ikpe umu “MASSOB-53” di naka a dokaa la ikpe ahu na February 27 2007, tufue ya, hafu umu nne anyi aka; na a si na ndi Government Nigeria nde boro umu nne anyi ndea ebubo, gbaara ha akwukwo, na o nweghi uka ha nwere. Unu cheta kwa na o wu na September 11 2004 ka ndi Police Nigeria gara nwuru umu anyi ndi gara i le ndi na a gba ball na Lagos, si na ha dara iwu Treason; na ha na a kwado i lusi Nigeria ogu; na na ha na a kpa Obasanjo ujo. Umu nne anyi ndia ka anyi kporo nde “MASSOB-53” maka ha di ogu-abuo-na-iri-na-ato na onu ogugu..

Ndi MASSOB-53: anyi na e kele unu otu unu jiri zi na unu nwere obi-sie-ike na ihe gbasara nweta Biafra, ebe o wu na unu tara oke ahuhu—nke e nyeghi anyi onu okwu—na ime mkporo ndi Nigeria, maka unu kwetara na Biafra. Ka Chineke anyi—Chi unu—mezuo ra unu ihe onu.

Ihe MASSOB-53 mere, na ihe mere ha, na a kuziri anyi na Mmeri ga a wu nke anyi o wuru na anyi jisie ike, tinye isi na obi anyi na nweta Biafra, na a ru oru anyi kwesiri i ru na oge dum. MASSOB-53 e zi la anyi na ike a dighi Nigeria, o wurugodu na Nigeria na e me ihe ike. Kee kwa nu ebe ihe na e me njo ka Nigeria ga e nweta ike nke ga a di gide oge na ile, ike di ka ike si na aka Chineke, ike e ji e me ihe oma na ihe ziri ezi, ike nke a naghi a gwu-agwu? Mba nu: ike ga a gwuriri Nigeria; ma ike nweta Biafra, ike Biafra, ga na a di oge dum, maka o wu ike si na aka Chineke bia.

Ihe Nigeria mere onwe ya na i jide nde MASSOB-53 wu i butere onwe ya ariri nke ndi uwa, ebe ndi uwa na nde na ile jiri anya ha hu na Nigeria wu obodo ojoo, obodo ebe i me njo wu naani ihe ha ma ka e si e me ya. Tufiakwa! A si na ha na a muta ako, mma Nigeria a hapu la umu nne anyi ndi ozo ndi otu Biafra ha ji na nga—hapu chaa ha—aka. Anyi na a gwa Nigeria ka ha weputa Ralph Uwazurike, onye isi MASSOB, Uchenna Madu, na ndi ndu na ile nde MASSOB, na umu otu MASSOB—weputa ha na mkporo ndi Nigeria—o nweghi ihe ojoo ha mere onye o wula. Anyi na kwa a si ka e weputa Asari Dokubo, onye isi ndi Niger Delta, site na mkporo Nigeria. I cho Biafra wu ohuho anyi horo: o wu ohuho oma.

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)
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