Principles of Law in Biafran Society

 

Laws are made for man (read: men, women, society); and by man, to reflect the dreams and aspirations, the hopes, fears and insecurity, and the times of man, singly or as a collectivity. Hence, the primary principles are:

 

1)      All laws are made by man (read: men, women, society), and for man.

2)      Man was not made for the law.

3)      No law shall be caused to be attributed to Divinity, Deity, Principality, Royalty, or Celebrity, in an effort, hope or desire to solemnize such law or make it more respectable, urgent, permanent or more supreme.

 

The laws of a Nation and her society are a reflection of that Nation and her society.

 

Crime and Punishment

 

Societies have a right to define, by their laws, what is CRIME and what the appropriate PUNISHMENT should be. Individuals in the society, hopefully summing up to the majority of society herself, have a right, responsibility and duty to continuously evaluate the laws of the society, the definition of crime, the application of justice and the meting out of punishment, and insist on real changes whenever necessary, in order to reflect change, reason and reality. Justice must be just, to be applied with blind equity but also with human compassion.

 

  1. Crime must be defined in terms of actual deed or act, and when applicable and to the extent predefined by law, provable intent.
  2. Crime shall not be imputed merely by reason of inheritance—genetic or otherwise—or by reason of association, unless there is legal proof of commission or active complicity.
  3. Punishment for crime must not be out of proportion to the crime.
  4. Above all, punishment for crime must not be inhumane.

 

The “OSU” issue

 

Because the root and basis of the “OSU” system is crime-and-punishment, we believe that those who were guilty of such crimes and were meted their punishment have already served out their sentence. There is no justice in extending the punishment to innocent and unknowing offspring, nor was that the intent of the system then. For that reason, the application of the term, “OSU,” to any living person today is a wrong and unjust imputation, and unnecessary victimization..

 

We, as Igbo sons and daughters, direct the elders who are intimately familiar with the rites and ritual of this particular crime-and-punishment practice to consummate the absolution process so as to settle this issue and lay it to rest once and for all. We direct them as agents and custodians of our people, our traditions, and our culture, to find the way to accomplish this without requiring the participation of the unjustly labeled. We know that the way and means exist. We shall make material contributions as necessary to bring this matter to a swift conclusion.

 

While this is in process, if any person should look at his brother or sister and say, “OSU,” let that person take a good look in the mirror and examine his or her own conscience. Our people say that when you point at somebody, one finger alone points at the object, but 3 fingers point back at you the subject. And if anybody looks at himself or herself in the mirror and thinks or sees OSU, let him or her snap out of it. We are all creations of the same God, without exceptions. That is what each person’s true identity and real name derives from—God.