Special Report by Ebuka Onyekwelu
In the past few days, Oyigbo in Rivers State has been in the news on a daily, for among others things, military occupation and summary execution of residents by members of the Nigerian Army. In so many places, what is happening in Oyigbo has been given ethnic colouration as Igbo people are said to have been the target of the massacre. Basically, the information circulating about the Oyigbo situation is derived from social media. However, not many people are asking why the military is occupying Oyigbo and why there has been 24 hours curfew in the place, which will be exactly one week in a few days. Although many have accused governor Wike of highhandedness and politics of ethnicity and identity, however, it remains unequivocal that no governor in Nigeria has the power to order the military or the police to occupy anywhere or proceed on any kind of operation, whatsoever. Deployment of the Nigeria Army remains under the command and control of the Army Chief and the President of Nigeria.
During the #EndSARS protest which turned into a free for all after the Lekki massacre, the dastardly act of what may be referred to as state terrorism, quickly degenerated into national chaos and near anarchy, with several reports of free looting, arson and comprehensive disorder in so many states across the federation. In Rivers state, it was not different. Although Governor Wike originally banned the protest but when the people were defiant and came out enmass, the governor reconsidered his initial ban and joined the protest when he addressed protesters in Portharcourt, the Rivers State capital.
But in Oyigbo Local Government, some youths took more laws into their hands than they can manage, amidst the chaos. “During the protest, about four army officers were killed and their guns taken by Oyigbo youths”, said a resident of Oyigbo who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Characteristically, we may recall that when in 1999 in Odi, Bayelsa state, some agitators killed some Police officers, the then President Olusegun Obasanjo sent military officers for peace keeping there. The result, “ended in disaster”, said Karl Maier, a British journalist who worked in Nigeria for many years. “The soldiers killed dozens of civilians and destroyed every building in town except a bank, a health centre, and an Anglican Church”, Maier stressed. In Zaki Biam, a town in Benue state, it was a similar experience when the villagers disarmed and killed some soldiers who were sent for peace keeping mission in the town. In more recent memory, dozens of IPOB peaceful protesters have been killed even before the group was proscribed as a terrorist organization by the Federal government. More so, the Shiit protesters who blocked the road in protest were killed and till today, the leader of the sect is still being held by the state authorities. Then most recently, peaceful protesters were killed at Lekki Toll gate plaza and almost two weeks after, the position of the government in establishing what really happened and seeking justice for the dead and families of the dead, remain elusive.
So let us say that it is established that the Nigerian state has a culture of employing lethal military force against its own citizens, for wild range of offences or for mere civil disobedience. At this point, what is happening in Oyigbo becomes clearer and definite; it is an operation by the military to avenge the death of their colleagues just like they did in Odi and Zaki Biam, about twenty one years ago. “The army is angry and said they will retaliate and make sure all their arms are recovered”, said a resident of Oyigbo who spoke to us earlier today, on what is happening in that place. As the chaos and state execution tarries in Oyigbo, there is existing 24 hours curfew placed by the governor of Rivers; Nyesom Wike, who had also banned IPOB in Rivers as well as placed a bounty on the head of IPOB leader in Rivers state. The governor believes the killing of army officers was carried out by members of the IPOB. On the other hand, the leader of IPOB Nnamdi Kanu has severally cautioned Wike, placing a bounty on Wike and urging his followers to do the needful. A rather highly irresponsible approach in an already tensed situation. Although in some other speech, Kanu had encouraged young people to be “law abiding”, but for Oyigbo, there is already too much scores to be settled as it is the custom with the Nigerian authorities. “Now so many innocent people are being killed on a daily basis, no access to food, water, light, etc, said a resident of the place who does not want to be mentioned. “One of our tenants was arrested and beaten to stupor, while some were killed…Wike has given order to military to arrest anyone they see on the road and torture them”. Again, it is believed that governor Wike is the one that ordered the military occupation of Oyigbo which in reality cannot be obtained within the Nigeria federal system as the military or the police are not under the command and control of Wike.
The most disturbing part of the military occupation of Oyigbo is the fact that many people have been reportedly killed by stray bullets. “A lot have died from stray bullet”. Oyigbo till this morning is still fully occupied by the military. “The Oyigbo market is now army residence. Major junctions have been blocked by army. No leave, no transfer. Now, some people are trying to escape to other local governments, but it is very risky”, said an Oyigbo resident who spoke to us earlier.
It is conceivable by every strand of imagination that what is happening at Oyigbo now is comparable to war, a full scale war and the military occupation very clearly defies all known methods of addressing crime, particularly in this age and time and in a democracy. It is more so counterproductive as it lacks application of intelligence in security operations. The government of Nigeria has the machinery to investigate and quietly pickup all those responsible for the murder of army and police officers in Oyigbo and let the law have its full cause on the guilty and not to subject the entire residents of the local government to torture and death because of the crime of a few residents. The Nigerian state must rise above its constant full deployment of force and state power on civilians, in pursuit of vengeance, instead of law and order.
He is a Technical Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano’s Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, whoonce was a Special Adviser to a former Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly. Ebuka is a second class upper division graduate of Political Science from University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria and holds a Masters Degree in Political Science with specialization in Government and Development Studies, from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria
