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It was in the middle of renewed agitations in the South-Eastern part of the country concerning military raids, persecutions and riots that the news of the arrest of the leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) was announced by the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday. Kanu began his agitations for a better representation of the Igbo group in Nigeria and his message soon became that of incitement. Perhaps the praises being showered on Kanu by rightfully aggrieved citizens home and abroad eventually got to him; he quickly became a self-styled messianic icon who believed had the powers to liberate the marginalised Igbo. Arresting him after he had jumped bail in 2017 and whisked secretly out of the country after soldiers attacked his home was shocking; especially to his followers who seemingly began to see him as invincible. Going back to history lane, it was in the same manner that Mohammed Yusuf, the renegade who was betrayed by politicians and later founded Boko Haram developed in North-Eastern Nigerian consciousness. He got a lot of sympathisers who believed in his anti-Nigerian vision too.
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Recently, in just less than a year, a former thug in South-Western Nigeria is also fast gaining followership among the Yorubas who have experienced the terror of killer herdsmen either in their farms or on highways. However, it is quite saddening that the major reason charlatans are on the rise is that top government officials are intentionally marginalising some sections of the country. Abubakar Malami, for instance, angered even more sections of the country on Thursday when he did a repeat interview in the Hausa language probably to show northerners ostensibly that Nnamdi Kanu has been captured by whatever crude means they devised. In the end, it is obvious that there is an orchestrated move by most of Buhari’s appointees to demonstrate solidarity with northern groups for cheap political points. These are elements of the machinations of the upcoming 2023 general elections which there are now strong indications that Buhari is preparing Malami to take over as the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC). For the sake of peace and a united co-existence of the ethnic groups in the nation, it is better if the government is not fanning the flames of violence by marginalising any section of the country. Else, more Nnamdi Kanus and Sunday Igbohos may take over from where they left off and create more guerrilla movements to protect the interest of their people. Featured Image Source: The Guardian NG
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