Abudi🐍

A Referendum for Peace: The Democratic Path to Ending Nigeria’s Cycle of Pogroms and Bloodshed It is with a heavy heart and an unwavering conviction that I say that: Nigeria must confront the national question honestly, or continue to pay an intolerable price in human lives. For decades, our country has witnessed recurring episodes of ethnic and religious violence, mass displacement, insecurity and the destruction of innocent lives. From the anti-Igbo pogroms of the 1940s and 1950s, through the horrifying massacres of 1966 and the tragedy of the Nigerian Civil War, to the continuing attacks on vulnerable communities in different parts of our country, the lesson is unmistakable: the wounds of our national history have not been adequately healed. Today, communities continue to bury their dead, families mourn their loved ones, farmers abandon their ancestral lands, and children grow up amid fear and uncertainty. Whether the victims are Igbo, Christian, Muslim, or members of any other ethnic or religious community, every innocent Nigerian deserves protection, justice and the right to live without fear. Ladies and gentlemen, our nation was amalgamated in 1914 under British colonial administration. Yet, more than a century later, the question of how the diverse peoples of this geographical entity can coexist in justice, equality and mutual consent remains unresolved. The central argument of the document before us is that Nigeria's recurring insecurity cannot be addressed by military operations alone. We must confront the deeper questions of political exclusion, constitutional legitimacy, unequal citizenship, resource control, accountability and the right of communities to determine their political future. We must also insist that allegations of religious persecution, ethnic domination and official complicity be investigated impartially. No individual, institution or government should be above the law. Equally, no ethnic nationality or religious community should be collectively blamed for the crimes of particular individuals or armed groups. This brings me to the question of a referendum. I submit that a properly negotiated, peaceful and democratically conducted referendum on Nigeria's political future offers a credible path towards resolving our enduring national crisis. A referendum is not a declaration of war. It is not a call for the persecution of another people. It is an appeal to the ballot rather than the bullet, dialogue rather than destruction, and the expressed will of the people rather than the perpetuation of an arrangement that many regard as unjust. Let us be clear: a referendum must not be imposed by force, manipulated by political elites, or used to intimidate minorities. It must emerge from a transparent national dialogue, with agreed constitutional and legal procedures, credible independent oversight, freedom of expression, protection of minorities, and guarantees that every affected community can participate without fear. The purpose is to make consent the foundation of our political future. To those who insist that Nigeria must remain indivisible at all costs, I ask: Of what value is unity maintained through fear, grief and recurring bloodshed? True unity is not the absence of a border. It is the presence of justice, mutual respect and a freely renewed commitment to live together. We must, therefore, pursue two urgent objectives: first, immediate protection for endangered communities, impartial investigations, prosecution of perpetrators, and comprehensive security-sector reform; second, an inclusive national dialogue that establishes a credible constitutional pathway to a referendum if the peoples of Nigeria cannot agree on a just and workable union. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, history will judge us not by how fiercely we defended the status quo, but by whether we found the wisdom to prevent another generation from inheriting our conflicts. Thank you. Copied from Maxwell Dede.

I strongly condemn the unjust life imprisonment of ABEL ONYEDIKACHI UGWUOKE, following his 5-year secret and inhuman detention at Wawa barracks for alleged membership of IPOB, not for any act of violence or terror. Abel was convicted and sentenced despite the mental health challenges he developed from the trauma of his lengthy and inhuman detention. Abel’s case is another human tragedy that directly results from the misguided and vicious law enforcement tactics that have been directed against the people of Southeast for over a decade. As lawyers hanker down to battle this menace within the frustrating limits of the judiciary, I urge all men and women of goodwill to continue to publicly speak out against these injustices until the right thing is done.

PAUL OKECHUKWU, an Igbo man whose only proven offence was confessing membership of IPOB, has been condemned to 20 years in prison. Paul never killed anyone. He never attacked security forces. The sole count linking him to violence was withdrawn and struck out. Conversely, Boko Haram fighters who massacred thousands (soldiers, police, and civilians alike) are “rehabilitated,” handed money, vocational training, and reintegrated into the society, So, for merely associating with a “proscribed” group, Paul received a sentence many actual killers never face. This is not law or justice; it is pure ethnic persecution dressed as counter-terrorism. When those who slaughtered security agents are rewarded with second chances while a non-violent Igbo is buried in a prison cell for 20 long years, the Nigerian state is deliberately pushing the Igbo further from the federation. Such a brazen double standard does not preserve unity; it destroys it and fuels the very demand for self-determination the State aims to suppress. It is indeed a double whammy, and a provocation to boot. By ALOY EJIMAKOR.