It is evident that the well-known war criminal and genocidal Yakubu Gowon has refused to take responsibility for the pogrom committed agains...
It is evident that the well-known war criminal and genocidal Yakubu Gowon has refused to take responsibility for the pogrom committed against Biafrans from 1967 to 1970. According to the genocidist, the killing of Biafrans was not his decision. The question is, whose decision was it to slaughter innocent people from the southeast unprovoked?
Let's take a moment to explore the brief history behind the Biafra genocide.
It's ironic that a fish denies involvement with water. It's even more ironic that someone could shelve responsibility in a situation as serious as this one. Yakubu Gowon shows remarkable indifference, persisting in his falsehoods even 58 years after the genocide against a specific ethnic group, indicating a lack of remorse for his actions. Gowon had numerous opportunities to prevent the violence, yet he chose not to.
Records show that between July and November 1966, following the January 15 coup, General Umunnakwe Aguiyi Ironsi and over 300 Nigerian soldiers of Biafran descent faced the most brutal attacks in Nigerian military history. During this time, Biafran civilians in northern Nigeria were specifically targeted and killed. More than 5,000 individuals from the southeast were brutally murdered without provocation.
There was a significant exodus of people from the southeast who had been living in the north as they fled to the East to escape violence. A British journalist documented the massacre of the southeastern population. At that time, General Gowon, as the Head of State, did nothing to stop the unprovoked killings of a particular ethnic group residing in other regions of the country. He failed to make a public statement condemning the violence. He did nothing to protect lives, making it seem as though he was complicit in the atrocities.
Again, the late General Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu took the matter to a neutral ground in Aburi, Ghana. The head of State invited General Gowon for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. In Aburi, an Accord was reached after several days of meetings presided over by Thomas Sankara, where General Chukwuemeka Ojukwu represented Biafrans while YAKUBU GOWON, the Nigerian head of State, represented Nigeria. They reached an agreement that the countries would continue as a Confederation, where every region would have control over its resources and security. General Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu and Yakubu Gowon signed the agreement. Still, upon arrival in Nigeria, General Gowon sat with some ill-advised advisers who warned him against implementing the Aburi Accord.
When it became apparent that Yakubu Gowon had torn up the Peace agreement and was also unwilling to provide security for the lives and properties of the Southeasterners, General Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu had no choice but to declare Biafra to save the lives of the Southeastern people. The only option left was to defend the people by securing the territory and fighting intruders whose mission was to wipe the people off the surface of the earth.
Today, we still stand our ground to say, In Biafra, We Stand.
Written by
Oliver T
Edited by
Oby M
For Abia State Media Team
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