By Jude Ndukwe<\/p>\n
When on Saturday, March 24, 2018,Gen T.Y. Danjuma sent out a shrill cry to
\nNigerians using the exalted pedestalof the Taraba State Universitys first
\nconvocation ceremony as a medium to sendout his message, one could see
\nnothing but desperation, frustration andhopelessness all over him as a
\nresult of the incessant killings of Nigerians ofdiverse nationalities by
\nthe marauding Fulani herdsmen terrorists.<\/p>\n
Such emotions are expected of aman whose kith and kin are directly in the
\nline of fire.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that Danjumascall for Nigerians to rise and defend
\nthemselves in the face of the immutablefailure of security agencies to
\ncome to their rescue is germane, it is howevertoo late, too little and too
\nfeeble. This is in addition to the fact thatDanjuma has since lost his
\nexalted place in the scheme of morality before theordinary Nigerian.<\/p>\n
An unrepentant war-monger,Danjuma is not different to the criminal
\nbehavior of those he is attempting tocastigate today. In fact, it is the
\ntribal antics of narrow-minded people likethe former minister of defence
\nthat brought us all to this unfortunate saga.<\/p>\n
No one may like the content ofthis piece, but I am not writing to be
\nliked, have never written to be likedand does not wish to write to be
\nliked but to always be as truthful and, ifpossible, brutally truthful and
\nhurtful to those averse to truth! This is all Iowe my conscience and my
\nGod.<\/p>\n
Just like the Fulani herdsmenterrorists of today, Danjuma also led a gang
\nof armed bandits in uniform toIbadan to murder the then Head-of-State, Gen
\nJTU Aguiyi Ironsi, executionstyle. He then went further to actively
\nparticipate in the near annihilation ofthe Igbo during the civil war where
\nthree million Biafrans were randomly and wantonly wasted, clearly against
\nthe rulesof engagement.<\/p>\n
The Asaba massacre is one exampleof the mindless nature of people like
\nTheophilus Danjuma.<\/p>\n
On that morning of October 7,1967, the good people of Asaba had thronged
\nout in their numbers to showsolidarity to the Nigerian troops who had
\nearlier pushed the Biafran soldiersfurther back from Ore to the Niger. The
\nsolidarity by Asaba indgenes becamenecessary as a way of abating the
\ncontinued and unwarranted massacre of theirpeople by the federal troops
\nwho accused them of being sympathizers of Biafra.<\/p>\n
They thought that by expressingsuch solidarity in an all-white attire
\nsignifying peace and surrender wouldappease the federal troops. But that
\nwas their greatest undoing!<\/p>\n
It is recorded that about 1,000of them including some as young as 12 were
\nmurdered in cold blood during themassacre. Federal troops separated the
\nmen from the women in the solidaritymarch at the square and randomly
\nopened fire on all of them: innocent,defenceless, armless, harmless and
\nhelpless civilians.<\/p>\n
The gory story of the civil warhas been told time and time again. Both
\nsides have their faults, no doubt, butthe deployment of extra-war
\nstrategies to prosecute the war against Biafra would remain the sour point
\ninthe history of that war.<\/p>\n
The most heart wrenching of themall are the images of infants and children
\nwho were starved to death as Danjumaand his cohorts deployed starvation as
\nan instrumentality of war. In thatcircumstance, innocent Igbo children who
\nshould have been spared theconsequences of the war having been too young
\nto have contributed to the causeswere seen dying slowly and painfully on
\nthe streets, in the bushes and everywhere.Some of them had their severely
\nmalnourished bodies feasted upon by vultureseven while still alive. Not
\neven their mothers whose breasts had shrunk backinto their chests due to
\ndeprivation could provide milk to save the infantsfrom starvation.<\/p>\n
Today, the reasons the late EmekaOjukwu declared secession has come back
\nto haunt Danjuma who thought he wasdoing humanity a great service by
\nsiding with the Fulani who, today, haveturned the sword against him and
\nhis people under the auspices of herdsmenterrorists. What they could not
\nsee while standing on an Iroko tree, Ojukwu hadsince seen even while
\nsitting on ute ucheya (his mat of wisdom).<\/p>\n
Today, the chicken has come hometo roost. While the southeast remains one
\nof the most advanced and peacefulregions in the country today, there is
\nmayhem, fire and brimstone visited uponDanjumas home by the same people
\nhe freely fell into infamy for in the yearsof the war.<\/p>\n
Let us even assume withoutaccepting that all those events happened as a
\nresult of war, it is more sickeningthat Danjuma has since carried on like
\nan unassailable veteran whose evil deedswould automatically turn to good
\nsimply because he fought on the side offederal troops.<\/p>\n
It would be good at this point toremind Danjuma that Igbo blood is thick.
\nAll those who participated in themassacres and starvation of even children
\nin the 1967 1970 imbroglio wouldpay for them, not because Ndigbo would
\nwage another war but because the God ofjustice hears the cry of the blood
\nof the innocent and would set our traducersone against another unless such
\nparticipants humble themselves, apologise and makegenuine efforts at
\nreconciliation, even if it is on individual basis, with theIgbo nation and
\nall those who constituted the former Eastern Region.<\/p>\n
The blood of those malnourished, innocentand extremely weak children whose In an interview with The Guardian in February of 2008,Danjuma insolently It is instructive to note that atno time did any matter relating to Ojukwu Instead of making efforts athealing wounds, Danjuma has continued to open So when one saw him on TV theother day calling on Nigerians to defend A more reasonable man, instead ofcontinuing to ridicule the Igbo at every He has the opportunity to do thisespecially now that the wife of late JTU But Danjuma would rather live onlike an eternal colossus lacking empathy Ndigbo have had their rights asmajor stakeholders in the scheme of things Let me conclude this piece bymaking it categorically clear that I am It is an act of grossincompetence and wickedness for terrorists to be However, such clarion calls asthe one that came from Danjuma should not
\ncondition were the result of a deliberatepolicy of starvation the Danjumas
\ndeployed during the war, and who looked onhelplessly while their bodies
\nwere picked by birds of prey, rodents andreptiles, still speaks till
\ntomorrow<\/span><\/span>. No matter how far Danjuma and his gangrun, the unmitigated
\ndivine law of vengeance would catch up with them.<\/p>\n
\nreferred to Aguiyi Ironsi as a useless, desk-clerkHead-of-State. That
\nwas 40 years after the war. As recently as April of 2015, duringa private
\nvisit of former president Goodluck Jonathan to his residence shortlyafter
\nJonathan lost the election, Danjuma ridiculously said if Ojukwu
\nhadconceded defeat early during the civil war, one year of bloodshed would
\nhavebeen avoided.<\/p>\n
\nor the Biafra war came up duringJonathans visit to Danjuma. He was just
\nshowing how obsessed he was and stillis with the Igbo, spitting on our
\npeople at every opportunity. Fifty yearsafter the war, Danjuma would not
\nlet sleeping dogs lie.<\/p>\n
\nhealed wounds with misplacedpride. He does not need to look too far to
\nknow that Ndigbo have since arisenfrom the ashes of that war to become one
\nof the fastest developing regions in Nigeriain spite of the deprivations
\nsuffered during and after the war; deprivationsthat have continued till
\ntomorrow<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n
\nthemselves against armed bandits whohe said the military is colluding with
\nand giving cover, one can only laugh andremind him that what goes around
\ncomes around. It was exactly how he colludedwith men in uniform to commit
\nthe worst atrocities against humanity. He shouldstop lamenting but start
\nreflecting.<\/p>\n
\ngiven opportunity, lamenting andmaking lame calls, would have visited the
\nObi of Onitsha, for example, with theleader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia
\nNwodo, present, to say Your Majesty, weall made mistakes during the civil
\nwar. It should never have happened but itdid. All sides made mistakes but
\nI am here in your palace in my personalcapacity to express my apologies
\nfor parts of my role during the war which causedthe Igbo great grief. I am
\nhere to appeal that we should all let bygones bebygones, forgive one
\nanother, close ranks and live in peace. God has given methe grace to live
\nup to this moment and I want to make the best use of it reconcilingwith
\nall those who I might have offended in the cause of carrying out my
\ndutiesas a soldier of the federal republic. I acknowledge we went too far
\nin somecases. I want to meet my creator in peace whenever He decides to
\ncall me,hence, my decision to do this.<\/p>\n
\nAguiyi Ironsi is still alive andaround.<\/p>\n
\nexcept when the people of Taraba Stateare under attack.<\/p>\n
\nconstantly denied and aredeliberately deprived; they are marginalized in
\nall areas of the nations life andhave continued to suffer humiliation
\nfrom a system deliberately skewed againstthem as punishment from the civil
\nwar. However, they have endured all and shouldbe commended for their
\nsteadfastness and revival owing to Gods grace and thepeoples
\ndetermination and hardwork.<\/p>\n
\ntotally against the killings by Fulaniherdsmen terrorists particularly as
\nit is happening in the north right now. I havestated this position quite
\neloquently in both my writings and speeches, and I stillstand by them.<\/p>\n
\nallowed to run roughshod overour nation without any visible concrete
\naction by government and securityagents to stem the tide. It is total
\nfailure on the part of governmentespecially one that came to power on the
\npromise of ensuring the safety of Nigerians.<\/p>\n
\nhave come from someone like him. His handsare too stained with blood of
\ninnocent children from the East to be able to stirthe people to
\nself-defence as he attempted to do. Let him seek peace andforgiveness from
\nnecessary quarters and he shall know peace!<\/p>\n