By Ejide Nwigwe

At least, two Counsels to the leader of the Federal Government-proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, and its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, owe the Igbo an explanation on their role in his continued detention, especially, Ifeanyi Ejiofor.

Each time there is a glimmer of hope that Kanu could have a relief, a couple of his Counsels would throw a spanner in the wheel, literally, to scatter it. The only one who seem different and reasonable is Professor Mike Ozekhome without whom the Court of Appeal could not have granted the much flaunted unmerited bail to Kanu. His presentation was well researched and organized. Ozekhome is busy, and doesn’t need to cling unto Kanu or Kanu’s case as his ATM.

Two weeks to the mention of Kanu’s case at the Supreme Court, his greedy Counsels sold another lie to the public about Kanu’s condition at the facility of the Department of State Security, DSS, where the Court ordered that he be detained.

There is no lie they have not told about Kanu’s condition just to paint the DSS in unflattering colours. From saying that he was being starved, to being denied his medication, to doctors not seeing him, to his going blind, to having a heart condition and is a candidate for stroke, to being tortured, to not being allowed a change in clothes, no other lie was left to be told, or so everybody thought.

In the past two to three weeks, the most ridiculous of all the lies has surfaced, and is making the rounds in four versions.

Firstly, they sad that a detainee, suffering from Tuberculosis has been moved into the same detention room with Kanu. When they noticed the stupidity in that claim, the storyline changed.

It was claimed that the detainee was moved close to Kanu’s detention room. From that it changed to Kanu has been infected with Tuberculosis. And finally, that more than half of the detainees at the DSS facility, are infected with Tuberculosis.

The most amazing of the whole cock and bull story is that supposed learned people are those who are spreading the lies.

A simple interrogation of the story would tell even fool that it couldn’t be true. Is it possible for DSS to keep a Tuberculosis patient in their detention facility? The answer is a capital NO. The DSS has a well-equipped hospital where such a detainee or detainees would be kept and cured. And how possible is it that over half of the detainees are suffering from Tuberculosis?

An investigation showed that there is no such detainee, not to talk of detainees. If there is any, the person(s) must be in the hospital. None of them will be kept where they are likely to infect DSS Staff members and other detainees.

Taking into consideration how these propagandists operate, the false news is being spread for two reasons.

Firstly, to incite Kanu’s loyalists to, as usual, take up against their own people. To incite them to take up arms against Security Agents and innocent people of the South-east Region. Doing that will make the liars achieve their aim, which is to prolong Kanu’s stay in detention, triggered by the killings, and so, keep active the ATM from where money flows to them in hundreds of millions of Naira and Dollars

The second reason is to force the hands of the Supreme Court Justices to order the transfer of Kanu from the very safe DSS facility to the Kuje Correctional Centre where Kanu can easily be harmed. Otherwise, how can any reasonable person prefer Kuje prisons to the DSS detention facility? Does the vulnerability of Kuje Correctional Centre not scare them? Do they know the number of people whose lives Kanu ruined by his incitement, who committed murder on his orders, and who, having realized their folly, cannot wait to see Kanu and take their pound of flesh? Or is anybody desperate to harm Kanu and put the blame on the Federal Government?
All reasonable people from the South-east, including members of the Clergy, who have visited Kanu at the DSS facility, attested, and still attest, to his good health and decent upkeep.

One of the results of their fake Tuberculosis story is the latest threat to the South-east, again, by Kanu’s self-acclaimed disciple, Simon Ekpa.

For weeks after his arrest and interrogation by the Police in Finland, he crawled back into his shell. He did not threaten fire and brimstone. Elections were held, and he found no reason to threaten. But as soon as the false tuberculosis story began to spread, because the Supreme Court hearing was approaching, Ekpa crawled out. The tuberculosis story gave him a peg to begin to threaten the South-east. Those who are paying to destabilize the South-east, fearing Kanu could get an unmerited bail, asked Ekpa to go to town.

Pronto he did, and has now threatened to lock down the South-east for two weeks if South-east Governors do not release Kanu, or cause his release. After the two weeks lock them, he promised to raise the bar, apparently, his usual gruesome killings.

These were the same Governors Kanu had no respect for. He calls them Efulefus, but even then, everybody knows that Ekpa is working against Kanu. He does not want Kanu alive. He has declared himself the Prime Minister of Biafra. Kanu and IPOB have denied Ekpa, but they hardly respond when he threatens criminal activities in the name of Kanu.

Neither IPOB nor Kanu’s Lawyers has denounced Ekpa’s latest threat. Nor has any Elder or top Politician from the South-east. But the good thing, to the shame of all of them, is that no other Zone cares if Ekpa shuts down the South-east or not, if he kills his people or not. The Zone has become a laughing stock.

While Kanu’s Lawyers spread false tuberculosis story, while the elders are deaf and dumb, and the politicians line their pockets and Ekpa smiles all the way to the bank, the ultimate losers are the people of the South-east who are sold on the lies against the DSS by compromised Counsels and even more compromised IPOB loyalists.