IPOB’s Pyrrhic Victory and Sit-at-Home Orders -By Paul Iwunwa

From dishing out terrorism with the ESN brigade to implementing phyric sit-at-home orders in the South East, it has become clear that IPOB‘s vision is to bring Ndigbo to her knees.

For those who are conversant with history, the debacle in the South East is not new. History always has a way of repeating itself as self-proclaimed Messiah’s who rose to power in the past seem to be reborn in modern times. Known to use freedom fighting as a guise to commit brutality, these groups end up imposing their ideology on their people, creating fear and taking charge of their destinies.

History of Modern Freedom Fighters who Became Despots

When we compare the past with the present, we tend to see similar trends happening all over again. Stalin comes first in our chronology of men and groups who became a thorn in the flesh of those they seek to liberate. Here was a man who usurped the mantle of leadership and heralded himself as the Archpriest of Leninism. Lenin himself, the leader of the left-wing Bolshevik regime cemented power after the Russian revolution and was a champion of state-sponsored violence of the opposition. After his death, Stalin took it to another dimension. However, besides leading the Soviets in victory against Nazi Germany, Stalin was notorious for murdering millions of his countrymen. The excuse was that he was purging the Soviet communist party of counter-revolutionaries. 

Next was Chairman Mao Zedong of China. His leadership was notorious for starving millions of Chinese to death during his failed “Great Leap Forward” and ‘Cultural Revolution’ policies. It took the coming of subsequent leaders in both countries to amend the iron bars of both regimes. Today in both Russia and China, the images of the two despots are unpalatable in public discussions

Indeed, it takes a self-serving group to rise and destroy a people, their way of life and dignity. We saw the Nazi party take power in Germany by propaganda, and how Hitler made changes to the constitution by super-imposing its fascist ideology in Deutschland.

Lastly, in our list, are the Taliban. The Taliban is a group known as the Mujahideen in the 1980s who fought off the Russian invasion of Afghanistan to become a monstrous regime against its people. They lost political relevance in 2001 after the American invasion of their country but recently took back control of Kabul by seizing power from the Western-backed government after years of insurgency.

So Why The Comparison?

While IPOB is yet to lead a sovereign country, or assume political mantle over the Igbo nation, the antecedent of the group points towards performing a similar trait as the aforementioned leadership before it.

If we observe closely, we see that one thing is common about these groups — political myopia. While the Germans had educated geniuses that rolled out inventions and machines for WW11, Hitler the head was notoriously uneducated and known for patronising superstitions during his lifetime. From coming up with the Aryan racial theory to scapegoating the Jews for Germany’s problems, Hitler was famous for his use of Astrologers in making decisions. The Taliban’s on the other hand are archaic in ideology, relying only on thousands of years of Islamic jurisprudence to affect modern change. Anything not in tandem with Sharia is not acceptable by the Taliban and that portends a problem in modern civilisation.

While Hitler used the treaty of Versailles as a rallying point to spread nationalism in Germany, IPOB uses the dehumanization of Ndigbo in the Biafran war to gain relevance in Igboland. And they are right as successive governments seem to be marginalizing the Igbos politically. Since the end of the civil war, no Igbo have assumed leadership as President of Nigeria. IPOB rather than speak truth to power, unsurprisingly, embellished her messages with hate under the pretence of logical argument to tell the Igbo story. 

Any group or movement that emerges with fascist propaganda in mind usually ends up swallowing those it seeks to fight for. IPOB is Jewish in orientation and just like the Nazi and Taliban, her leadership is headed by myopic individuals whose ideology has over time shown it enjoys retrogression. No to freedom of speech, no to freedom of association, no to divergent views and lifestyle, and no to multi-plural religious and cultural beliefs.

But despite all these, one must give credit to how IPOB spreads its propaganda. The following are the methods used by IPOB to control the thoughts and minds of its support base.

1. Political Gangsterism

IPOB became the voice of opposition to Buhari’s APC after the defeat of beloved Jonathan in the 2015 general elections. By using emotions to arouse and win a large support base, the group became a rallying point by failed politicians who used them to mudsling at the government. And while President Buhari made the group popular by not being magnanimous in victory — largely by his 5% speech and subsequent alienation of Ndigbo into top positions in his government, IPOB ranks swelled as more people became ardent listeners to the hateful messages of Radio Biafra. And from the first arrest and imprisonment of Kanu to the Operation Python Dance in the South East, the APC administration made herself hated by many neutrals who were already sceptical about IPOB’s approaches. President Buhari’s tactlessness became IPOB’s gain.

2. Scaremongering

Manipulating the thoughts of the average Igbo with Fulani herdsmen onslaught to gain control of their soul. IPOB made use of this strategy to make inroads into the South East. This method was used to form the ESN that metamorphosed into the UGM terrorising the east today.

3. Whataboutism

Using happening elsewhere to justify her actions in the Southeast. The government kid-gloves handling of the herdsmen problem seems to be a yardstick IPOB emphasizes when diverting attention from its perceived wrongs. For example, if a violent group commits an offence and gets away with it, IPOB too would try to copy such acts by pointing to what others have done. It first began by using the insurgency approach of the Niger-Delta militants and Boko-Haram to take up arms against the government. Of course, we might understand that self-defence was needed by the group against the incessant extra-judicial killings by the Police and Military against its members. But rather than simply forge towards its professed non-violent agitation, the ESN formed by IPOB became an insurgent wing used by the group to forcefully and illegally gain control of the South-East. From hoodwinking the masses that the establishment of ESN was to fight the Fulani herdsmen, IPOB showed its true intention by creating anarchy in the land. First by killing Police officers on the highways, then burning Police stations and government assets, and next freeing prisoners who now constitute the majority of the UGM and sit-at-home enforcers.

4. Threats and Force

The draconian sit-at-home orders and threats to neutralize offenders is the biggest political victory of IPOB over the people of the South-East. Like a dog protecting its owner, IPOB has made sure that her movement is restricted to the extent of biting those that contravene its rule. This is the norm in the South-East today. From using MASSOB’s successful sit-at-home order to showing civil disobedience against the federal government, IPOB now uses a radical version of this method to show supremacy in Igboland. It has succeeded in grounded economic activities to a halt, lynching defaulters, chasing out students from exam halls and scattering the wares of traders in the markets. 

How far these tactics continue will determine the existence of the group. Will Ndigbo support this pyrrhic victory or will they rise against the group to avert another repeat of history? 

By Paul Iwunwa