Dear Mr Ayo

Over the weekend on Twitter, the never-ending topic (as it should be) on Biafra and the role Obafemi Awolowo played both during and after the invasion was brought to light. Key aspects of the discussions were based on the “takes” of a number of twitter users, most notably Ayo Bankole on whose tweets the matter revolved.

Mr Ayo, the Nigerian civil war was an invasion, not a war like you claim. It was a bloody invasion and not a bloody war. It wasn’t even just an invasion; it was a genocide carried out by members of the Nigerian army (commissioned, non-commissioned and conscripted). The Asaba massacre comes to mind. An event which you most likely have an idea as Cheta Nwanze has repeatedly narrated a **personal account** of that event on a number of occasions on the same platform in which you are an active user.

Displaced Biafran Citizens Photo Credit: Quartz

Over the past 12 months, Igbo youths have come out of their shells and begun to learn more about the Biafran war which affected them directly. Parents who lost siblings, parents who still have PTSD from the war and would never speak a word about it. You want their kids to keep silent too?

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Suffice to say that the few who do tell the Biafran story tell it with a particular gloom which covers both the listener(s) and his immediate environment. Yet, you Mr Ayo try to blackmail the real victims by trying to put the Nigerian Government as one of the victims. Have you no shame?

You claim the Igbos have never talked about the atrocities which the Biafran soldiers committed. This is a lie. A pure lie. On a number of occasions, while we discuss the Biafran war, there have been accounts of the actions of the Biafran Soldiers during the war.

[embed]Exhibit 1

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The tweets above are just a few out of the numerous from different users on the actions of the Biafran soldiers during the war. So, before you make such claims, it’s best to do simple research across platforms. it’s relatively cheap to do so.

“Awo wasn’t responsible for Biafra, stop fabricating history based on emotions”. Awo was responsible for the death of millions of kids who died during the war. His actions clearly make him a war criminal but I don’t see you saying that, yet you judge Igbos for not speaking about the actions of the Biafran Soldiers during the war. Mr Ayo have you spoken about the actions of Awolowo? Do you realize that in a whole different scenario, he would be in jail for his actions?

Personally, the 20 pounds policy which I wrote about **here **was done to teach the Igbos a final lesson and punish them for trying to fight for their freedom. It was never intended to rehabilitate a totally defeated region, it was to show them that they, the Nigerian Government had the power to crush the spirit of the Igbos which they did (however unsuccessfully).

If the 20 pounds policy was the final nail in the coffin, the Nigerian Indigenization Policy of 1972 was the burial ceremony as the policy changed the structure of ownership of businesses/companies in Nigeria. Who was the biggest beneficiary of this decree? How many Igbos benefited from this at the time it was put in effect?

Questions, Questions and more Questions yet no real answer!

The Biafran story is told from the emotions of people who were affected by it. If there was no emotion, how would you tell the Biafran story? Would you expect a member of a successful family prior to the war and then reduced to literally nothing to tell the story while serving you your favourite beer when they know you keep defending the Nigerian Government’s actions? Come off it!

The Biafran story is not a fabrication Mr Ayo. It can never be. Only those who have something to hide or wish to never admit their wrongdoings would fabricate to quell a story just like we’ve seen over the years by the guilty party.

In 2017, Cheta Nwanze was **called off air while discussing the Asaba massacre**. Why? Only someone who wishes to hide the truth from the people would pull this move. This can never be said of the Igbos who have been telling their own story. What is your own story, Mr Ayo? What is the South West story regarding the Biafran war? The actual story BTW.

You tell us to blame Ojukwu for going to war half prepared then absconding & leaving his people to face the aftermath. Mr Ayo, Ojukwu defended his people. As a leader would. No shift post. E no go work. The Nigerian government invaded Biafra. We never fired the first shot. We never invaded. Nigeria did.

What did Ojukwu do? Defend his people. As any right-thinking leader would. You mock Ojukwu for absconding, Mr Ayo, what do you think the Nigerian government would do to Ojukwu if they had captured him? You’re a smart man, go figure!

A lot of injustice has happened & continues to happen to the Igbos as you’ve rightly said but please don’t patronize us by telling us that you write about that every day. You have an obligation, to tell the truth, as do I. Don’t politicize it. If you don’t talk about the injustice of the Igbos, we would tell it as we have been doing. That you talk about it gives you no right to smear our history or downplay it. We won’t stand for it.

Mr Ayo, you ask your “Igbo brothers” to stop telling distorted versions of history as though the war was a Christmas party where Nigerian soldiers simply rounded them up at the party & killed them without warning. It does no good to anyone. I ask you, what would you call the Asaba Massacre? Is there any difference from what you said above and what happened in Asaba?

Mr Ayo, you see, your Igbo “brothers” aren’t playing blame games with their stories. They have little time for that. All they ask is that the Nigerian Government acknowledges its role in the war, call for a dialog on ALL SIDES and include the Alaigbo in national matters. The latter I personally do not care for as all I want is for our region to be allowed to develop without negative influence by the FG.

PS: If the Rwandans could do it, what’s our excuse?

Mr Ayo, it’s best to stay silent on some issues rather than give distorted opinions. Should you want to give your opinion, simple research would go a long way in helping you shape those opinions.

To those who have stories on how the Biafran soldiers committed atrocities during the war, please share them. No well-meaning Igbo person would shy away from the topic. No one would also tell you not to tell your own story. If we can tell ours, you can tell yours. However, don’t distort the truth. Don’tfictionalize it. It is imperative that we never lose our self while we try to tell our story.

I rest my fingers, until next time.

Yours in Anambra,

Onye Life 💯

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