By Edoziuno Chukwunonso, for Biafra Human Rights Advocates (BHRA)
One of the IPOnk – IPOB factions led by the memo writer, Chika Edoziem, had threatened to shutdown the university for inviting the sitting Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, to the James Curry Literary Festival scheduled to take place from 1st – 3rd Sep, 2022.
Mazi Uche Mefor wrote:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing with reference to a letter of protest written to Dr. Onyeka Nwelue by a group called Indigenous People of Biafra(IPONK-IPOB), dated August 15th, 2022, and requesting Oxford University’s withdrawal of the invitation to Governor Hope Uzodinma of Nigeria to the James Curry Literary Festival, taking place from 1st–3rd September 2022. The original organization (IPOB), a community endeavor aimed at asserting the right to self-determination of the Biafran people(through non-violent means), but now turned into IPONK-IPOB, a one-man idealized violent adventurism currently used to intimidate, subdue, torture, and kill innocent people regarded as “saboteurs” financed by IPONK-IPOB and the extreme violence carried out by its militia wing called ESN and sometimes disguised as “unknown gunmen”. What IPONK-IPOB and their affiliates are doing now is criminality, not freedom fighting. No sound, reasonable, or rational being should be part of this violent campaign of killing their own people in the name of freedom.
While I do not hold brief and cannot speak for Governor Uzodinma, IPONK-IPOB, through their ESN/Unknown gunmen, are known to have unleashed violence, terror, sundry criminal activities, and horrendous human rights violations against Igbo people in Nigeria—killing, beheading, and eating human flesh. IPONK-IPOB talking about “human rights” is sheer hypocrisy because, as notorious human rights violators that they have been since the last quarter of 2020, they have lost the moral standing to speak as advocates for human rights. Do not take my submission at face value; please verify it via the internet (if you don’t have anybody in Nigeria to do so) in order to appreciate the enormity of the issue being referenced to. Based on IPONK-IPOB’s record of despicable human rights violations against the unarmed, vulnerable, Igbo civilian population, I urge you to ignore them. Oxford University should never allow itself to be drawn into the IPONK-IPOB questionable criminal activities in Nigeria. The group branch here in the UK contributes money to finance the ongoing violence against Igbo people in Nigeria, after which they deny and blame their real and imagined enemies. The Igbo people are now victims of both the lawless Nigerian security forces and that of IPONK-IPOB through their militia wing, ESN/Unknown gunmen.
Finally, and for clarity purposes, one of the modus operandi of IPONK-IPOB is the issuing of threats to their targets. It is noted that in the last paragraph of the referenced letter, a subtle threat was issued to the Oxford university by IPONK-IPOB through their UK National Co-ordinator to withdraw the invitation or they would protest against the university. While I note that respect for freedom of expression should be upheld, the university also has the right and freedom of association/assembly to associate with and invite anybody of their choice to its event(s).
The university should notify the police of this subtle threat by this violent non-state actor that has been sponsoring and unleashing violence against Igbo civilians in Nigeria with their branches in the UK and other countries giving financial support to execute such violence.
Kind regards,
Uche Okafor-Mefor
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