THE MILITARY RAID OF OPOROZA GBARAMATU, CHIEF EKPEMUPOLO, AND THE REST OF US!!! by Prof. Tosan Harriman

Tompolo

It is improbable the Nigerian military understands its role. It is also improbable she is aware of basic norms in prosecuting systemic warfare. What constitutes the intelligence numerals from which the Military draws its blood? Who verifies these resource outlets and at what point do these verification get executive nods? I am sure majority of the actions of the military in Nigeria today do not follow these protocols. If that is the case, then it only points to why the military has largely been unable to quell the rage in the North East, It has not been been able to handle the Fulani Herdsmen insurgency and has failed woefully to understand how the Niger Delta militancy operate. The Nigerian military has largely been unable to profit from the lull in hostility created by the Amnesty program, where it was expected to restrategize on doctrine, tactics and discipline. The period should have offered it time to institute community sensitive initiative as a primary plank for intelligence gathering. But these she didn’t do. She rather got its top echelon prevaricate on one fiscal scandal after another as though being in the commissioned cadre of the military. is all about planning coups and making monies.

Today the Nigerian Military is pursuing another flawed campaign. Which action leads me to ask who administers the military? Overnight in the peaceful, riverine Gbaramatu Headquarter of Oporoza , the Nigerian military lived up to its promise of returning after it left sometime ago, to invade, killed, maimed, raped, stole and destroyed everything in its sight in the pretext of looking for Chief Oweizide Ekpemupolo. I will ask the following pertinent questions. Why is the Nigerian military looking for Chief Ekpemupolo? Assuming it wants to claim that the Chief is declared wanted, under what Law of the federation of Nigeria does the Courts use the military to enforce its orders? Why is this raid coming after the conference called by the Hon Minister MPR, a meeting that negated every principle of representation and was attended by Chiefs Ayiri Emami and Ezekiel Johnny two known enemies of the Oporoza people? Does the Court order that declared the Chief wanted an assumption that the Chief is guilty and so should be hunted everywhere Dead or Alive? Does the same Court order instruct the wilful destruction of lives and properties of the people of Oporoza? Can the Military intelligence genuinely provide facts that the Chief is part and parcel of the Avenger? Does the Nigerian military know who the Avengers are or is it deliberately shielding them?

Is it not unconscionable that at a time the American Consulate is holding meetings and negotiating with important stakeholders in Warri including reaching out to Security officers and Chairmen of the LGAs in the area, the military is undermining any gains from these efforts by disproportionately using force on the peaceful ancestral community of Gbaramatu kingdom? One thing is clear, The Nigerian military is ebbing towards war crimes and all its respondent officers including those who feel they have the keys of Hell and death will soon be called to give account. It is also important to mention that those who use their stolen oil wealth, who gloat over the encomiums of billionaire capital and who move from House to House and one Political party to another so as to create a criminal canon fodder for their criminal capital, to prop up these Military expeditions will also give account when the time comes. May I appeal to the PMB Led Government not to be dissuaded by liars intent to use his stern stance on public issues to cover up for their criminal interest. Importantly too to mention that while the agitation for fiscal federalism will continue to raise compelling moral questions to justify bombings of key national assets, it is within his responsibility to secure the rights of the federating people of Oporoza. Chief Ekpemupolo is not synonymous to Oporoza and if it has come to a stagge where Oporoza residents are alleged to be shielding

JTF Gun boat

the Chief from the Government, it raises other compound issues from which the Government should re evaluate itself as to whether it has lived up to its content of the social contract In Hobbes’ view, this mechanistic quality of human psychology implies the subjective nature of normative claims. ‘Love’ and ‘hate’, for instance, are just words we use to describe the things we are drawn to and repelled by, respectively. So, too, the terms ‘good’ and ‘bad’ have no meaning other than to describe our appetites and aversions. Moral terms do not, therefore, describe some objective state of affairs, but are rather reflections of individual tastes and preferences.

In addition to Subjectivism, Hobbes also infers from his mechanistic theory of human nature that humans are necessarily and exclusively self-interested. All men pursue only what they perceive to be in their own individually considered best interests – they respond mechanistically by being drawn to that which they desire and repelled by that to which they are averse. This is a universal claim: it is meant to cover all human actions under all circumstances – in society or out of it, with regard to strangers and friends alike, with regard to small ends and the most generalized of human desires, such as the desire for power and status. Everything we do is motivated solely by the desire to better our own situations, and satisfy as many of our own, individually considered desires as possible. We are infinitely appetitive and only genuinely concerned with our own selves. According to Hobbes, even the reason that adults care for small children can be explicated in terms of the adults’ own self-interest (he claims that in saving an infant by caring for it, we become the recipient of a strong sense of obligation in one who has been helped to survive rather than allowed to die).

It is therefore expected that if a part of a federating State is resisting the overture of a unit over it, it is mandatory for that unit to evaluate its action and to provide such services as to mitigate on the circumstances of the resisting unit. It will amount to fraud and disproportionate incident to take up arms to resolving any emerging complexity when it has benefited from its subject and has used laws and properties to deny its subject access to the same social tools to protecting itself.

It is arguably too that the undercurrent of distrust and the scarcity of depleted generosity and sense of fairplay which one associates with a part of the federating unit may have created the egocentricity that may have led people to hide personnel resources from their composites. Ken Saro Wiwa, MKO Abiola were all murdered in the hands of the federating part who now seek to use laws to goad the people to hastily negotiate away its privileges. This may be so and a people who depend for their every item of diet, building material or furniture on a system, and who are engulfed by malignant nature- dangerous, desolate, stormy and unpredictable, can hardly be expected to be over generous, a poignant mechanism of defense against the somber presence of a diabolical environment, a steange feeling of distrust and self centeredness is more likely to develop among such people in their struggle against the weird, vindictive unit and in collective loneliness haunted by an uncanny terror.

Oporoza is a city of wonders and unpublished mystery in the center of sea. To attack it and deplete its capital development initiative is the greatest disservice to inflict upon a people. Chief Ekpemupolo has challenged us to live for our communities and if that is why the military are looking for him, then it does not know what it is called to do. When duty calls or danger we need people like Chief Ekpemupolo to lead the way.

To this end and giving the onus of proof, it is imperative to assert that the remand order placed on Chief Ekpemupolo is hasty and unthoughtful of these procedures highlighted in my subjectivism claim.

That Chief Ekpemupolo should be part of the solution and not the problem as the government wants us to believe.

That the allegation that necessitated the EFCC charges and other Court actions are threadbare and trumped up to justify the criminal hands of Esau speaking with the voice of Jacob.

That while the military was invading Oporoza Agip platforms were being bombardedwhich go to show that the Military strategic priorities are flawed by poor judgement.

That whatever the intelligence factors are, they were borne out of inducement undertaken by some grab and gabble politicians who are desirous to stultify the public interest.

That the war seemingly brewing in the oil River is put in place by powerful interest who wants control of all the outlets in a land that is not theirs hence the EFCC charges are nothing but a compradore script doctored by its owners.

That I want the good people of Nigeria to believe me if I say Chief Ekpemupolo is not a violent person.

That all he has suffered in the hands of his traducers is enough to push a man into criminal issues and results.

That I appeal to Chief Ekpemupolo to continue to observe restraint and to Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State to condemn the military brigandage of his territory.

I further call on Senators Ovie Omo Agege, James Manager and Chief Grear Ogboru to immediately condemn the action of the Federal Governmentt.

Prof. Tosan

I call on the good people of Nigeria to rebroadcast this rebuttal as much as they can until those empowered to act in the circumstance see it.

That the criminalization of a simple matter is unnecessary, and that the PMB led central Government must institute a new Amnesty regime to enable those who cannot act now come out to support its objective.

That if the Government does not respect these overtures we may consider ourselves under attack and seek ways and means to protect ourselves.

That Government know the Avengers and that it is frolicking with it using Tax payers monies to hoist its meetings and pretensions.

That the NNPC under Ibe Kachikwu is further complicating issues by awarding contracts to proteges of the Avengers to redo what it has undone.

That these lies cannot continue if we must remain a part of a Federating State.

Prof Tosan Blessing Merhiakpome Harriman.
PhD Comparative Dialectics.

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