Boko Haram: Actions Carry Consequences

opinion

By JOE IGBOKWE

The article below was lifted from the Book, 2007: The IBB Option written by my humble self and a friend Mr. Peter Claver. I have found the need to reproduce the article today to remind Boko Haram criminals and murderers that the judgment day cometh.

Two gunshots were fired in Sarajevo by a school boy, Gevrilo Princip, 19, which killed Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Archduchess Sophie, on June 28, 1914; and then the enmity between Austria-Hungary and Serbia escalated into World War 1. Out of the sixty-five million young men who were sent out to the battlefields, some nine million never returned. When civilian casualties are included, a total of twenty-one million persons were killed. Some still talk about the outbreak of that war in August 1914 as the time when “the world went mad” the two gunshots from that school boy had set the whole world on fire and ushered in a period of violence, confusion, and disillusionment that has continued in Yugoslavia to this day. Actions Carry Consequences!

In 1988 some six Libyans were deeply involved in the bombing of UTA, a French Airliner killing 270 people on board in what is today known as Lockerbie bombing. For years investigations were carried out by the United States and other countries and accusing fingers pointed to the Libyans. The leadership in Libya led by Col. Ghadaffi refused to accept the blame. But the United States pressed on and 15 years after rigorous investigations, blames and counter blames, intrigues, and what have you, Libya accepted responsibility for the heinous crime. We must recall that international sanctions were imposed on Libya by the UN since then and up till now the sanctions are yet to be lifted. Libya suffered international sanctions, ostracism, international opprobrium, condemnation and isolation. Libya had for 15 years pleaded not guilty of the offence. Libya could not continue to deceive the world. Few weeks ago, Libya owned up. The lifting of UN sanctions was therefore tied to Libya being able to pay $2.7 billion to the families to the families of the 270 people killed in the Lockerbie bombing. Libya had no alternative but to agree to pay in order to rejoin the human race. Consequently, negotiations are in top gear, and international diplomacy between Tripoli and the UN is in high pitch to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. Libya is now willing and desperately eager to get the problem behind her even at a heavy cost. Today Col Gaddafi is no more and everything is lost, his family scattered, his wealth gone. One of the suspected bombers, Megrahi died recently of cancer.

Hitler’s Germany aspired to rule the world. More than 18 countries were conquered in Europe and beyond. Even the non-aggression pact signed with Russia could not prevent the over-ambitious Hitler’s army from invading Russia . Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were mobilized by Hitler for the attack on Russia . Hundreds of tanks were mobilized. With everything in place, Hitler gave his commanders the order to take on Russia . German soldiers occupied almost all of Russia . But the Russian winter struck the Germans and they could not advance further. German soldiers died in hundreds of thousand as a result of snow. To make matters worse, the Russian soldiers surrounded the remaining German fighters in their soil. When Hitler was told the sad news, he admonished German commanders to fight to finish. Out of 280,000 soldiers that went into the Russian soil, less than 5,000 soldiers returned alive. The Germans lost 60,000 vehicles, 1,500 tanks and 6,000 guns. When the pathetic news filtered into Germany morale collapsed. The famed German war machines crumbled. For the genocide meted out to the Jews and other atrocities committed against humanity, the Germans are still paying billions of dollars as compensation to the victims. Today German soil is still being occupied by the Allied Forces led by the United States . Germany was divided into the East and the West after the war though the two are now one. Germany did not only surrender to superior fire power of the allied forces, all the factory machines, all the weapons, all the planes, the cars, the trucks, etc were dismantled and shipped to the visitors. The only things spared were the tarred roads. Whatever Germany lost, the world gained. Actions Carry Consequences!

On September 11, 2001 members of Al Qaeda based in Afghanistan decided to do a colossal and unspeakable violence to humanity. The two tallest buildings in New York , United State , the WTC towers of 110 story buildings were reduced to rubbles and debris, killing nearly 6,000 people. The entire world was totally devastated by the horrible pictures of the event and the number of deaths recorded. It was indeed a black day not only for the people of the United States , but for the entire world. The world has seen callousness and wickedness before but the event of September 11, 2001 jolted humanity. Many said the world had gone mad again, a repeat of what historians said after the first world war when more than 20 million people were killed. After mourning the deaths and the damage done to the American psyche, President George Bush went to work. The rogue regime in Afghanistan had to be sacked. The man who was the brain behind the attack, Osama Bin Laden, went underground. Those who asked people to commit suicide for a cause were not ready to die for the same cause. They ran away for their life. As a consequence of September 11, 2001 madness, the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq had to go. His regime has been deposed, his two sons killed and Saddam himself has been captured like a rat. The Americans have declared war on terrorism all over the world; we are yet to hear the last of this war on terrorism. Actions Carry Consequences! Osama Bin Laden is no more. His deputy is no more. Their criminal empires are in ruins

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On July 10, 2003 Chris Uba, Mr. Chuma Nzeribe, Mr Ikechukwu Abana, etc in collaboration with the police led by the late AIG, Raphael Ige of Zone 9, Umuahia and the leadership of Anambra House of Assembly invaded the Government House Awka to forcefully abduct the governor, Dr Chris Ngige. The inglorious drama lasted for five hours until help came from the Vice President at Abuja . Since then Nigerians have been calling for the trial of the culprits at least to serve as a deterrent to other would-be offenders. But it appears the ruling party, PDP has other plans. The bewildered nation was told that the crisis is a family affair. The nation has been told of how the ruling party PDP overpowered APGA and stole their mandate. It took Nigerians no time to discover that what happened could be likened to what you see when armed robbers gather to share a loot after an operation. No one is deceived that the brigandage and gangsterism is a party affair. The people of Nigeria simply want the coupist to be brought to book. They believe that a section of the constitution of the country was violated with impunity. They believe that the police was dubiously used to carry out the operation. They believe also that the instrumentality of the Anambra House of Assembly was shamelessly deployed to achieve the devilish act. They want justice for the people of Anambra State . Actions Carry Consequence! In 2006 Governor Peter Obi regained his stolen mandate. Another political thief stole again in 2007 but failed to retain the loot.

On June 12 1993 a presidential election was held in this country and business magnate, philanthropist, pillars of sports and well-known chartered accountant, Chief MKO Abiola won the election fair and square. By every standard that election was adjudged to be the freest and fairest presidential election ever held in the history of Nigeria . On June 23, 1993 and on a blank sheet of paper, President Babangida annulled the election. As a consequence of this Nigeria found itself in a very deep political crisis that ended on May 29, 1999 with heavy casualties in both human and material resources. The basis of our existence as a nation was seriously called to question. The things that held us together as a nation were shaken to the very foundation. The Yoruba nation felt robbed by the rapacious greed of a section of the country that wanted to continue its domination of the political landscape. The man who annulled the election, IBB, was compelled to step aside and Chief Ernest Shonekan stepped in as mago mago and wuru wuru Head of State on August 27 1993. Shonekan was in office and not in power. General Sani Abacha was totally and effectively in charge. On November 17, 1993, Chief Shonekan was shoved aside by General Abacha. After devastating Nigeria for more than five years, the man died on June 8, 1998. The damage General Abacha did to project Nigeria was unprecedented. When he died, Nigerians celebrated it. Needless to say that it will take a 500-page book to discuss General Abacha’s tenure. But one man was responsible for the crisis, the loss of precious lives and property and Nigeria ’s ostracisation in the international community. Now, who is the man? His name is IBB! Today, we hear that IBB wants to rule Nigeria in 2007. His machineries are everywhere, his contacts are being built across the nation but we must tell the ambitious general that his past is not yet forgotten. Actions Carry Consequences! IBB’s attempt to return in 2007 was stopped by Nigerians. In 2011 he tried again without success. He has since retired from politics. Ambition crushed forever!

Those who want to be our leaders of tomorrow must be conscious of what they do today because what they do will determine what tomorrow will be. Some people’s negative actions or inactions have brought untold and untoward hardship to humanity. Some little things we do knowingly or unknowingly deeply affect the lives of others. We must be conscious of history because it will pass its judgment whether positively or negatively in the cause of time.

The beasts of the earth, Boko Haram has been attacking Churches, schools, and other public institutions especially in the North killing nearly 1000 Nigerians. Occasionally they go to attack Mosques to deceive us that their attacks have no ethnic or religious colouration. It is a lie from the pit of hell. They know what they are doing-kill all the Christians in Nigeria , kill few Muslims to deceive the world, and life goes on. To ignore history is to remain a baby forever.

•Igbokwe wrote from Lagos.

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