Following the siege on Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Umahia home, Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister, has written an emotional letter describing him the lion of the east.
In the letter, Fani-Kayode noted that the alleged invasion of Kanu’s home was meant to silence the chief agitator, but that those who reportedly planned it do not understand that it would only increase the crisis. He urged Kanu to remain steadfast in his agitation and not be discourage in spite of efforts to intimidate him. He, however, urged the IPOB leader to operate peacefully and reject the idea of an armed struggle since he represents the hope and aspiration of millions.
Read the full letter here:
A WORD TO NNAMDI To the Lion of the East, my friend, and brother Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I have the following to say. They attacked your home and raided your community with their soldiers. They sought to crush your body, spirit, and soul, to break you and to kill the gallant and fighting spirit of your people.
They forgot that the application and unleashing of fire cannot put out fire: it only adds to the rage of the inferno and causes it to spread and develop into a massive and uncontrollable conflagration which will ultimately consume the entire nation.
Despite the provocation and the brazen attempt to intimidate you and yours I urge you to be encouraged, to remain true to your noble convictions, to stand firm, to stay strong, to remain peaceful and to continue to reject the idea of an armed struggle knowing that you represent the hope and aspiration of millions.
This is all the more so because the entire world is watching. Our victory will not come by the levying war, the shedding of blood or by the usage and espousal of violence and armed conflict but rather through the painful veil and fiery furnace of suffering, passive resistance, self-denial, dedication, persecution, and sacrifice.
Those that seek to oppress and subjugate the righteous, that seek to enslave their fellow human beings in perpetuity, that seek to destroy, torment and humiliate others, that seek to deny the sons and daughters of our land the right to fully exercise their God-given liberty and freedom and that rule by the force of tyranny, injustice and the shedding of blood never end well and shall not prevail. In truth, there is no greater crime than to unleash a nation’s Armed Forces against its own people in an attempt to stamp out free speech, silence opposing voices and eliminate dissent.
It happened to the Shiite Muslims of Zaria where one thousand innocent souls were butchered in one afternoon at the behest of military commanders simply for being different and now it is happening to the good people of the east. Yet the light of truth and the struggle for liberation, justice and equity can never be diminished or defeated.
In the end the will of the people and the counsel and purpose of God shall stand. No matter the price and no matter how long it takes, in the end we shall prevail. The Lord be with you.