By Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, PhD
I have received many inquiries from very intelligent people, asking to know the truth about the criminal bandit and self confessed cannibal, who until his death was an avowed follower and enforcer of Nnamdi Kanu’s terrorist agenda against Ndigbo, late Mr. Ifeanyi Eze, alias, Gentle d yahoo.
The well crafted rumour and campaign of misinformation about the whereabouts of many of the so-called terrorist commanders was apparently designed to cast doubts on the efficiency of Governor Hope Uzodimma’s security initiative that flushed out, not just these commanders, but many of their fighters. The now resolved insecurity in the Southeast and Imo State especially, used to be the most potent campaign messaging against the administration of His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, and it is understandable that many opposition politicians, and sponsors of the insecurity are disappointed with the defeat meted out to the commanders of their militant wing, so they are investing resources in an attempt to cast doubts on the reality of Gentle d yahoo and his comrades’ elimination.
There are different versions of the falsehood about these eliminated terrorists. While some of the rumour mongers say that Gentle and his comrades are parading the villages, unhindered, others are saying that these guys are being hidden and protected by some powerful people in Imo State. Someone commented on one of my posts that the said Ifeanyi Eze, aka, Gentle, attended many social functions during the yuletide, and specifically mentioned a wedding that was held in Okigwe town recently.
Those who crafted these false rumours and conspiracy theories are hoping that some of us would get tired of responding to them, so that their falsehoods will stick. But, if everyone gets tired of exposing their lies, I won’t. I will always try to create time to tell our people the truth.
IPOB takes most of their strategies from Isis and Boko Haram. About four years ago, I was consistent in labelling them the Southeast version of Boko Haram and Isis, because their operational patterns are similar. ESN deliberately designed their operations to align with those of Isis and Boko Haram. This includes, beheading their victims, mass slaughtering of innocent and vulnerable people, kidnapping and extortion, and also deploying the social media to instill fears in the people. The idea of creating a kind of mystery around the confirmed elimination of these terrorist commanders is also taken straight out of Boko Haram playbook.
But, one question that any sensible person should ask, that would put a lie to these rumours is; of what benefit would keeping these terrorists alive while declaring them dead or detained, serve either the government or security agencies? Absolutely none. High value terrorist targets could enter a bargain with security agencies or the government to lay down their weapons and be granted amnesty or they could aid in the elimination of their gang members in return for amnesty or reduced prison terms, but, there cannot be any deal that would keep them alive and free to regroup or to continue with their terrorist agenda.
Are those behind these rumours trying to tell us that these hoodlums are still alive and we had the most peaceful and safest yuletide holiday in Imo State nay the Southeast, this past month? If they were alive, wouldn’t they have come out, in their typical style, to announce that they had agreed to allow for a peaceful yuletide this time around? Could they have been alive and free, yet, people whom they displaced from their communities, returned home en masse, and celebrated the restoration of normalcy in their communities? Is it possible that these hoodlums were still alive and not a single gunshot was fired following the conviction of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu? Could they be alive, and there was not the slightest disturbance anywhere in the Southeast following Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction and imprisonment? If these hoodlums were still alive, Nnamdi Kanu’s content creating lawyers and advocates would not rely solely on content creation, but there would have been some disturbances in the Southeast. For a group of bandits, who have spent the past five years threatening hell and brimstone if Nnamdi Kanu is not released, to suddenly go quiet, in the months leading to Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction and upon his eventual conviction should tell you that their flesh had become good feasts to termites.
His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, and indeed, all the Southeast governors deserve all the accolades we can afford, for the comprehensive defeat meted on these boys. If the reason for these fake rumours is to deemphasize this huge achievement, for political reasons, then, the purveyors and their sponsors are wasting their time. I can only tell them to look for other things to invest their resources in, because this is a foregone matter, and both the spirits and every human of good conscience from Alaigbo are eternally grateful to His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON and his colleagues for ridding the Southeast of these monsters.
Alaigbo is Healing!
Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, PhD is the immediate past Deputy Leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide – Youth Wing.
