BUHARI: I WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS FOR SELF-DETERMINATION

I WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS FOR SELF-DETERMINATION- BUHARI


By Okonkwo Isaac Somto
For Family Writers

Buhari continue to throw his support and backing for both western Sahara and the Palestinians on their bid for self-determination but yet in his country, Nigeria he goes about killing and torturing innocent Biafrans who simply ask for the same thing in return. Buhari on Friday the 11th of march 2016, said Nigeria will keep faith with Western Sahara’ self-determination bid and also assured Western Sahara that they have his full backing.

“the issue first came up when I was in office as military head of state. After I left government, Nigeria remained steadfast on it.

“In my maiden outing at the UN General Assembly last September, the issue of Sahrawi was in my speech. You have no cause to doubt our commitment. We stand with our African Union colleagues on this issue.

“Nigeria will maintain focus till everything is finally resolved positively,”

“It paved the way for the UN to adopt several key resolutions on Western Sahara, elaborating a peace plan. History is now repeating itself, as you are the President of Nigeria at a time the Sahrawi issue is being put on the front burner again.’’- Buhari

As many of you also remember on the 28 February 2016, Buhari on his visit to Qatar, assure the Emir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hammad Al-Thani of his strong support for the self-determination of Palestinian State.

He said: “I want to assure you that we will stand side by side with you, until our brothers and sisters in Palestine achieve their desired objectives.”

“Our support for various Security Council resolutions restoring and respecting 1967 boundaries with Jerusalem as capital of Palestine is firm and unshaken.”

President Buhari called for a lasting solution to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict , saying “ we in Nigeria,
like the State of Qatar, favour a ‘Two State’ solution, with the State of
Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel.”

President Buhari appears to be giving his undying and profound support to all those involved in a conflict for self-determination and anywhere the issues arise. In Israel, he quite obviously accepts the application of the principles of Article 1 of the UN Charter for the
self-determination of the Palestinian nation. In Western Sahara, he also demonstrated his believe in self-determination, However, in Nigeria, he  opposed to the same principle of self-determination, even unto the extra-judicial killings of unarmed Biafran protesters.

Biafrans have been calling for self-determination for more than 50years now; it even resulted to a civil war in 1967 that resulted to the genocide of over 3.5million Biafrans by the Nigeria government. Now it seems as if that same case is bound to happen again. Ever since president Buhari came into power in 2015, he illegally ordered the arrest of the leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra and director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu on the 18th of October 2015 for his call for self-determination for his people.

IPOB protesters took to the streets of Nigeria, in protest for the release of their leader. The indigenous people of Biafra have also called for their right for self-determination but in response to that and also for their call for the release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, president Buhari ordered the Nigeria armed forces to handle the issue, which resulted to the killing of over 3000 innocent unarmed IPOB protesters.

If Buhari can go about calling for the self-determination of Western Sahara and Palestinian then why does he respond to the call for Biafra self-determination with torture and unjust killings? The United Nations backs other countries for their right to self-determination but stays in complete silence over the unjust killing of Biafrans who are calling for the same equal right.