Biafra: Why I don’t subscribe to demands for referendum – Gen. Hellfire

•Says Ojukwu never wanted to leave; never abandoned his people

GENERAL Miracle Hellfire is the General Officer Commanding, GOC, of the Biafra Revolutionary Armed Forces, BRAF, cum spokesperson of the Supreme Military Council of Biafra, SUMCOB, and the seat of the Biafra Generals.

In this exclusive interview with Biafra Writer’s Reporter bares his mind on a range of issues bordering on the reassembling of the Biafra military formation, the call for referendum and the coming together of pro-Biafra leaders and groups to forge a common front towards the pursuit of the Biafra nationhood.

Let’s find out what the military officer has to say…

*Beyond BRAF, tell us what you think the people and the world need to know about Biafra.*

It’s very important and pertinent that we let the world at large know exactly the level things are happening in Biafraland. All these while, what most governments and nations have been hearing the supposedly super powers – Russia, America, Britain, France, Germany – is what they want to hear, not really what the people want them to understand.

In this country called Nigeria, the super powers themselves knows exactly what is happening because many of them are part of what is happening and what is happening is geared towards how to suppress the indigenous people; milk and dry the indigenous, turn them into perpetual slaves over their own land and wealth(resources).

We want to put things straight the way the average person in the street of Europe, in the street of Africa and in Nigeria with reference to Biafraland will understand. There has never been one country, there has never been one Nigeria. As a military officer serving my nation, I took a solemn oath and vow that I’ll never go back and that’s why I don’t see anything that will stop me from saying the truth.

If you look at all these agitational platform leaders, be it MASSOB/BIM under Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, be it IPOB under Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, be it Zionist under Barr. Benjamin Onwuka, BLC and others, we’ve realized that many of these agitational platforms are just there to instigate emotions around sentiments but the truth is for their personal, individualistic gains. Like I said last time, I found out that they don’t care a hoot concerning security and that’s why their perception of security is the man that will close their gate and open their cars but today, we’re out to let them know it’s above that. Why do America make noise all the time? It’s because of the strength of their Armed Forces, same goes to Russia. When you see President (Vladimir) Putin saying all he’s saying, it’s because of the confidence he has on the men he have on ground. That’s the same thing in Britain and France.

*Most of these ‘agitational platforms’ as you call it have since adopted the principle of referendum which many has reasoned to be the best way to resolve the issue of Biafra conundrum. Do you feel alienated or indifferent about this?*

The question is why is it that the average person in Nigeria, Africa or Europe or even Biafraland becomes jittery or afraid when they hear of Biafra Armed Forces. I want to tell us this: Biafra is a nation already, that is why I don’t subscribe to the term, referendum. You only talk about referendum in a state where nobody knows them and they’re just coming up, raising their voices for the world to hear them. But we’re talking about a nation in existence; a nation that has their monies stored in the World Bank. Put me wrong or right, let all the greatest accountant and financial economist check all the world banks, if you don’t see the Biafra nation’s account, then know that I don’t know what I’m talking about. In fact, the truth is: the accruement in our reserve in Biafra pounds, if it’s brought out, Biafrans can never suffer. We’re not talking about the main money in that account. The leaders know what I’m talking about.

We’re talking about a nation that if you go to BBC headquarters in London, you’ll see the name ‘Biafra’ written on the floor in the midst of committee of nations. Those of you who have gone to the UK can testify to this. So why will somebody come up to talk about referendum? That means the person is interested in knowledge and doesn’t really understand what freedom war is all about. We should be talking majorly on restoring the nation that was suspended; our nation has been under suspension based on the false, hasty surrendering through the means of an agreement by his Excellency, Field Marshal Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu; the first field marshal of the Biafran army. I’m educating my colleagues in the military, let them know and give back honour to whom honour is due.

Now, when he left to Ivory Coast, people didn’t understand what happened. Field Marshal Ojukwu never wanted to leave, he did not want to go on exile. It was General Phillip Effiong who called him and told him a story that his father once told him; that in every battle when there’s a severe pressure, it’s very natural and necessary for the leader to go and rest so that he can wake up and think of the next line of action. That was how Gen. Effiong through one of his aunties married in the land called Effiong in the present day Ebonyi state, arranged and a bunker was built. Today, if you go there, it is an orchard of Melina. That bunker is where Field Marshal Ojukwu came in and left the shores of Biafraland to Ivory Coast through a Helicopter.

Now, the truth is that he(Ojukwu) left based on the agreement of his second-in-command. Over time in history, people have been saying that he ran away. Ojukwu is not a man who will run, if you know him very well and if you’ve been following his antecedents and his actions. That’s why I’m not comfortable with the strategy of the present day so-called agitational platform leaders. Let people not misunderstand me. The truth is one, you don’t come out as a civilian acting above your capacity, including the duties of the military. It’s never possible. Uwazurike came out, he wants to be the head of Biafra and at the same time control the military when he knows nothing about the military. The same thing with my brother and good friend, Mazi Kenny Okwu-Kanu, the leader of IPOB. I have no grudge with any of them; they’re my brothers but things must be set aright and I must give kudos to Nnamdi Kanu for the present awareness, the dexterity and zeal. His radio broadcasts actually made people to become focused. This is the power of information. It was that radio that singularly stood him out but every other thing happening now, I don’t really understand. People might not view it the way I’m viewing it but no problem. This is entirely my opinion.

*So what are you proposing they should do?*

I’m of the opinion that the best thing to do for these agitational platform leaders from Uwazurike to Kanu to Onwuka… In fact, Onwuka’s issue pisses me off the most because I remember once upon a time, when I called him and told him ‘you don’t do things rationally.’ He’s a bloody civilian, he don’t just pick up a rifle and try to break into Enugu State government house. His thinking is of the old mentality; he’s thinking that Enugu was or is the nation’s capital but he forgot that before the war ended, the capital rested somewhere else, that’s where he made a mistake. He thought he’s going to make history by going to the government house.

These men should come down together, put their heads together and come out with one voice. Not this one saying, ‘I’m the head of the Biafra nation when Biafra has not been restored. This one will come and say I’m His Excellency, Chief, Dr., etc, when the nation has not come. It’s not possible. Like Ojukwu once said to Ken Saro Wiwa: “In Igboland, we don’t share the meat before it’s killed. We kill the meat first before we can now share the parts among ourselves as it should be.” These people are already sharing the meat before it is killed and it will not work.

A man like me, as one of the leaders of the Armed Forces of our nation, Biafra cannot keep quiet and all these will be happening. Any other street urchin, sorry to use that word, can be overtly sentimental. I tell my men, your loyalty is not to me, let your loyalty be to our nation first and then to me your leader. That’s how it should be. But in a situation where every loyalty goes to the leader first, it will make you to be blind to truth; even when your leader is going astray and that’s what is happening now. I’m not a hypocrite. I say all the time and those around me knows I cannot be bought over and that’s why today, the seat of the generals has been reactivated.

Today, I can proudly tell you that the Biafra Armed Forces are in existence and a lot of people have been jittery, telling me to take it softly when I mention Biafra Army, that the Nigeria-British will crush me. How can they come and tell me that I should not mention about an existing nation and her Armed Forces? Let me say it clear for every world leader to know: Biafra Armed Forces as the military of the nation is in existence whether Nigeria or the British wants it or not, whether Efulefus who called themselves our sons and daughters working for the Nigerian government wants to hear about it or not, I don’t care. Remember, everything you’re hearing, everything you’re reading is from my own personal angle because time has come for people to speak. I’m not going to wait till I become an old man closer to my grave before I say secrets I know. I’m not Nwobosi and of course, the story of the 1966 coup has not totally been told because my family was part of it and when the time comes, the world will know.

Why I’m saying this, our elderly men should tell the young generations the truth because this is one thing I’ve observed in Igbo land: evil will be happening, people that knows the secret will be looking. It’s at the dying point, they’ll now come out. The information they ought to have given the younger generation for them to act upon, that will help them to defend certain things, they leave it till the dying age. Information not given out on time is no more valuable when the deed has been done and that’s how I reason. So my people should be proud to say it to anybody: Your nation’s military armed forces is in existence and will continue to be in existence. I just want the world to know about this information and prepare for the worst.

A lot of people are saying that diplomacy will bring us our nation and I ask them, ‘what’s diplomacy? Do you truly understand the people you’re dealing with?’ The same people who are killing you are the same people you’re running to for diplomacy. Diplomacy is not in my dictionary; what I believe in is military diplomacy, if you choose to call it that way because what you call diplomacy alone breeds lies upon lies. It’s the so-called diplomacy that your so-called politicians applies to bring your mentality down. They subliminally apply it and add to it a little percentage of psychology. That’s the diplomacy for you. Those of you who are waiting for Donald Trump to give you Biafra, I say goodnight because Trump has so much problems in his own hands for his nation. Secondly, Trump is not a career politician but a business man and he’s today, by the grace of God as the president of America, an added advantage to the Christian world. You’re not going to expect him to do certain things. If he’s coming in to be part of the issue, he’s coming in as one: business mentality priority. He’ll invite you to the table of reality and say, “I’ll help you in arms or in military but first and foremost, how many percentage of the oil are you going to give us?” That’s what will happen. So, even if all our Christian brothers are exterminated today and everyone is killed, Trump will not say much until we are ready to negotiate with him on business terms, not as a politician. That’s why people do not understand men like Orji Uzor Kalu. Kalu is not an average hard core Biafra man as you know. He’s a businessman who only joined politics for power; to carry on his business. That’s why many of you have heard him say he has businesses in the South, North and West and that’s why he’s doing what he’s doing. Those of you expecting him to come out, he can’t. In my opinion, Orji Uzor Kalu is the last person that wants Biafra to go because of his personal gains.

*You’ve said that Biafra will not come through either diplomacy or referendum, tell us what the Biafra military council is bringing to the table. What really is their direction?*

Good! There are so many things I’m not going to say here but what I want every average Biafran to have in mind is that we’ve all come together. One begins at home to look beautiful before stepping out. If the agitational platform leaders can also come together, settle their differences as we’ve settled our own, they’ll chart a common goal. Every house has a future agenda and with time, everything will unfold. So many things will be brought to the table for our people to understand. I promise that there’s nothing that will happen, the media, the people and the world wouldn’t know about it. Everything will be made known in due course. But what I’m saying is that the Biafra military has come to stay and it is that military that will bring Biafra as a nation, whether you like it or not.

*When you say that leaders of different ‘agitational platforms’ should come together, do you mean they should suspend whatever agenda or plans they have as many of them have separate methods or means to an end?*

After the flood, God promised Noah “I’ll never destroy the world with water again.” Then there was a rainbow. If you look at that rainbow, it has different colours. Likewise, variety is the energy of the game but if these varieties is not working towards a centralized opinion, this is where problem comes in. What I’m trying to express is: everyone of us that come and brought in the military where I am, what brought us out is a nation ‘Biafra’ but in my own observation, most of these agitational groups and their leaders are now going about their activities as if what they’re doing is to elevate their platform agitational names; making the focus point, the Biafra nation, secondary. Because, let them prove me wrong. If any of them say that it is our nation that is their first priority, then that is the more reason they should come together with all their differences and ideologies in their camps. They’ll come to the table: let MASSOB/BIM bring forward their own blueprint, let Zionist, let BLC, and IPOB. Let everyone of them come to the table and the agreement will be: “there have been so much noise,” let them deliberate on the blueprints in such a way that IPOB will not see MASSOB as an enemy in the same journey of one nationhood. They can only be enemies if there are individual secret plans they have for themselves but if it’s for the interest of our nation, then their blueprints and strategies must point towards one direction.

When they come, nobody is telling them to relinquish any opinion or strategy or blueprint or whatever modus operandi they have; what we’re saying is let them channel and fashion that strategy or blueprint to accommodate the opinions of other platforms and they’ll have just one voice. Their differences could still be settled within themselves but for the sake of one central understanding or focus towards our national interest and aspiration, they’ll come to the table because this is what we’ve done and that’s why I’m proud to say our nation’s Armed Forces is now in existence and there’s nothing anybody in the Nigeria seat of power can do about it.

Submitted By Chukwuemeka Chimerue, Biafra Writer’s Editor