Arrest OPC Leaders Now!
By
M.L. Maikudi
The Weekly Trust newspaper of August 30- September 5,
2002, on page 19 reported that the US government has
declared that Odua People Congress, OPC, as a
terrorist organisation and that it allies should
arrest any member of the group that set foot on its
soil.
OPC, according to the report, is one of ten terrorist
organizations with worldwide network, as reported by a
US agency saddled with the responsibility of
investigating the roots of terrorist organisation in
the world.
This declaration is probably more than what it means on the
surface. All Nigerians, except the Yoruba, believes
that OPC is a terrorist organisation which engages in
mass murder of innocent people for the simple reason
of how God created them and where He decides to place
them on this earth. I also believe that the
international community is aware of this even before
this declaration.
If the US is Nigeria's neighbour by the North,
probably some Northerners living in Yoruba land must
have been sent to their graves by now. The same thing
must have happened if the US is Muslim country. But
that is not my greater concern, most especially that
non-Yoruba living in Yorubaland have come to accept
the OPC terror as part of everyday life.
My worry is the impact of such a step on our
international reputation. It is also an indication
that the criticism on Obasanjo treating the OPC with
kid gloves by Nigerians, especially Northerners, has
not fallen on deaf ears. But then with the attitude of
America when it comes to taking its pound of flesh
from her perceived enemies, especially after the
September 11 terrorist attack, even innocent
individuals can suffer. And we can rightly say that
OPC has complimented Obasanjo's effort in ensuring
that the US stations its troops on our soil. And the
OPC issue could be an excuse just to deal with the
people of the Niger-Delta who are protesting their
neglect by the US oil company, Chevron.
And for those of us who ignore the threats of OPC over
their desire to have Oduduwa Republic, this is a
clincher. Worldwide Network means it has branches
worldwide. This means raising funds, training,
diplomacy, weapons and other logistics.
Could this be why the nation's security is handed over
to the people of the South West so that the OPC can do
whatever they want? Could this be why, inspite of the
fact that the organisation being banned, its leaders
flouting the ban with impunity without being
questioned by the security agencies? Since the US has
declared the OPC a terrorist organisation, isn't it
right for Nigeria's security agents to arrest its
leaders and all those sponsoring the organisation? I
can remember that the government of Nigeria has
pledged to support the international war on terrorism.
And is there a better chance to demonstrate this than
now?