Politics
By Anthony Isibor.
THE Igbo Board of Deputies, a Non-Profit Company, NPC, has asked Tunde Bakare, the founder and head Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, to recount what it described as a ‘hate speech’ capable of inciting genocidal acts against the Igbo people.
In a letter dated Tuesday, April 19, 2022, and entitled “Hate speech, and incitement of genocide against the Igbo people of Nigeria, signed by Austin Okeke, Okeke Attorneys, Johannesburg, South Africa, solicitors for the NPC, the group noted that it has waited to no avail for Bakare to, on his own accord, recant the hate speech and/or withdraw the incitement of genocide against the Igbo people.
The letter, which was also copied to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, African Union Human Rights Commission, ECOWAS Human Rights Commission, gave Pastor Bakare a 7-days ultimatum to retract his statement or face legal actions.
According to the letter sighted by Realnews, it has become very obvious that the hate speech was well thought out, planned, and executed so as to achieve the purpose it was designed.
It said that the comments were made deliberately at a very fragile and tensed period in the history of Nigeria, when insecurity and killings are rife.
“We are of the view that your comments on the day were calculated to rouse and stoke hatred against the Igbo by a region of the country. These were the sort of falsehood sold to other regions of Nigeria as part of the hate campaign that justified and resulted in the mass murder of Igbos and subsequent pogrom before, during and after the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra civil war that reportedly claimed over 3 million Igbo lives.
It noted also that Bakere’s account of the 1966 military coup and in particular, the death of the then Prime Minister of Nigeria, Tafawa Balewa, is false because he (Bakare) was not present and therefore cannot qualify as a credible witness.
The letter reads in parts:
“We have waited reverently for Lent and Easter period to end before addressing this letter to you. It is our instruction not to join you in the desecration of a very sacred and holy Lenten season; it being the bedrock of the Christian faith all over the world. Your hate speech and your premeditated incitement designed for ethnic cleansing of the Igbo people in Nigeria was aired and viewed right at the heart of Lent. You are a pastor of a church indeed.
“We are advised that on and about April 2022, you on the pulpit of Citadel Global Community Church in Lagos, Nigeria “your church” and before a multitude of congregants, worshippers, and viewers all over the world, made inciting comments against the Igbo people in the following manner: “On the day the late Tafawa Balewa was killed, the Igbo soldiers arrested him, removed his turban, poured wine on his head, and forced him to drink and shot him. While he was being killed, he cursed the Igbo race; that they would never govern Nigeria.”
“In the circumstance, we have been instructed to demand from you, as we hereby do, to recant your statements using the same pulpit within 7 days from the date hereof. Failing which, we have instructions to approach the appropriate forum, both local and international, for all available legal relief. These actions shall be at your account.
“We hope the above does not become necessary, and we do not wish you to enter into this quagmire.
“Kindly note that our clients shall enforce their rights and their resolve within the ambit of both domestic and international laws, unless and until you have publicly withdrawn your false comments.
“The fact that we have not exhaustively dealt with this matter at present should not be construed as a waiver, omission and/or novation of our clients’ rights. All our clients’ rights are fully reserved.
We hope you find the above in order as we await your prompt reply.
AI.
Apr. 20, 2022 @ 16:36 GMT
Tags: Tunde Bakare ustin Okeke
