By the Rule of Law, a people seeking for self-determination by judicial method must commence their case within the jurisdiction of the country from where they seek to be free, and if they exhaust domestic remedies or they are denied justice, they can refer the case to either the regional court such as the ECOWAS Court, AU Court or the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. We have chosen to refer the Biafra v Nigeria case from the Federal High Court Owerri to the ICJ in The Hague for many reasons. The evidence required to refer the case to the international court must be either that the Claimants have exhausted domestic remedies or they have been denied justice in their domestic jurisdiction. In our own case, the Biafrans have not exhausted domestic remedies but our argument is that Nigeria has denied us justice. The evidence of denial of justice is as follows:
1. Justice delayed is justice denied: The Nigerian Judiciary has continued to adjourn the case with flimsy excuses aimed at frustrating the Claimants. The case started in 2012. The first round of the case was delayed by the preliminary objection filed by the defendants which the Judge decided in favour of the defendants on mere technicalities when they objected that the words, “incorporated trustees of” were omitted from the name of Bilie Human Rights Initiative which represents Biafra in Court. Our case was struck out which caused a delay as we amended the papers and corrected the omitted words for the case to continue. Nigeria has no defence to the suit but only looks for ordinary typographical errors as an excuse to raise an objection. Fortunately, after our amendments, there is no single typographical error in all our documents so Nigeria has nothing again to lay hand on. We have taken special notice of the fact that in most of the adjournments, the Nigerian lawyers would not be in Court and we could infer that they were aware that the Court would not sit. This is clear evidence that the Court adjourned the matter to favour the defendants. It is our submission that the frequent adjournments have amounted to delay in the dispensation of justice and therefore a denial of justice.
2. Harassment, Arrest and Intimidation of the Claimants: On the 6th day of November 2015 while both parties were preparing for the hearing of the case, some Police officers acting on the orders of the Defendants came to the Claimant’s Office at 92 Wetheral Road Owerri and seized all the case files, properties, books, certificates, folders, letters, documents, signboard, office equipment and accessories belonging to the Claimants and arrested two officers of the Claimants, Engr Innocent Amadi and Elder Eddie Anyanwu, and detained them but released them on the same day, with an excuse that the Police made an innocent mistake in the course of performing their duties. We do not see it as a mistake but a calculated attempt to harass, embarrass and intimidate the Claimants and frustrate the case. Thus, it is our submission that the Defendants purposely sent their Policemen to the Office of the Claimants to intimidate us and frustrate the case while the case is still pending in the Federal High Court.
It is our submission that these two incidents constitute sufficient evidence to prove that the Nigerian Judiciary and Nigerian Government have denied us justice. We aver that we have lost confidence in the Nigerian Judiciary and cannot continue in the Nigerian Courts. We have got sufficient evidence of denial of justice in the ongoing case between Biafra and Nigeria in the Federal High Court Owerri. It is our considered opinion that the Executive has unduly influenced the Judiciary contrary to the rule of separation of power. These have therefore formed our grounds to refer the case from the Federal High Court Owerri to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Request for Support:
Bilie Human Rights Initiative requests for your support. We cannot do it alone. This is a human rights organization advocating for the rights of Indigenous People of Biafra as authorised by
the Supreme Council of Elders. We want independence by the rule of law and diplomacy, not by war and violence, not by confrontations and abuses. Scotland is doing the same thing. There is no confrontation between Scottish people and the British Police and British Army. There is no loss of lives. We are using the same method. It is a national project for the benefit of all Biafrans. The burden is too heavy for the few persons who have been carrying it all these years.
Please visit our website at www.bilieforbiafra.org and make your donations or you can pay directly into our Account at Barclays Bank Plc, London Branch, Account Number 53831779, Sort Code 202963, Bilie Human Rights Initiative. You can also set up a direct debit to partner with us. It is teamwork. Biafra shall be free from Nigeria if we are united as one man and work with one mind. The Bible advises us in Proverbs 6:6-8 to learn from the ants which are weak and feeble creatures but able to carry heavy burden together as teamwork. We the common masses can act as the ants. The Big Men in Biafraland will not help us because they are favoured by Nigeria. They dine and wine with our oppressors. They live in Abuja and Lagos while we suffer in Biafraland. Just as Nehemiah said to the Hebrews (Eboes) of his time, Neh. 2:17-18, we also call upon all the Biafrans to rise up and let us rebuild the walls of our own Jerusalem. Let us rebuild and restore Biafraland. It shall be well with the righteous, and the glory of the latter house of Biafra shall be greater than that of the former, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment