By Charles Ibekwe
The renewed senseless ranting from members of the outlawed terrorists sect, Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) popularly known El-Zakzaky Terrorists in Nigeria is increasingly becoming hollow. Nigeria is a country which has suffered enough tribulations in the hands of terrorists and terror-inclined sects.
President Muhammadu Buhari must step- up efforts to safeguard Nigerians against these bloodsucking sects most of which are garbed in deceptive religious garbs. Added to this vexatious posture is the penchant of IMN members particularly to think, it can redefine existence in Nigeria according to their satanic laws, or creed, despite the country’s plurality and diverseness.
In truth, the barbaric intransigence of the outlawed IMN members is becoming unbearable and unacceptable. They cannot create a new set of laws for Nigerians. Democratic liberties also have limitations. And the imaginary IMN members should not think they can impose their will on Nigerians anymore.
The recent viral vidoe clips from the yet-to-be released Nollywood film titled- “Fatal Arrogance,” shot in the ancient city of Enugu and produced by a seasoned film producer, Mr. Anosike Kingsley Orji, seemed to have drawn the ire of the incensed souls in the outlawed IMN. They have adduced reasons for their anger, or veiled threats to actors and sponsors of the film, but largely sieved from inference or a self-inflicted haunting shadows of their past evils against the peaceful and hospitable people of Nigeria.
It’s doubtful whether these reprobates know the functionality and meaning of an artwork. Besides, artistes have poetic freedom and protected by laws of the federation of Nigeria.
Bayelsa To Immortalise Late Nationalist Edwin Clark, As Dignitaries Pay TributeWiktionary simply defines a work of art to which film production is a genre as a “fictional account; a story; a fictitious account; an account of events that never took place, though originally thought to be genuine….” Therefore, what is the fuss and the fury of the outlawed IMN members.
In the first place, the IMN in Nigeria and their members who stage out under this lawfully prohibited banner are offending Nigerian laws. But it is not surprising because the outlawed sect has earned for itself, the notorious reputation of arrangance and the proclivity of undermining the laws of the country and constituted authority.
But the IMN are overstretching their luck and humane liberty extended to them. It flagrantly abused the freedom the Nigerian state granted it by operating for over 41 years as an illegal entity. However, it cannot continue to seek dubiously to circumvent with brute force Nigerian laws with such effrontery of threats to anybody or actors of a film, which by their jaundiced verdict, depicted their terrorists-in-chief, deceptor and jailbird, Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky in bad light.
Therefore, their current campaigns against the film, “Fatal Arrogance,” is the latest intolerable hallucinations from these evildoers. They woke up Ngerians to series of campaigns of calumny against the state, which lacked substance and merit, but animates their crazy souls to embark on an orgy of violence and killings. Let them be forewarned; it is unforgivably risky to contemplate such moves this time.
If indeed, the film which is yet to be released, must pass through Nigerian Films Censors Board and approval obtained before public consumption, portrayed El-Zakzaky by their weird verdict, it only serves their evil mindset. And they should refrain from dragging Nigeria or Nigerians into their messy past.
For reasonable people, if the IMN members have ever thought of it, they would have used the message and rare opportunity of the film which they presumed perjoratively recounted their odious operations to deeply reflect. They would have reflected on their repulsive lifestyles, which their neighbors everywhere in the North decried; some security agents and civilians paid the supreme price through their swords and the Nigerian Government banned the organization for the perpetual, demonic and violent confrontations of the sect.
Consequently, it is therefore not misplaced for the IMN outlawed group to frown at the movie shot in Enugu, which a guilty conscience has reactivated their narrowed minds and restricted perspectives that the contents exposed the atrocities of the sect. Thoughts are free in Nigeria and the constitutionally guaranteed right of every Nigerian especially as espoused by the administration of President Buhari.
But the proscribed sect members should wear their thinking cap and never be under the mistaken illusion that Nigerians would be taken for a ride again. It’s enough of the perpetration of this evil on Nigerians. They should be prepared to meet fire for fire anytime their nuts let loose in the head again.
Only those unfamiliar with the atrocious activities of the IMN group would think serious film producers and actors, including the veteran Anosike and Pete Edochie will commit precious resources, energy and time to couple a movie on a worthless and destructive sect like IMN and it’s leader.
No Nigerian does not know IMN is a sophisticated terror network, backed and financed by some foreign countries to rattle and destabilize Nigeria. A film is too expensive for anyone who values his resources to commit it to the worthless cause, the outlawed IMN is pursuing in Nigeria through other illegal means.
But these rogues in Nigeria should not enliven the recent sad memories they unconscienably deposited on the pysche of Nigerians by their series of violent and tragic outings in Abuja. The memories are too fresh for them to cogitate another move in this direction.
IMN members in dozens, armed to the teeth went out on a certain day in Abuja to waste the lives of a policeman and that of a journalist, under the pretext and deception that its leader, El- Zakzakky was languishing in prison and in near death condition. But Nigerians now know better now.
The innocent Nigerian senior police officer was killed in cold blood in the line of duty; so, also, the journalist and other Nigerians were gravely wounded by IMN armed fighters. Yet, El- Zakzaky was in good health. His eyes were intact and the sect killed other Nigerians so that El-Zakzaky could have life. What an irony?
What else can define IMN as a terrorists sect? So, a movie is not and would never be necessary to project them as the most recent reincarnated devils in Nigeria.
But still on the El-Zakzaky narrative, the terrorists-in-chief wasted Nigeria’s scarce resources on a phantom medical trip to India; but it ended up in amusing drama, as he rather plotted to beat security and illegally escape to either Iraq or Iran.
He hurriedly packaged himself back to Nigeria when he discovered security tightened and there was no escape route.
But had President Buhari failed to grant El-Zakzaky’s request for medical attention in foreign lands, his personal lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana was almost at the point of inventing discretionary laws to describe Mr. President’s “undemocratic and autocratic” leadership of Nigeria. But thus granted, it ended in ruse and surely, the later facts embarrassed Falana himself.
So, Nigerians don’t need a movie to know that the IMN as a terrorists sect by their actions; endorsed by Nigerian laws and courts is not only evil, but is being funded by some foreign countries. No movie can serve this knowledge anew to Nigerians. The IMN is guilty to the extent their suspicions have misled them.
Ibekwe is a security expert and wrote this piece from Enugu.
