Mrs. Ann-Kio Briggs is an English-born Nigerian environmentalist and human rights activist. She is also Convener, Niger Delta Self-determination Movement. In this interview with FRANCIS SADHERE, in Warri, Delta State, she talked about the killings in Benue and other parts of the North, advocating restructuring or a referendum as solution. Excerpts:
How will you react to the Benue killings and how President Buhari is handling the issue?
Of course, being a human being, it is one of horror. One is horrified when he hears such things. Another thing is that, these killings have gone on for too long and we can no longer believe that this issue has to do with just clashes between herdsmen and farmers.
These are very strategic and well marshalled killings that are going on and it is genocidal in nature. I believe that this is a systematic cleansing of Christians, just like TY Danjuma said, and I agree with him. I also agree with him that there must be a level of cooperation between the people who are coming in from outside the country and the powers that be in high places, in and out of Nigeria. If these people are coming from outside Nigeria, then they must have passed through some countries. They are crossing borders and this is true. It means there is an invasion on our country by foreigners and their targets are Christians. Their mission is to take over the lands of Christians in northern Nigeria, down to the Middle Belt.
From what is going on now in Benue, there will soon be shortage of food in the South, because the people at where the food is coming from are already under attack. This is a strategy to starve the South. This is no longer about politics. This is a strategy that has been in the planning for a long time and they are only executing it now
The other worry that I have is the fact that the Middle Belt is described as the food basket of the nation. Some us from the southern part share borders with the Middle Belt. For example, we have borders between Kogi State and Bayelsa State. I am of the opinion that anybody that is living in the Niger Delta region and thinks that the killings going on in the north will end there, should think again. These killings will not stop in the Middle Belt. It will cross into the South-West, the South-East and the Niger Delta, which are predominantly Christian states. Also, we have to take into cognizance, the fact that it is only one state in the Niger Delta region that we have the ruling party in charge.
So, it is of great concern to me as a stakeholder in the Niger Delta region, as a Christian and as a female, because some of their targets are females. They had forcefully kidnapped females and taken them away and forcefully married them to Muslims. All of these result in one huge strategy of destroying and taking over people’s God-given land and resources, and also forcing them into a religion and a culture that are not their own. This is terrifying because it has nothing to do with politics. This is an act that is being covered by people in power, in Abuja and at the northern levels.
Some people have been saying there should be restructuring before the next election. What is your take on this?
The truth is that, even is the nation is not going to be restructured, we can have a free and fair election under the circumstance. I’m calling on the governors of the Niger Delta region, which is my region, and even those of the South-East and South-West, to sit down and ask themselves if they want to participate in an election that will not be free and fair. Judging by what has been going on in this country since 2015, there is nothing on ground to show today that the 2019 election will be fair. Participating in the next election without giving condition is going to be futile because we are going to give the election authenticity. If we do that, then we cannot come back and say the election was fraudulent. We must face it now and say we suspect that the election is going to be fraudulent, and when we begin to say that we had said it before, that the election was going to be fraudulent. Jonathan would have said that when the card reader failed to recognise him and perhaps Nigeria would have taken a different turn.
We must step forward and take responsibility, because God is not going to come down and take the decision for us.
So what are the implications of the Benue crises for your people in the Niger Delta?
From what is going on now in Benue, there will soon be shortage of food in the South, because the people at where the food is coming from are already under attack. This is a strategy to starve the South. This is no longer about politics. This is a strategy that has been in the planning for a long time and they are only executing it now. Obviously, this is the right time and the easiest time for them to execute it. Our people, our governor, our leaders, our politicians have to take responsibility and listen to what the people are saying. We are saying that we must have a change now, before the election. We must agree to restructuring and know the terms of restructuring. And if those who are in charge say they do not want restructuring, then we must consider whether to leave this country, and plan how we are going to start the process of disengaging from this country.
I believe this country has failed. People keep saying this country is on the way to failure, but it has been on the way of failure, and in the last three years, it has failed and this is what is happening. This is the reaction of the failure of Nigeria. The government has failed and there is no confidence in the government anymore. There is nothing whatsoever to convince me that we cannot wake up one day in Rivers and find ourselves under this kind of imagination (attacks), because the so-called herdsmen are in Rivers State and all over the place. So why would they not also rise up and start killing people?
