Alleged Hate Speech: Recant Your Statement Against The Igbo Or Face Legal Action, Lawyer Gives Bakare 7 Days Ultimatum

A lawyer, Austin Okeke, has written a pre-litigation letter to the Serving Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, to recant a statement credited to him on how the late former Nigerian Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa was murdered in 1966.

Okeke in the letter said; “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 have waited without success for you to, own your accord, recant your hate speech and/or withdraw the incitement of genocide against the Igbo people. It is very obvious that your speech on the day was well thought out, planned, and executed so as to achieve the purpose it was designed. These comments were made deliberately at a very fragile and tensed period in the history of Nigeria, when insecurity and killings are rife.

 “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 of 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.

“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 and subsequent pogrom against the Igbo before, during and after the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra civil war that reportedly claimed over 3 million lives of the Igbo.

 “We are advised that your own account of the 1966 military coup and in particular the death of the then Prime Minister of Nigeria; Alhaji Tafawa Balewa is false because you were not present and therefore cannot qualify as a credible witness.

 “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.”

Below is the full text of the statement.

 Suite 304, Third Floor, Aspern House

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Email: austin@okekeattorneys.com

Mr Tunde Bakare

Citadel Global Community Church 30 Kudirat Abiola Way

Oregun, Lagos State, Nigeria

Tel: +234 1 291 7742 www.thecitadelglobal.org

Dear Sir,

IGBO BOARD OF DEPUTIES VS MR. TUNDE BAKARE

HATE SPEECH, AND INCITEMENT OF GENOCIDE AGAINST THE IGBO PEOPLE OF NIGERIA

O

OKEKE

ATTORNEYS

    Our Reference:

Your Reference:

Email:

Date 19 April 2022

Austin/ Igbo Board of Deputies 1/1

austin@okekeattorneys.com okekeattorneys@gmail.com

       1. We act for Igbo Board of Deputies, a Non-Profit Company “NPC” and its Trustees for the time being “our clients” under whose instructions we address this letter to you.

  2. 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.

 3. We have waited without success for you to, own your accord, recant your hate speech and/or withdraw the incitement of genocide against the Igbo people. It is very obvious that your speech on the day was well thought out, planned, and executed so as to achieve the purpose it was designed. These comments were made deliberately at a very fragile and tensed period in the history of Nigeria, when insecurity and killings are rife.

 4. 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 of 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

 Directors: Augustine A. Okeke IDQ, LL.B, PMP (Cert.), Comm. Law (Cert.), Insolvency (Adv Cert.), KDG

O K E K E A T T O R N E Y S Page 2

  and then shot him. While he was being killed, he cursed the Igbo race; that they would never govern Nigeria”

 Here is the YouTube link for ease of reference: https://youtu.be/vlf57qcE5qc

  5. 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 and subsequent pogrom against the Igbo before, during and after the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra civil war that reportedly claimed over 3 million lives of the Igbo.

 6. We are advised that your own account of the 1966 military coup and in particular the death of the then Prime Minister of Nigeria; Alhaji Tafawa Balewa is false because you were not present and therefore cannot qualify as a credible witness.

 7. 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.

 8. We hope the above does not become necessary, and we do not wish you to enter into this quagmire.

 9. 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.

 10.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.

Yours faithfully

_______________ Austin Okeke

  DELIVERED PER: WHATSAPP

CC:

1. United Nations Human Rights Commission; 2. International Criminal Court;

3. International Court of Justice;

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  4. The Chief Justice of Nigeria

5. The President of Nigeria;

6. The Senate President, Nigeria

7. The Embassy of the People Republic of China.

8. The Embassy of the United States of America

9. The British High Commission

10. The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation 11. The Embassy of Egypt

12. The Embassy of the Federation of Russia.

13. The European Union

14. The United Nations

 15. The African Union

16. The OECD

17. The Arab League

18. The Southern Africa Development and Economic Commission “SADEC” 19. The Economic Commission of the West African States “ECOWAS”

20. The East African Economic Development Council 21. The Commonwealth of Nations

22. The Council of Traditional Leaders in Igboland 23. Afenifere, South West of Nigeria

24. PANDEF, Niger Delta of Nigeria 25.The Middle Belt Forum of Nigeria

26. Arewa Consultative Forum

27. Ohanaeze Ndigbo

28. Human Rights Commission of Nigeria

29. African Human Rights Commission

30. The Speaker; Federal House of Representative, Nigeria

31. The European Human Rights Commission

32. The Human Rights Commission of the Americas

33. The Canadian High Commission.

34. The Embassy of Israel

35. The South East Governors Forum

36. The Oceania Countries

37. The Germany Embassy.

 38. The Embassy of Japan

39. The United States Congress

40. The Australian High Commission

41. The Embassy of Norway

42. The Embassy of Denmark

43. The Embassy of Finland

44. The Embassy of Ireland.

45. The Embassy of Haiti

46. The Republic of Ghana.

47. The Government of Botswana.

48. The Embassy of France.

49. The South South Governors Forum, Nigeria. 50. The South West Governors Forum, Nigeria. 51. The North Central Governors Forum, Nigeria. 52. The North West Governors Forum, Nigeria.

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  53. The North East Governors Forum, Nigeria. 54. Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

55. Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

56. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

57. Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

58. The Obi of Onitsha, Nigeria. 59. The Ooni of Ife, Nigeria.

60. The Oba of Benin, Nigeria. 61. Tor Tiv

62. Attah of Igala

63. Olubadan of Ibadan.

 64. President, Association of South East Town Union, Nigeria. 65. Igbo Leaders of Thought. Nigeria.

66. Congressional Black Caucus

67. Iba Gani Adams; Are Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland.

68. CNN: Wolf Blitzer, Jake Taper, Zain Asher, Christiana Amankpor 69. BBC, UK

70. Al Jazeera

71. The Representatives of Archbishops and Bishops in Igboland 72. Head, Council of Traditional Leaders in Igboland

73. Christian Association of Nigeria 74. Pentecostal Federation of Nigeria 75. Olu of Warri