Using Army Against IPOB Not Best Of Option For FG – Southeast Senators Warn

Using Army Against IPOB Not Best Of Option For FG – Southeast Senators Warn

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Senators representing the five Southeast regions at the National Assembly have condemned the Federal Government’s decision to use military action on suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and their leader, Nnamdi Kanu in Umuahia, Abia State.

They believe the way the Operation Python Dance soldiers are handling the issue, most especially, the attack on Nnamdi Kanu’s residence in Umuahia may jeopardize the peace and unity of the nation.

On Sunday, it was reported that Kanu’s home was laid siege by the Nigerian army, who claimed that the some suspected members of IPOB blocked the road in other to deny them access.

However, on Tuesday, the army took it step further as they launched another attack, which appears to have infuriated some of IPOB members, who in turn attacked Hausas in Rivers State.

In a statement, the chairman of the South-east Senate caucus, Enyinnaya Abaribe, cautioned the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration not to use force against IPOB in order to save the nation a repeat of the Biafra war in 1967.

“We had hoped that our ongoing engagement with the group would be given a chance but here we are with a hurried military action deep into a highly populated area with high propensity for casualty, which occurrence would rather escalate the already tense situation.

It is more worrisome that military operation, ‘Python Dance 2,’ restricted to the South-east in a peace time has no doubt fouled the environment and sent a strong signal that the region is under siege, which should not be so in a democracy.

We, therefore, urge extreme caution and advise the military to de-escalate the situation and

choose the best operational modus that will not only guaranty the safety of Nigerians but also enhance national unity.

Nigeria is not at war, people are only exercising their constitutional and universally guaranteed rights, so far they are carrying on in a manner that has never given room to violence which could warrant a wholesale military expedition.”

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