Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki on Mon said the categorisation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) every bit a terrorist organisation yesteryear the Nigerian state of war machine together with its subsequent proscription yesteryear the Southeast governors were “unconstitutional together with does non follow due process.”
Saraki said Nigerian laws brand clear provisions for taking such actions together with without the due procedure beingness followed, such statement cannot convey effect.
“I am certain the President volition create the needful yesteryear initiating the correct process,” he added.
IPOB is demanding an independence for the Igbo people inwards Nigeria’s southeast. Its force for an independent Biafra became heightened since 2015, specially later on the arrest together with unloose of its leader Nnamdi Kanu yesteryear the government.
Kanu said his grouping was non-violent together with would solely utilisation peaceful agency its agitation.
“We convey chosen the runway of peaceful agitation, non-violence, persuasion, logic, reason, argument,” he told AFP inwards an interview inwards May.
“We are going to deploy all of that to brand certain nosotros larn Biafra.”
But the Nigerian state of war machine concluding calendar week said it categorised IPOB every bit “terrorist organisation” later on analysing the group’s activities inwards recent weeks which it said were “clandestinely together with actively” aimed at “terrorising the full general public.”
Nigerian state of war machine spokesman Major General John Enenche said such activities included “the formation of a Biafra Secret Service, claimed formation of Biafra National Guard, unauthorised blocking of populace access roads together with extortion of coin from innocent civilians at illegal roadblocks, militant possession together with utilisation of weapons (stones, Molotov cocktails, machetes together with broken bottles, amidst others) on a state of war machine patrol on September 10, 2017.”
However, the Senate President insisted that state of war machine needed to follow due procedure together with honor human rights fifty-fifty inwards the confront of provocation. This, he said, volition become a long way inwards demonstrating to the basis at “large that nosotros are a ground that operate yesteryear seat downwardly procedure nether every circumstance.”
Below is Saraki’s total statement:
1. Following the clash betwixt the state of war machine together with members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), I hereby telephone band for calm together with restraint yesteryear all Nigerians so that nosotros would all jointly observe the correct solution to the electrical flow work rather than worsening the crisis.
2. Our brothers together with sisters inwards the South-east, inwards particular, should driblet dead along to maintain peace together with silence together with become nearly their lawful business. This crisis volition non create goodness anybody simply would solely disclose innocent people to unwarranted danger.
3. At this point, Nigerians exterior the South-east who convey worked to ensure that the crisis does non spread to other parts of the ground deserve our commendation. I thus telephone band for continued efforts to sustain peace, unity together with stability inwards all our communities so every bit to ensure that all residents, no affair their religion, tribe together with creed stay protected together with condom nether the law.
4. It is likewise of import that commentators together with purveyors of information on all media platforms should last witting of the need, at all times, to maintain the unity of the country. Therefore, they must refrain from circulating information that has the potential for aggravating the crisis. We should all realize, every bit individuals together with every bit a collective, that Nigeria is all nosotros convey together with it is inwards our private together with collective interests that nosotros create non stoke the burn downwardly of crisis together with fan the ember of discord through the message nosotros are spreading. We must all protect together with strengthen our ground rather than contributing to her collapse together with disintegration.
5. I likewise want to province that the annunciation of the proscription of the grouping known every bit Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) yesteryear Governors of the South-east states together with the categorization of the grouping every bit a 'terrorist organisation' yesteryear the Nigerian state of war machine are unconstitutional together with does non follow due process. Our laws brand clear provisions for taking such actions together with without the due procedure beingness followed, such statement cannot convey effect. I am certain the President volition create the needful yesteryear initiating the correct process. This volition become a long way inwards demonstrating to the basis at large that nosotros are a ground that operate yesteryear seat downwardly procedure nether every circumstance. So, those who convey been hammering on this quest should maintain their cool.
6. We must commend the state of war machine for their efforts inwards restoring peace to dissimilar parts of the ground together with sustaining the unity of the country. However, inwards the confront of provocation, the state of war machine should allow themselves to last guided yesteryear their grooming which emphasizes honor for human rights, fifty-fifty inwards war. Also, giving the nature of this item situation, the state of war machine has every argue to last hesitant inwards the utilisation of force.
7. Also, it is my reckon that nosotros should non over-stretch the military. We require to protect our state of war machine against dissipation of their fighting strength. And this agency nosotros require to strengthen the police delineate together with equip them alongside the capacity to bargain alongside civil crisis. That is why we, inwards the aNational Assembly, are already reviewing the Police Act together with likewise looking at the possibility of enabling other para-military agencies to assist inwards curbing civil unrest together with maintenance of law together with order.
8. I desire to likewise larn inwards clear that the National Assembly intends to embark on a fact-finding investigation aimed at determining what genuinely happened during the menstruation of the state of war machine do inwards the South-east. We desire to last able to sift the facts from the fiction together with receive upward one's heed who did what. It is quite clear that all the facts are non nevertheless known. We assure Nigerians that at that spot volition last no embrace up. We remember to lay the facts bare.
9. On a long term, nosotros desire to remind Nigerians that the argue for embarking on constitution review yesteryear the National Assembly was to enable us hold back into issues that are agitating the minds of Nigerians together with creating tension amidst us. We convey promised that the do would last continuous. We remember to maintain that hope yesteryear farther taking decisions that would strengthen together with better on our structures. The Eighth National Assembly, on resumption, volition play its constitutional utilisation yesteryear addressing all those issues that are agitating the minds of our people together with over which they experience so strong. I appeal to all our people to ever instantly their grievances to the correct channels.
10. Let me farther reiterate the require for all leaders of idea -political. religious together with traditional- to driblet dead along to engage alongside our people on the require to maintain peace together with last our brothers' keepers.