A human rights group in Nigeria, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to turn deaf ears into the wise advice of former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the Federal Government under his watch should dialogue with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on their agitation, saying that only genuine referendum were the best option to put the matter to the rest once and for all,adding that Nigeria government should learn from Brexit in 2016.
The rights group strongly condemned the militarization of the zone by
President Buhari’s Soldiers, describing the action as an act of dictatorial tendency on the part of Buhari government as a way to return the country back to the dark days of Military era, which people of good will should not allow to stand.
CHRSJ in a statement issued and signed by its Executive Chairman,
Comrade Adeniyi, Alimi Sulaiman and copies were made available to
newsmen on Monday, maintained that the member of the group (IPOB) did
not commit any offence that could warrant invasion of IPOB leader’s
house by the Military, frowning at the way and manner the Nigeria Army
declared IPOB as a terror group.
The group maintained that there was no alternative to dispute
resolution than dialogue and this is high time for Buhari to dialogue
with the leaders and members of the IPOB as being postulated by the
former President, maintaining that only true federal structure could
suppress ethnic agitations in the land.
It said, “Any government in Nigeria without restructuring is
deceptive. Only restructuring of the nation can bring an enduring
democracy. There is nobody in the country today who does not
appreciate the need to restructure this nation, only those who are
mischievous today would not want the restructuring of the country.
“Since Muhammadu Buhari serve actively in despotic Sanni Abacha
regime, there was no different in the current Buhari administration.
If we have a better Nigeria, we would not have waked up and seen
democratic government being dragged military men to confront unarmed
members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).We are just dreaming
that there is change, nothing actually has changed. Nigeria is gloomy
because there is nothing organically different from the past as
Buhari’s government is nothing but hypocritical”.
It therefore called on Buhari led Federal government to withdraw
military troops from the South-East as the military men should
dissipate their energy on Boko Haram in the North-East and Fulani
Herdsmen, adding that the Federal Government should tender public
apology to the good people of South-East over the unconstitutional
military onslaught.
“When a government mobilizes its entire resources, that is Military
and otherwise to suppress a peaceful agitation of an unarmed people,
it means such government is driving the country towards dictatorial
tendency. Nigeria can only survive as a true federation”, it
submitted.
