South-east: FG denies genocide claims, says Python Dance II, a clampdown

ITRealms:

The Federal Government (FG) has denied claims by a section of sympathizers of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that deployment of the military to the South-Eastern Nigeria, code-named Python Dance II was genocide intended, and described it as a clampdown, reports ITRealms.

Disclosing this in a parley in Lagos, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told ITRealms that there is no genocide attempt in any part of the country but attempt to qualm some disgruntled elements backed by politician to bring down President Mohammed Buhari administration.

FG also accused IPOB of using fake videos to hoodwink international community, thus misleading the world so as to win their supports, hence, the Minister solicited the support and understanding of online media in nation-building.

According to him, ''We must warn the nation against IPOB's next line of action, which is to externalize their lies and propaganda. Now they are writing to the governments and the national parliaments of some Western nations to give the impression that they are victims of an ethno-sectarian violence orchestrated by the government, hence they need protection.

''Some of the tools that have been employed by IPOB include blatant lies and cheap propaganda, and the medium of choice for the organization is the Social Media. IPOB has harvested gory videos and pictures from other lands and the distant past, which they are now circulating via the Social Media, to deceive the international community into believing that the people of the South-east are being subjected to state-sponsored, ethno-religious violence.

''Such videos, which have very high emotive quotient, are circulating on the Social Media as we speak. These videos are doctored to make them look current. They are fake!'' he said.

Further he alleged that some ill-informed foreign individuals are already trumpeting IPOB's lies and propaganda and even reechoing the allegation of genocide, stressing: ''It is either they do not understand the meaning of genocide or are being mischievous. Either way, there is nothing like genocide anywhere in our country today. What we have in the South-east is a clampdown on a band of lawless people who have no regard for the laws of the land.''

He appealed to the Online Publishers to help counter the fake narrative on the social media on the situation in the South-east, insisting that ''In the interest of the nation and your own interest, you must counter this fake narrative, report the issues responsibly and without sensationalism and present the truth to the public. If the Social Media, your platform, is discredited because of the activities of quacks and Internet Trollers, you too will be discredited and your publications will simply go down.

''That is why you must distinguish yourselves, as trained and tested professionals, from the charlatans who have seized the Social Media by the jugular, those who have no regard for the truth and who do not care whether their fake posts set the nation ablaze,'' he said.

He reiterated his earlier statement that IPOB is being sponsored by a coalition of politically-disgruntled and treasury looters, and that the organization is a contraption against the Buhari Administration.

Chuks Egbune/GEE 

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Python Dance II: Ohaneze Ndigbo wants exercise called off, says its provocative invasion

ITRealms:

The Ohaneze Ndigbo has decried the deployment of Python Dance II exercise to the South Eastern states by the Nigerian Army, describing it as a provocative invasion of a quiet homestead as well as continued policy of intimidation by the current government, reports ITRealms.

Reacting to the deployment by the Nigerian Army, Ohaneze Ndigbo through its President General, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, noted that there are crimes of monstrous proportions occurring in other parts of Nigeria, which the Army refused to deploy troops to those regions.

ITRealms recalls that on the 8th of September 2017, Major General D D Ahmadu, Chief Of Training And Operations of the Nigerian Army announced an exercise called Operation  Python Dance II which he said was going to take place in the five South Eastern States to address "rampancy of assassinations, attack on security personnel, theft of weapons, violent agitations, armed banditry and kidnapping."

Ohaneze pointed out that operation Python Dance 1 has been on for quite a while in the South East. Whilst Operation Python Dance 1 lasted major roads, entries and exits of important cities in the South East had zigzag check points supervised by members of the Nigerian Army.

“They turned out to be toll gates used in extorting money under gun point  from helpless motorists. Our people were shamelessly intimidated and harassed at these check points. Operation Python Dance 1 procured no arrests of criminals that were prosecuted for any of the criminal activities that Operation Python Dance II is supposed to address.

“Instead it witnessed reckless and indiscriminate murder of self-determination agitators in Asaba, Aba, Nkpor and Port Harcourt numbering up to 191 by the estimates of Transparency International and shattered public confidence of South Easterners in the Nigerian Army and Police,” he observed.

Ohaneze also observed that operation Python Dance II launched for the five South Eastern states whose crime rates by Police statistics are not the highest in the country, turned out to focus on a tiny suburban road leading to the home of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB Leader. 

A few nights ago, he said, that road was visited by a combined team of Police and Military personnel with Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and armed personnel. Video posts from IPOB and the Nigerian Army did not indicate any act of disobedience before the invasion of this suburban environment. Contradictory versions of the encounter in this location came from both the Military/Police and IPOB . Sparodic shots were fired at innocent civilians who had no firearms.

“Stones and bottles were pelted at the APC and military personnel. Which of the attacks preceded the other is not clear, but one was clearly disproportionate to the other and violated rules of military engagement in situations of this nature,” he said. 

Pointing out that crimes of monstrous proportions occurring in other parts of Nigeria include ravaging killings by Fulani herdsmen in the Middle Belt, Secret cult killings in Lagos and the South West, bunkering and armed resistance in the Delta, wanton kidnappings and killing of military personnel in Kaduna State and environs as well as Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.  

“The Nigerian Army has never embarked on Operation Python Dance in any of the other five geopolitical zones on account of these incidences. Innocent civilians living in these other parts of Nigeria have not witnessed the type of invasion Umuahia witnessed a few nights ago,” Ohaneze condemned. 

“Ohaneze Ndigbo is left with no alternative than to conclude that this is a containment policy aimed at the South East to intimidate our people from freely expressing their anger and angst at their marginalization and treatment as second class citizens. In a democracy the level of disenchantment expressed by the people of the South East of Nigeria ought to have provoked a serious dialogue between our people and the Federal Executive and the Legislature.  History teaches us that the continous use of force to silence dissent and free speech will only accelerate the growth of dissent and dissatisfaction. Fundamental Rights of freedom of expression are critical for a successful democracy,” Nwodo said.

Ohaneze Ndigbo therefore call on the Federal Government to call off this phoney Operation Python Dance II.

“Nigeria at this moment does not need such deliberate and proactive escalation of tensions and crisis. There are more civilised and established practices to resolve our democratic and security challenges,” Ohaneze Ndigbo said.

Nweke Ozo Nweke/GEE

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