The South East Revival Group (SERG) has said it was wrong
for the Nigerian military to declare the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as
a terror group in a bid to justify an unwarranted invasion of Nnamdi Kanu’s
home, reports ITRealms.
While calling on the federal government to immediately
withdraw troops from Igboland to allow the leaders to conclude their dialogue
with the young people engaged in self-determination, the group condemned the
leaders in the region for their hasty ban on the activities of the group at a
time its efforts towards resolving the current security challenges in south
eastern Nigeria were yielding fruits.
The SERG in a statement by its National Coordinator, Chief
Willy Ezugwu urged the Nigerian government to be mindful of the danger inherent
in retaining the deployed troops in the region as it has been misunderstood by
the agitators, saying that the IPOB should be engaged in dialogue as the
government did with the Arewa youths after their quit notice to Igbos in the
north.
"For us, there is no alternative to dialogue. Proper
communication and enlightenment remain important tools to ensuring harmony in
the country at this time as every part of the country is feeling marginalised
in one way or the other.
"We imagine what would have happened if troops were
deployed to the north after the eviction notice to the Igbos in the 19 northern
states despite call for their arrest by some citizens.
“But the Nigerian government gave the leaders in the region
the opportunity to exhaust all possible dialogue windows for the resolution of
the issue, even at a time the Arewa youths adamantly insisted that the Igbos in
the north must go.
“Why the hasty deployment troops in South East and invasion
of Nnamdi Kanu’s home town, under the guise of a military training exercise, at
a time dialogue with the youths and consultations were on-going?
"In the same way the Arewa youths were managed, the
federal government should handle the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and
other similar groups in the South East to ensure that the government’s
intensions were not misconstrued and the mounting tension in the region is
dowsed.
“We recall that the peace efforts of the same South East
leaders who now hastily banned the activities of IPOB amid dialogue led to the
group recanting its directive to its members to disrupt Anambra State
governorship election.
"While commending the South East leaders for their
earlier peace efforts but condemn the ban of IPOB’s activities without
concluding its dialogue with them, we call on the President Muhammadu Buhari
administration to listen to the voice of restructuring to mitigate the current
youth restiveness in the country.
“The only alternative to restructuring is an imminent
dismemberment of Nigeria, a sad event that must be avoided by all of Nigerians
at any cost.
"Paramount to peace in the South East is the immediate
withdrawal of federal troops in the region as the Egwu Eke II exercise is
obviously truncating the current peace efforts by the leaders who have been
pressured to ban the group.
“The allegations of wanton killing of unarmed south
easterners and the images on the social media are very worrisome and the
military must be reminded that after their operations, they could be held to
account for their deeds if they engage in extrajudicial killings in the region
or elsewhere in the country.
“Therefore, the Mohammed Yusuf experience which led to
escalation of Boko Haram onslaught of federal troops, establishments and
innocent Nigerians must not be replayed in the South East.
“We strongly believe that it is not within the Nigerian
military’s constitutional powers to declare any organization a terror
group", the SERG stated.
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