Sequel to President Buhari’s recent broadcast and Tuesday’s alleged directive to security chiefs to handle the agitations for self determination the same way as Boko Haram and herdsmen, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has advised President Muhammadu Buhari against provoking another civil war in Nigeria by threatening to deal with freedom fighters as terrorists.
Reacting from his Umuahia country home, the IPOB Leader argued that it was illogical for Buhari to roup Biafran agitators with global terror organisations like Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen, advising Buhari to rather concentrate efforts on governance and how to take Nigeria out of economic recession instead of issuing threats to intimidate genuine agitators.
He the President to learn from former US President, Dwight Eisenhower who was a former military commander but turned a democrat when he was voted into power, stating “The directive to service chiefs to clamp down on IPOB is a continuation of the Buhari’s dictatorial and undemocratic approach to governance. I find it unacceptable, abhorrent, and insulting that somebody elected by the people can turn around to dictate to them.
“Buhari was elected to govern Nigeria. He should get on with the business of governance and not try to instigate another war.”
According to him, “IPOB would not be forced to take up arms no matter the provocation. We have refused to be provoked to arms rebellion. That is what Buhari is looking for. Buhari wants a war but we won’t oblige him because we are civilised people. We are democrats at heart by nature and by essence.”
He however, said that no amount of threat or intimidation would make him give up the struggles for Biafra autonomy because it is a genuine cause, challenging the President to defeat advocates of self-determination with superior arguments on why Nigeria should continue as one indivisible country instead of thinking he could cow them into submission by force.
“his notion and idea that we can intimidate them or bang them into submission does not work with Nnamdi Kanu. I only respond to reason and logic. I am not scared by threats.
“Defeat me with superior arguments not with the force of arms because it won’t work with me. Nigeria never defeated Biafra. Britain and other devilish powers did. Nigeria can never defeat Biafra.”
Kanu accused Buhari of hypocrisy by supporting the independence bid of Palestine and Western Sahara on the one hand while clamping down on Biafran agitators on the other.
“How come Buhari is supporting Palestinian self- determination, Western Sahara self- determination but wants Biafrans to be killed? That is sheer monumental hypocrisy. I want everybody liberated – Yoruba, Igbo, Jokun, Ijaw, Ibibio, etc. Convince me why Nigeria is a better option using sensible reasonable argument and not threats”.
Kanu further maintained that IPOB is a non- violent organisation which does not justifiably deserve equal treatment with Boko Haram and herdsmen which have taken up arms against the people.
“We are not armed and we can never be armed. IPOB has done a lot to free other ethnic nationalities from the Caliphate bondage of retrogression and economic emasculation. Other ethnic nationalities should be grateful to IPOB for giving them the courage and the heart to speak up and say they are not slaves.
“We are not afraid because IPOB is a peaceful mass movement and not a violent arms group. IPOB is a non-violent peaceful mass movement. There is no recorded event of an injury being sustained in any of the numerous IPOB gatherings. People converge in their millions to listen to this gospel of the restoration of Biafra.
“We are the most disciplined, most well- behaved, mass movement anywhere on the
