A renowned Security Expert, Ambassador Abayomi Nurain Mumuni has advised the Federal Government to treat the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu like a terrorist.
Mumuni in a statement made available to journalists on Friday threw his weight behind the deployment of army to Umuahia, the Abia state capital.
He maintained that though Kanu and his cohorts had the constitutional justification to demand for their rights, it must be done legally and in a manner devoid of violence.
He said “They have every right to protest and demand for their rights in a peaceful manner, no two ways about that, but applying terrorism into the act violates the right of peace loving Nigerians and any act of terror must be countered without leaving any stone unturned.”
He counselled the Federal Government that the best way to counter IPOB’s lawlessness was to deploy the military personnel to address the issue before it escalates.
“I did mention this few months ago. I warned against provocative utterances during the IPOB clash with the Arewa Youths, but the Igbo leaders refused to adhere to my warning.
“They maintained criminal silence. Mr President has given enough room for both Governors and the elders of the affected states to call the agitators to order but they failed to do so, simply because they are cowards. Many of them are also corrupt elements without self-pride.
“So, why blame the Federal Government for deploying the Nigerian Army to Aba and Umuahia when the State Governor allows the criminals to take laws into their hands?”, he asked.
He added that, though the military should not be parading the streets of a democratic society like ours as if we were in a state of war, the Nigerian police was not adequately trained to withstand such security pressure.
“I do not see any reason why the government will risk the lives of innocent police officers to address the situation on ground in that region, when common hoodlums can disarm Nigerian police with toy guns.
“The Nigerian police have their own boundaries. They should not be dragged into this crisis. They are better off at the stadiums where matches are played and for election supervision.
“The Operation Python Dance II has no negative implication. I do not see any negative consequence to calling the military to take charge.
“The act needed a drastic approach to avert reoccurrences, like guerrilla warfare. Currently, Boko Haram has been dragged to a buffer zone where they operate in isolation, and Nigerians should not allow another terrorist group to spring up from nowhere. They should be crippled immediately.”
He said the affected state governors have failed their people by not coming out and speaking in one voice against the agitators.
“They couldn’t stop him because they definitely know Kanu will wash their dirty linen in public. It’s like calling for a dance at the market square. The man will embarrass them to the fullest.
“The current happenings in the region have exposed the Governors’ lack of communication skills to call for peace within their domain, not until Mr President deployed military personnel to the environment to protect lives and properties, which is the priority of every government.”
Mumuni however, believed that it was not too late for the Federal Government in conjunction with the South East Governors to immediately apply damage control to avert a high level state of emergency.
According to him, Nigerians need to learn from history.
“We don’t want a repeat of what happened during the Biafran (civil) war, whereby hundreds of thousands of Nigerians lost their lives. Many became refugees or were displaced in their own country and unfortunately, those agitating for Biafra now were mainly youths yet unborn during the war.
“The devastating effects of Boko Haram’s senseless war in the North East is still fresh in our memories. This was how they started. And, look at it today; the number of people we have lost. The spate of suicide bombings in that region is worrisome despite military efforts to tame it. Yet, the casualties are not animals, they are human beings.
“It is my belief that military intervention will bring normalcy to the affected regions. The Federal Government, the South East Governors and the elders of the region should thereafter engage in peaceful dialogue to bring lasting peace to the region”.
