The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC led by Comrade Roland Oweilaemi Pereotubo, Esq, on Sunday called on the Nigerian Military to delist the IPOB group or any of its affiliate groups as “terrorist organisation” saying the declaration of the group as a terrorists organisation is “Unconstitutional” as “it is targeted at ending right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
Pereotubor said the military’s misconceived action was inconsistent with international treaties that empowered those harmless Organisations to agitate for their freedom.
Pereotubor made the assertion in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media,Comrade Alaowei Cleric, Esq, and made available to DAILY POST in Warri, saying there is no rationale behind the declaration as the reasons advanced by the military cannot hold waters.
Pereotubor noted that no amount of proscription of the Independent People of Biafra,IPOB and militants in the Niger Delta as a terrorist group by the Nigerian Military will cow them into submitting their agitations to oppressors.
He added that dialogue was the only solution to the agitations by the Independent People of Biafra, the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra as well as militants in the South-East and Niger Delta Region.
“There are no reported cases of IPOB members or any of their affiliate groups terrorising people in the South East. Even the alleged confrontation with the military, according to the former’s account is that the youths were merely armed with sticks, bottles and stones.”
“How on earth do such persons’ actions constitute threat to national security? The Fulani herdsmen that have massacred thousands of unarmed Nigerians across the country have not been declared terrorists.”
“Let the military collaborates with the relevant authorities to address the injustices against the South East and the South South regions.”
Pereorubor also enjoined the South-East Governors to use their vintage position to prevail on the Federal Government to address the vexatious issues of the lopsided appointments as well as the political marginalization of the region by the present Government.
“They should rather speak for the people whom they represent instead of cowardly joining the oppressors to continue sidelining the region from the scheme of things.”
He further said only restructuring of the country to allow for regional autonomy and resource ownership can curb the agitations in the Niger Delta region.
He warned that the killings of harmless agitators in the East must stop now.
“The Government should also jettison its plan to rearrest Nnamdi Kanu. The only solution is to engage him in a dialogue, while the present Government retraces its steps towards the region.” —
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