Standup9ja: FG to decide Kanu’s fate – Buratai
IPOB designation
illegal – Saraki
Northern govs
visit S/East
The fate of the leader of the Independent People of Biafra
(IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, rests with the Federal Government, Chief of Army Staff
(COAS) Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has said.
The final decision whether or not to arrest Kanu is to be
made by the government, Buratai told journalists on the sideline of the opening
ceremony of the combined second and third quarter, Chief of Army Staff
conference, 2017.
He said: “As regards the proscription, the Federal
government will take a final decision on that. There are guidelines as provided
in the anti-terrorism act.
“I’m sure the relevant government agencies will take
appropriate steps whether to arrest, or whether to do any other actions, and we
will receive the appropriate directives from the authorities.”
Asked if the army would withdraw troops from the South East
as demanded by the governors of the region, Buratai said the Army would
continue with Exercise Python Dance in accordance with constitutional
provisions.
“You should understand the context in which the Nigerian
Army is operating. Nigerian Army is part of the political consideration in the
democratic system.”
“It is part of the democratic process, it is a product of
the democratic governance, you know the military, we are not receiving any
pressure.”
He added: “There are several provisions that give us those
responsibilities and also to carry out such task as duly assigned by the
government or by the constituted authority. Be rest assured that we don’t have
any other role that is outside the constitution.”
Earlier in his opening remarks on the conference, Buratai
noted that Nigeria’s geo-strategic influence is increasingly being threatened
by non-state actors.
He said non-state actors are becoming more audacious and
showing greater capabilities to engage state forces in near conventional
scenarios.
He said the Army is saddled with the task of developing a
mix of capabilities that can counter a wide spectrum of threats.
He said, for example that the tactics and approach to the
war against Boko Haram terrorists are being re-appraised to address issues of
mobility in the desert terrain and cover a wide area of the theatre. Buratai
said he introduced the Mobile Brigade to operate as Mobile Strike Teams (MSTs)
in order to dominate the entire theatre of operation and deny Boko Haram
members freedom of action.
He added that the Motor Cycle Battalion is a new innovation
with powerful motorcycles to outpace Boko Haram Terrorists during pursuits in
difficult terrains.
He also said the Bama initiative is being launched for the
Nigeria Army to train 3,000 personnel of the Police and Civil Defence Corps
that would be deployed for security of Bama and its environs.
He said the arrangement would relief troops from security
duties in Bama Local Government Area and enable them face Boko Haram in the
hinter lands.
Declaring IPOB as terrorists illegal - Saraki
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has declared as
unconstitutional and illegal the categorisation of IPOB as a terrorist
organization.
In a statement he personally signed yesterday, Saraki said
the National Assembly will investigate the matter.
“I wish to state that the announcement of the proscription
of the group known as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by Governors of the
South-east states and the categorization of the group as a ‘terrorist
organisation’ by the Nigerian military are unconstitutional and does not follow
due process.
“Our laws make clear provisions for taking such actions and
without the due process being followed, such declaration cannot have effect. I
am sure the President will do the needful by initiating the right process. The
Senate president who said the crisis in the geopolitical zone will not benefit
anybody said it would only expose innocent people to unwarranted danger.
“At this point, Nigerians outside the South-east who have
worked to ensure that the crisis does not spread to other parts of the country
deserve our commendation. I therefore call for continued efforts to sustain
peace, unity and stability in all our communities so as to ensure that all
residents, no matter their religion, tribe and creed remain protected and safe
under the law.
“It is also important that commentators and purveyors of
information on all media platforms should be conscious of the need, at all
times, to maintain the unity of the country. Therefore, they must refrain from
circulating information that has the potential for aggravating the crisis,” he
said.
Commending the military for their efforts in restoring peace
in different parts of the country, he said in the face of provocation, the
military should allow themselves to be guided by their training which emphasizes
respect for human rights, even in war.
“Also, giving the nature of this particular situation, the
military has every reason to be hesitant in the use of force. Also, it is my
view that we should not over-stretch the military,” he said.
He reiterated the need for all leaders of thought -
political, religious and traditional - to continue to engage with the masses on
the need to maintain peace and be our brothers’ keepers.
Buratai reacts over senate statement on IPOB
Buratai said the defence headquarters’ statement
categorising IPOB as terrorist organisation was a pronouncement.
He spoke yesterday in Abakaliki the Ebonyi state capital
where he flagged off operation Python dance aka Egwu-Eke in the state.
Lt. Gen. Buratai said what the defence headquarters did was
to create public awareness over the unconstitutional activities of the group in
South east.
“Let us get it right; what the defence headquarters said was
a pronouncement and not a declaration as the case may be in line with its duty
to protection lives, properties and the sovereignty of the nation”,he said.
Northern govs visit South-east, South-south
As part of efforts to douse tension and promote peace and
dialogue among all sections of the country, a delegation from the Northern
Governors Forum is to pay a visit to the South East and South-south
geo-political zones of the country.
This is contained in a statement signed Governor Aminu
Tambuwal’s spokesman, Malam Imam Imam.
“The team, to be led by the Chairman of the Forum and
Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shattima, will have Governor Aminu Bello
Masari of Katsina, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of
Kebbi and Simon Lalong of Plateau
State,” the statement said.
It added that the delegation would hold meetings with their
counterparts in Rivers, Abia and Imo states.
“Apart from the visit to political leaderships in those
states, the delegation is expected to meet with traditional and religious
leaders. They will also confer with northerners resident in those states,” it
added.
The statement added that the delegation would reassure their
counterparts in the South-south and South-east that all Nigerians are free to
stay in all parts of the country, especially in the North, and that the entire
North stands with the people of the South-east in this period of heightened tension.
The visit has the blessing of President Muhammadu Buhari, it
stated.
The Northern governors, while in Abia, applauded the various
security measures and initiatives put in place by the governors of the South
East zone.
Shettima commended the leadership displayed by the Abia
Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu at a time of crises.
He said “We have a moral obligation as leaders and governors
to ensure the country remains one indivisible entity.”
Responding, Governor Ikpeazu said the coming of the northern
governors will stabilize the peace currently enjoyed in the state.
They also visited Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike
and commended him for taking urgent
steps that led to the protection of
Nigerians living in the state.
‘IPOB deceiving int’l community with fake videos’ The
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is using fake videos of mass killings from
other parts of Africa to mislead the international community, the Federal
Government has said.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, who stated this when he addressed Online Publishers in Lagos
yesterday, said the fake videos were doctored to look current so as to win
sympathy.
A statement by the minister’s aide SegunAdeyemi said ‘’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!”
The minister said the group is writing to the governments
and 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.
He said some ill-informed foreign individuals are already
trumpeting IPOB’s lies and propaganda and even alleging genocide.
‘‘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 said.
He appealed to the Online Publishers to help counter the
fake narrative on the Social Media on the situation in the South-east.
He reiterated his earlier statement that IPOB was being
sponsored by a coalition of politically-disgruntled and treasury looters, and
that the organization is a contraption against the Buhari Administration.
Kwankwaso seeks military intervention, dialogue
Former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
(APC, Kano), has advocated for the combination of military intervention and
dialogue in addressing the crisis in the South East created by IPOB.
In an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, Kwankwaso
said dialogue remained the key to calming the chaotic situation, but stressed
that military presence was also necessary.
The former governor appealed to the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 43 other political
parties in the country to bury their differences and unite against insecurity
in the country. He also called on the federal government to diversify the
nation’s economy, create jobs and mobilise all citizens to participate fully in
nation building.
The former governor also appealed to elder statesmen,
traditional rulers and religious leaders across the country to play key roles
in ending insecurity in the north and southern parts of the country.
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