The National Coordinator of Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams has come down heavily on the Nigerian army following the spates of clash with religious and ethnic agitators that left scores of Shi’ites Muslims and Pro-Biafra Protesters dead in Zaria and Onitsha, respectively.
Adams did not mince words in calling on President Muhammadu Buharito call the “trigger-happy” military to order to forestall crisis that will further tear the country apart.
The OPC leader who spoke in Osogbo at the conferment of award on him as Culture Ambassador by the Osun State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists said the federal government cannot force agitators for Biafra to remain in Nigeria adding that they has right to self determination.
In Zaria, about 60 Shi’ites members were feared dead when they clashed with military officers attached to the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai. Similarly, the number of causalities recorded is believed to be above 20 during two separates clashes in Onitsha between the military and members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB).
While condemning the killing of some Biafran jubilants in Onitsha over the court’s order that the leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu be released by the Joint Task Force, Adams urged the federal government to listen to their agitation.
He said: “What happened in Kaduna is not what we expected right now, especially the crises of Boko Haram, the agitation of the MASSOB, but I will appeal to the military and other security apparatus to be calm when they have provocation from different citizens of this country.
“Their work is to safeguard us and maintain peace and order in the society and to guard the country against external aggression. With the pictures of the shiite killing that I saw on the internet, the people killed in the attack were more than two hundred. In civilised country, you don’t kill your citizen like that, even when they provoke you, you should pamper them in order to avoid that ugly situation.
“Even though they embarrased the Chief of Army Staff, they should have disarmed them and arrest the leader for questioning and not using weapon to kill people like that. International community will not overlook such a thing. My advice to the president of Nigeria is that he should be very careful so that they will not run him to the issue of genocide after leaving that office.
“We are not in the military era that anybody can just kill anybody. If anyone does it in Europe or America, that person will be in trouble. I am not saying the Shiite are right because when people do procession, you don’t block all the road but the military has to be mature in their approach because we cannot continue to shed innocent blood and expect progress in the country.
“Killing armless and innocent people like fowl should not be accepted in any sane democracy. The president have to be very careful, he should not play into the hands of gullibles.”
On agitation for Biafra, the OPC leader said: “I will just say that they are entitled to their own self determination. Look, there is a law in Africa that recognises right to self determination, also, there is a law in United Nations that recognises right to self determination.
“There is a country among the United Nations that its population is not up to 50,000 and their flag is in the United Nations. Some West African Nations are not up to 50,000 and their flags are in the United Nations. I am not saying we should promote secession but at thesame time, you cannot force people to the unity of Nigeria, you don’t use force to co-opt people for the unity of Nigeria.
“You have to tame them and listen to their agitation. If we cannot give you secession, should we give you statism or regionalism? That is a process of negotiating. British did not use force against Scotland when it secedded from Britain, and there is a tribe in Spain that wants to pull out, they didn’t use force against them.
“Killing Igbo people who are agitating for Biafra is not the best way to address the issue. What happened yesterday in Onitsha is a very serious thing. They were jubilating in the street and the law enforcement agents went there and killed five of them, its very barbaric and uncalled for, any good society will not encourage that.
“I think we should appeal to our law enforcement agencies because any form of trigger-happy attitude should not be condoned in any normal democratic setting,” Adams said
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