"President Buhari is the cause of Agitation in Nigeria, Deproscribe IPOB As Terrorist Organization now" - OYC, Igboayaka Tells FG

The leadership of Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, under Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka has appealed to the Federal Government to deproscribe and delist the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as a terrorist organization.

This contained in a press briefing made by the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) Comrade Igboayaka O Igboayaka at Umuahia over the weekend.

OYC noted that after the Nigeria-Biafra war, the people of the Eastern region went through all kinds of demeaning treatments and marginalization that has spurred secessionist agitations by various groups in the region, adding that deproscribing IPOB would open avenues towards confronting and solving the issues that has bedevilled the region and its people at large for peace to reign.

OYC questioned the Federal Government’s retention of unarmed and non-violent IPOB on its terror list, which proscribes the Biafra separatist group’s activities, while groups like Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen mass killers, who are on a killing spree, are moving around freely and pampered with a proposed settlement.

OYC also faulted the misuse of state power by Federal Government officials, including President Buhari which resulted in the illegal proscription of an unarmed group, such as IPOB and its labelling as a terror group, even as the same administration went about dialoguing with the bandit group, Boko haram violent armed killer herdsmen and failing to declare their leaders known as Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, a terror organisation.

These are groups and associations that have done more terrible things in the country. IPOB is only agitating for Biafra and they have done nothing more than agitation, they have not killed anybody; but on the contrary, they are the ones being killed and they are still being killed, with hundreds of them in many prisons in Nigeria.

 The Federal Government used double standards in the proscription of IPOB. What standard did they use to proscribed IPOB? They used another standard for Boko Haram, used another standard for Fulani herdsmen, another standard for Bandits, Citizens should be treated equally no matter the region where he is coming from.

OYC believed that deproscribing IPOB will also mark as a step to address their grievances; it will motivate the members of the group who are also citizens of this country to see things differently and come forward to the dialogue table to seek ways to tackle and settle burning issues that has led to their agitation.

OYC noted that since 2015 president Muhammad Buhari took power Nigeria has plunged into many secessionist group, were others are working secretly. It obvious that recently Dr. Dogo Isuwa the National publicity Secretary of Middle Belt Leaders Forum denied the position of Northern Elders Yahaya Kwande and his leader, Prof. Ango Abdullahi who is the Northern Elders Forum President declared their position as a mere  daydreaming. They are not only dreaming, they are suffering from illusion. Both men are still living in the past, and the earlier they face the reality, the better. The bitter truth which Ango Abdullahi and Kwande may find difficult to swallow is that the Middle Belt is no longer part of the North.

Therefore the Ohanaeze Youth Council OYC has seen that the administration of president Muhammad Buhari is making milore secessionist group to emerged in Nigeria. OYC stressed that Biafra quest has become a belief and an ideology that can only take a massive economic development in Igbo land to Erase. Proscribing IPOB is like elongating the problem with Nigeria and making new generation of Igbo extraction to hate and reject the project of one Nigeria.

Signed

Chukwuemeka  Chimerue

Special Assistant on Media And Publicity  

National president Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC)

July 28, 2019