By Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN—IJAW Youth Council, IYC, has condemned the recent proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, by the South-East states’ governors, describing their action as unjustifiable.
It faulted the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organisation by the military, saying it was “unconstitutional as it is targeted to silence right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association” when “herdsmen that have massacred thousands of unarmed Nigerians across the country have not been declared terrorists.”
It added: “The government should also jettison its plan to re-arrest Nnamdi Kanu. The only solution is to engage him in dialogue.”
A statement in Benin, Edo State, yesterday, by Mr. Roland Pereotubo, President of the youth body, said the governors’ action was “more of cowardice as it cannot stop the agitation in the region.
“Their (South-East governors) rash and brazen action is even at variance with international treaties empowering indigenous people to pursue self-determination through non-violence.
“IPOB members are only fighting for their rights through non-violence means. They felt marginalised, segregated and dejected. Oppression and injustice are the reasons why they are fighting for their freedom.
“The non-violence approach they took is within the ambit of international treaties, especially the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, which have empowered indigenous people in any of the member countries, who feel oppressed, to seek for freedom. These treaties are being codified in our domestic laws.
“The solution to IPOB, MASSOB and BIM’s separatists struggle in the South-East as well as the militants’ agitations in the Niger Delta region is through dialogue as no amount of proscription of these armless associations will cow the people into submitting their agitations to the oppressors.”
IYC called on the South-East governors to prevail on the Federal Govern-ment to address the issues of lopsided appointments and political margi-nalisation of the region.
