Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, has condemned the killings of unarmed members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) yesterday.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had clashed with Enugu State members of the proscribed group, which reportedly led about twenty-one of them to their early grave. Also, according to the secret police, two of its officers also died as a result of the dust-up.
In a Monday statement, the former minister said there exist no sense in killing unarmed members of the seccessionist group. It said the action, rather than calm frayed nerves, was making it worst.
He also condemned the retaliation of the group which led to the dead of two officers of the DSS.
“I deplore & condemn the slaughter of young IPOB members in Enugu yesterday by the FG-controlled security forces. Butchering innocent & defenceless young people who were not carrying arms simply because they were having a meeting does not make sense & does not help matters,” Fani-Kayode said.
“Rather it strengthens their cause, hardens their hearts, emboldens their resolve, legitimises their struggle & wins them sympathy & new friends all over the world. It is also a crime against humanity & those that carry out such murderous operations & dole out such orders become automatic candidates for the ICC at the Hague.
“Repression fuels the struggle for liberation & freedom rather than stifle it. The more IPOB youths are killed the more their ranks will swell. I call on the Buhari administration to stop this open display of socipathic madness & gratuitous violence against it’s own citizens & to be more tolerant, accommodating& restrained.I call for a cessation of hostilities &state-sponsored violence & on the FG to lift the ban on IPOB & enter into negotiations with them before it is too late.
“We must build bridges and not burn them. We must have the courage to talk to those who we may disagree with but who genuinely feel hurt and aggrieved and bring them back to the table. We must find a more civilised and humane way to resolve our differences.
“Permit me to add the following. If it is true that two DSS operatives were killed or abducted by IPOB then I condemn that as well. There is NOTHING to be gained in shedding blood & the killing of security operatives is not only morally reprehensible but will also lead to more violence and oppression. The resistance to tyranny and injustice must be peaceful and passive. That is the ONLY way forward. That is the moral path and it is the only one that ought to be taken,” he advised.
