IPOB: Saraki ‘supporting’ genocide to score cheap political points – Reps

Some members of the House of Representatives have described as “a tragedy of immense proportion”, Senate President Bukola Saraki’s opposition to the terrorist tag placed on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

They said that by his actions and words, the president of the Senate is supporting the group which has carried out genocide in some Nigerians in order to gain cheap political points.

Saraki had earlier in the week before the Federal Government eventually got an order proscribing and labelling IPOB as a terror group, argued that the Defence Headquarters DHQ categorisation of IPOB as a terrorist group was unconstitutional.

He had also faulted the group’s proscription by the South-east governors. According to Saraki, both the DHQ and the governors failed to follow constitutional process in their declaration, hence their actions were illegal and cannot stand.

But in their response, members of the House of Representatives under the aegis of Progressives Caucus, in a statement signed by Aiyu Madaki, Sani Zorro and Mohammed Soba lambasted Saraki for the position he took on the matter.

They also berated Senate deputy leader, Ike Ekweremadu for supporting the Nnamdi Kanu-led IPOB.

While listing alleged killings that have been perpetrated by IPOB, the Reps members said, “It is indeed a tragedy of immense proportion if the Senate President will close his eyes to these genocidal acts, and instead attempt to incite an armed rebel group against state actors, just to score cheap political points”.

The lawmakers also said: “We were shocked beyond belief when our attention was brought to the statement credited to the Senate President, Abubakar Saraki in which he willy-nilly endorsed the murderous activities of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), based on arguments that are bereft of reason, rationality or logic.

“In fact, a clear pattern of overt support to the leader of the terrorist group had since been established under the watch of the Senate President, for some time now..

“In the past his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, had not only hosted, but put the full paraphernalia of his office – bullet-proof cars, uniformed policemen and operatives of the department of the state security service (DSS), and full complement of his staff on our nation’s payroll, to give solidarity and support to a secessionist leader facing treason charges for levying war against Nigerians and the Nigerian state.

“On another count, only a self-hating leader devoid of human compassion could cover his eyes from the horror and bestiality being meted to Nigerians not indigenous to the so-called Biafra enclave over these past years, but will be excited at rushing to offer protection to Nigeria’s misguided groups, while thumbing down our nation’s defence forces that have continued to sacrifice their lives, so we may survive as a nation under God.

“Is the senate president unaware of the more than 1,900 Internally Displaced Persons presently taking refuge at the Aba Central Mosque, the more than 800 IDPs now sheltering in the Aba central police station after the gruesome murder of its Divisional Police Officer and his men?

“Is the Senate President not aware of the killing fields in Sabon Fili where innocent sellers of fruits were subjected to the gory, slow but painful deaths, or the killing of many and destruction of the property of Northerners at Oyibo, in Rivers State?

“What has he said about the premeditated murder of 9 other Nigerians of Northern extraction at Asaba, Delta State – all of which have been in circulation especially in the social media, in the last few days?

READ ALSO: Remove this terrorist tag from us, IPOB begs High Court

“It is indeed a tragedy of immense proportion if the Senate President will close his eyes to these genocidal acts, and instead attempt to incite an armed rebel group against state actors, just to score cheap political points.

“At this juncture, it has become necessary to ask all conscionable representatives of the Nigerian people, civil society activities, labour and its social partners, to stand up and be counted, by discharging their civic responsibility of exposing what is undoubtedly another hot pursuit against the Roghinga’s of 21st century Nigeria.”

This came just as IPOB on Friday commended Saraki and Southeast senators for opposing its proscription and terrorist tag. The group urged Saraki to fulfil his promise to investigate the clash between it and the Nigerian Army in Abia State that recently generated so much tension and allegedly led to loss of lives.

 

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