WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL FOR A COUNCIL OF STATE MEETING BEFORE… | FALANA ATTACKS JONATHAN
WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL FOR
A COUNCIL OF STATE MEETING BEFORE… | FALANA ATTACKS JONATHAN
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana
has asked former President Olusegun Obasanjo to apologise for the killings in
Odi, Bayelsa state and Zaki Biam, Benue state during his tenure.
Why it matters:
In 1999, the army reportedly
killed 2,483 people in Odi, after the death of a soldier. Many people were
also reportedly killed in Zaki Biam in 2001 under Obasanjo’s administration.
Falana made the comment in a statement
after Obasanjo asked President Muhammadu Buhari to meet leader of the
Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu over Biafra agitation.
What he said:
Falana said Obasanjo’s advice was
good but he should first apologise for the killings under his administration.
He also criticised former
President Goodluck Jonathan for saying a council of state meeting should
be called to resolve the IPOB crisis in the south-east.
“It is submitted, without any
fear of contradiction, that neither the army nor the governors are empowered to
proscribe or label the IPOB a terrorist organisation. In banning the IPOB the
chief of army staff and the governors did not avert their minds to section 2 of
the Terrorism Act 2011 as amended which provides that a terrorist organisation
can only be proscribed in the country on the order of the federal high court
based on an application made by either the national security adviser,
attorney-general of the federation or inspector-general of police with the
approval of the president,” he said.
“In calling for dialogue between
President Buhari and Mr Kanu former President Obasanjo ought to have apologised
publicly for the military invasions of Odi in Bayelsa state and Zaki Biam in
Benue state ordered by him. The basis of the call should have been explained
since President Obasanjo charged Niger Delta militants, leaders of ethnic
militias and separatist movements with treason which led to their prolonged
detention in prison custody.
“Convinced that President
Obasanjo has realised that the criminalisation of such agitation did not
achieve its objective his suggestion for a dialogue should be seriously
considered by the federal government and the south-east governors.
“It is also interesting that
President Goodluck Jonathan is calling for a meeting of the council of state to
resolve the crisis. For goodness sake why was such a meeting not called before
soldiers were deployed in the Niger Delta to deal with militants. Or did
President Jonathan call any meeting before deploying soldiers all over the
country for the 2015 general elections in defiance of the judgments of the
federal high court and the court of appeal?
“Instead of suggesting irrelevant
meetings the root causes of the increasing loss of faith in the corporate
existence of Nigeria by unemployed youths and other poverty stricken people
should be urgently addressed by the ruling class.”
