President of the EU Commission Junker

The European Union has faulted the decision of the Nigerian Army to declare the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, a separatist group based in the South Eastern part of the country as a terrorist organisation.

This follows the brutal and inhuman video showing on various social media platforms showing officers and men of the Nigerian Army torturing, invading, terrorising and killing IPOB members.

President of the EU Commission Mr. Jean-Claude Junker has openly made a serious touching statement as well as warning the Nigerian security personnel against their ill hearted and unprofessionalism in handling democratic issues and the rights of the people.

Junker directed a serious caution towards the Nigerian Military chiefs, stating that they must employ every democratic tenet in handling issues that concern disgruntle and agitations.

He said: “It is the people’s right to agitate and make a request from their government, self-determination is a right enshrined in the United Nation Charta. The people of BIAFRA have every right to request for a referendum, they have been in this struggle for a while now they have never killed or shot a bullet instead they are the victims of attacks and murder. The entire EU hereby condemns the brutal attack on IPOB members and leadership under the pretentious disguise of a military exercise (Operation Python Dance)”.

“The Nigerian military is also warned to adopt democratic tenets in handling citizens. The EU will not sit and watch things go undemocratic in the largest economy of the West African region”.

Mr. Junker however promised to raise the issues concerning the people’s request for a referendum among the caucus of the EU.

He further stated that the Biafra’s request for a referendum is not different from that of the Catalonians and the Britain.

“Nigeria’s government must rise above insubordination and handle issues with every tenet of maturity and democracy now”, he also said emphatically.

Recall that the Federal Government had deployed troops under the codename: ‘Operation Python Dance’ to the South East region of the country to check crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping and separatist agitations, among others, which a lot of people believed was merely devised to re-arrest the leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu.

It was reported that scores of innocent civilians including women and children had died following the invasion of Kanu’s home by soldiers, thus prompting Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to declare a dusk to dawn curfew since Tuesday this week.

Meanwhile, the South-East Governors’ Forum in its meeting of September 15, 2017, which Kanu initially agreed to attend but declined at the dying minute on allegations that the Military was ploting to kill him, proscribed the group.

Some of the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting held in Enugu reads in part: “In view of the prevailing security situation in the South East and its attendant consequences, the South East Governors hereby resolve as follows: All activities of IPOB are hereby proscribed. IPOB and all other aggrieved groups are advised to articulate their position on all National issues and submit to the Committee of Governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo and National Assembly Members from the South East Zone, through the Chairman, South East Governors Forum”.

“All Governors of South East Zone are to ensure compliance in their respective State. South East Governors Forum, Ohaneze Ndigbo and National Assembly Members do hereby reinforce their commitment to a united and indivisible Nigeria”.

The communiqué read to the media by the chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State Engr. David Umahi, also reinforced the desire of the South East Governors for the restructuring of Nigeria where all National issues will be discussed and amicably settled to achieve justice and fairness to every Nigerian, among several others.