NEWISSUES
The Biafran agitation is not the most complicated situation in the hands of the federal government until former president, Mr. Muhammadu Buhari radicalised the group by giving too much attention to IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and mismanaging the Fulani herdmen attacks that finally led to IPOB becoming militarised. Fulani herdsmen attack suddenly became a problem in the Southern part of Nigeria under Buhari as the group turn to a big cartel of kidnapping for ransom. Blocking the highways all across the country, they launch attacks kidnapping people, demanding outrageous amounts, killing those who could not pay.
When it was clear that Mr. Buhari was unwilling to deal with the situation, South West governors pressed for state police, and they went for it, Amotekun.
South East governors were indecisive. Despite Fulani herdsmen attacks, with few of them nursing presidential ambition, and Ebonyi State governor joining the ruling party, they were unable to meet up with the yearning of their people, not just unable, they were unwilling. IPOB members who were obviously preparing to defend themselves against the federal government aggression, suddenly saw opportunity, they suddenly launched their own group as the police that would protect Igbo against Fulani herdsmen aggression and destruction. It would soon snowball into attacks on security operatives with the people caught in the middle as collateral.
When the federal government is making attempts to negotiate with other violent groups, and giving amnesty to even Boko Haram, they have simply ignored the Biafran agitation, assuming with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in their custody, the problem is curtailed. Even Igbo leaders are threading carefully not to ask for amnesty for the Biafran agitators not to be labelled as being sympathizers.
When this medium does not support the politicing of “amnesty”, or making peace with violent groups through amnesty, we see an unfair treatment in the way Igbos are treated. This is an opportunity for the President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu's government to do something different, show the Igbo agitators that they belong to Nigeria and have the rights to aspire and be anything in Nigeria, by uttering the right language, calling for dialogue, and releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally.
The Nigerian government should also learn the tenants of democracy. Government do not just kill peaceful protesters. For the most part, the Biafran agitation has been peaceful. The Nigerian police attacks on the group over the years before the group metamorphosed into a violent group needs to be investigated. The police treatment of certain groups has been clearly the reasons for why most groups target the police. It is time to reform the federal police by teaching how to behave in a democracy, that is if we are ready for this democracy.
