It Is Wrong To Treat IPOB Same As Boko Haram – Afenifere, ECA Warn FG

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and the Eastern Consultative Assembly have warned against the recent order given to heads of security operatives by President Buhari to deal decisively with any security threat to the unity of the country.

The marching order came after a closed-door meeting the service chiefs and other security agencies had with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin, who spoke for the group, said: “I do not think the President should deal with Boko Haram and IPOB in the same breath. Boko Haram and IPOB are not the same.

“While Boko Haram is a terrorist organization that goes about bombing people and places, IPOB is an open organization. What IPOB has done is to call for a sit-at-home but Boko Haram is a terrorist group, except you want IPOB to go underground like Boko Haram.

“It is a wrong approach. You cannot treat Boko Haram and an open organization like IPOB in the same manner.”

Also, in its reaction, Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA, through its Secretary, Evangelist Elliot Ugochuchukwu-Uko, said:  “We are not surprised; it is part of the hatred. He can lump IPOB together with ISIS. We even expect him to change the name of Enugu to Islamabad.

“We are asking that Nigeria be restructured. Those killed  before were not armed and did not commit any known offence.

“What we are saying is that Nigeria must be restructured, nothing more and nothing less. It is part of Buhari’s hatred for Ndigbo but we are resolute that Nigeria must be restructured. IPOB is not a terrorist organization and we are not surprised with this horrifying decision."