Lai: Nigeria would have been on fire without ‘illegal Python Dance’
Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says the country would have been in crisis if President Muhammadu Buhari was “overly concerned” about the legality of deploying troops in the south-east.
Last week, the army launched ‘Operation Python Dance II’ to clampdown on pro-Biafra agitators in the region.
There were clashes between members of IPOB and soldiers in Abia state, which became a flashpoint of violence. The group also assaulted Hausa natives in Rivers state.
In the heat of the conflict, the defence headquarters declared IPOB a “militant terrorist” organisation. South-east governors subsequently proscribed the group.
However, the action of the military and the governors was criticised by Senate President Bukola Saraki who described it as unconstitutional.
Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, also added his voice to the condemnation of the proscription of IPOB.
Speaking with state house correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday, Mohammed said the country would have been in crisis if the president had not intervened.
He said the intervention of south-east governors and their northern counterparts staved off reprisal attacks in the north.
The minister also disclosed that the president had approved the process for the proscription of IPOB.
“But before I proceed, let me state clearly that it is within the rights of individuals or groups to seek self-determination. But this pursuit has to be non-violent. Where any group crosses the line by engaging in violence, it risks being cut to size. And that’s exactly what has happened to IPOB,” he said.
“I am not interested in the semantics or legality of troop deployment or the proscription of IPOB. All I know is that IPOB has engaged in terrorist activities, viz: setting up parallel military and paramilitary organisations, clashing with the national army and attempting to seize rifles from soldiers, using weapons such as machetes, Molotov cocktails and sticks and mounting roadblocks to extort money from people, among others.
“To those who have engaged in semantics or legality, I ask: Which country in the world will tolerate those activities I have listed above? Which national army will look the other way when it is being attacked by a band of thugs?”
Kudos to PMB for chasing those miscreants ipob back into their hole, if not they would have caused another civil war. All thanks to Alh Lai Mohammed for giving us day to day activities of this administration
When you hear something like this, Then you know we have the right people in the right positions…
They started as a group of people and now they have engaged in semantics and terrorism and that has to be put down immediately with effect and thus the army needed to be sent in to clean up..
God bless Nigeria and God bless us all
Noted HMIC..Kudos to you and the entire cabinet members of the PMB administration in not giving up on this country..
Always making sure to put the people at first before any selfish motives..
The right thing was what you did and because the opposition could not use this to their advantage is why they are bitter about what the government did..
Legality or suppressing reprisal and not bringing down the country, Which is better?
God bless Nigeria and God bless us all
Kudos to you and the entire PMB cabinet..You are putting the nation first and ahead all the time you are met with a fiasco..
Well done..
God bless Nigeria and God bless us all..
Alh Lai Mohammed remains the best minister of information Nigeria ever had, working 24/7 to take his ministry to greater heights and defending this administration as well, his also the mouthpiece for the poor. More greese to your elbow sir
Lai Mohammed have said it all , if not for buhari things could have gotten worst kudos to pmb it shows that he is really concerned about the welfare of the country nigeria as a country must live as one