Prof Kingsley Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and ex-presidential candidate, has warned the Federal Government against the excessive militarization of the South-East in its mission against secessionists.
Taking to Twitter, he expressed displeasure at the order to the police to “essentially violate human rights and engage in extrajudicial killings in the South-East” reportedly issued by the Inspector-General of Police.
Lamenting the “double-standards in security operations” in Nigeria, Moghalu asked to know if the shoot-at-sight order by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, against terrorist herdsmen has yielded any result.
He said, “I am as disturbed by the general narrative against the Fulani, because of the failure of @NigeriaGov to secure our country from invading foreign terrorists – a failure that many Fulani & others in Northern Nigeria find as unconscionable as other Nigerians in the South – as I am with the Police Inspector-General’s reported order to police to essentially violate human rights and engage in extrajudicial killings in the Southeast under the guise of “Operation Restore Peace” in the region against Biafra secessionist agitators. The IG says President Buhari has ordered a “shoot at sight” against anyone carrying an AK-47 rifle illegally, ostensibly as a justification for his spurious orders regarding the Southeast. I’d like to know how many terrorist “herdsmen” in Nigeria have been “shot at sight” so far since the President’s reported order.
“A lack of commitment to a Nigeria based on the equality of every Nigerian and every part of Nigeria is the reason why there are very obvious double standards in security operations in Nigeria. This leads us to simplistic narratives that demonize ethnic groups at large and to compare apples with oranges.
“I believe that Nigeria can flourish under the right conditions, with real leadership. Agitations for secession are fed by a deep sense of injustice and alienation, and not just in the Southeast. Nation-building calls for addressing these root causes, not lazy, jaundiced responses to agitation and security challenges from a particular part of the country that only worsen the problem, while even worse challenges in other parts are essentially met with ransom payments and “negotiations”.
“Let me be clear: I do not support violence or the targeting of security forces by any group or individuals. And I do not support hate narratives against ANY Nigerians, whether they are peaceful Fulani that do not support invading foreign terrorists and rank nepotism in (mis) governance or political agitators against injustice and hegemony.
