'Nigeria no longer under military rule', Jonathan tells Buhari

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari on his use of the military in suppressing separatist agitations in the southeast, as well as extending military campaigns to the southsouth and the southwest regions.

The former commander in chief issued this warning in a statement signed by his aide, Reno Omokri, on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.

In the Facebook post, the former leader of the country warned that the activities of the army in combating members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is unnecessary as it is out of their primary designation.

Jonathan made it clear that only the Nigeria Police Force is trained to fight crime internally while the army should be more concerned with facing the nation's external enemies.

The former president warned that the continued use of the military for domestic crime-fighting will only serve to intimidate people.

The statement read, "We want to advise the Buhari administration, which has announced plans to extend the military show of force to the Southsouth and the Southwest through Operation Crocodile Smile, to tread with caution.

"Nigeria is no longer under military rule. In a democracy, you separate the military from the police. The military is not meant to fight criminality within a nation because they are trained to fight a nation's external enemies.

"It is the police that are trained to fight crime internally.

"When the military starts doing the job of the police and starts fighting or doing what they call a 'show of force', the effect will not be to reduce crime. The effect will be to intimidate people."

The primary focus of the former president's statement was on Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who recently accused the opposition of sponsoring IPOB and claimed the group's activities were non-existent during Jonathan's tenure.

The statement slammed the minister's unguarded insinuations, pointing out that members of the ruling All Progressives' Congress (APC), most notably Senate President Bukola Saraki, have also condemned the government's handling of the group.

It read, "The insinuations in the press conference given by Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Sunday the 17th of September 2017, accusing the opposition of sponsoring the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the fact that he mentioned that Nnamdi Kanu preached Nigerian unity during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan is another clear indication that the present administration has not left propaganda mode for proper agenda mode two and a half year into their tenure.

"If the government in which Lai Mohammed serves, knows which opposition members are sponsoring IPOB, then they should identify them, arrest them and then prosecute them.

"Ever since Lai Mohammed made his ill advised statement, a principal member of the All Progressive Congress government and the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, has come out to say that the actions in the Southeast are troubling and some of it are unconstitutional. Is he also sponsoring IPOB too?

"It is our suspicion that Lai Mohammed is talking from history seeing as he criticized the Jonathan government for banning Boko Haram in a statement he released on June 10, 2013, even though the Jonathan government had gone through due process before proscribing that murderous sect.

"Perhaps Lai Mohammed thinks everybody is like him and those he represents.

"Let me say again to Lai Mohammed, the time for propaganda is gone. The time for blaming Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for all the unfulfilled promises of the APC government is over. Nigerians are no longer buying it."

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The statement also praised the southeast governors for their handling of the recent crisis involving the military and members of IPOB.

It read, "I also commend the governors of the Southeast for cooperating with the military and in the process saving lives and property. It is a noble act that should not be ignored."

Due to a week of violent clashes between IPOB members and the Nigerian Army in Abia state, the separatist group was officially branded a "militant terrorist organisation" in a statement by Director, Defence Information (DDI), Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, on Friday, September 15.

After an emergency meeting in Enugu, the South East Governors' Forum announced the proscription of activities of the group later on Friday.

Chairman of the forum, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi requested the group and other such groups to articulate their grievances and send to the forum.