Igbo cultural group lauds Army

In a statement signed by INM's National Coordinator, Mazi Ifeanyi Igwe, the group expressed its happiness on the move by the Military, saying the development would flush out all the criminal elements threatening the peace and unity of the nation.

Mazi Igwe expressed his group's happiness and excitement with the administration of President Muhammedu Buhari and the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, for taking the bold step, saying the Operation Python Dance would help in stamping out crimes like kidnapping, armed robbery and violent secessionist agitations in the region.

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The statement reads in part:

“Our experiences have shown the ferociousness, the sophistry of arms and frequency of these violent raids of communities, households or attacks on targeted individuals and worship places or chilling murders of security agents, as overstretching and overwhelming the regular civil security like the Police, DSS, and Civil Defence among others.

Thus, the development has created a big security gulf and challenge, which leaves most of these victims and targets prostrate before these armed hoodlums and assailants. We recount with fondness and bliss a similar exercise by the Nigerian Army code-named Operation Python Dance I at about the same time, under the supervision of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai and his subordinates in 2016.

We were impressed as it conformed to the highest standards of military and civil engagements and due respect for the human rights of the people, as soldiers only hunted and fished out these criminals from their hideouts.

These criminal elements were handed over to prosecuting authorities for appropriate lawful trials. This operation guaranteed a hitch-free, peaceful, serene and secure environment for business and the yuletide festivities of last year.

Therefore, we perceive the second phase of the exercise this month as the continuation of the efforts at cleansing our besieged and assailed communities by ridding them of criminal gangs.

We wholeheartedly support this initiative of the FGN, as we pledge our total and unadulterated support as well as cooperation to the success of this mission.

We have no doubt that this decision by the Buhari Presidency is not only germane but has become imperative in the Southeast region, because we are losing too many precious lives to these heartless and blood-curdling vampires tormenting our peace, commence and fast-forwarding the dislocation of our social and communal existence so dangerously.

It is on this premise that we are compelled to fault the surreptitious attempts by these CSOs to frustrate the exercise, malign our saviours, the Nigerian Army while berating and scolding the FGN.

We dare say, it is extremely uncharitable and belies wisdom for Intersociety to foul the air by categorizing the current move by the government to secure the Southeast from these hoodlums as a declaration of unwarranted and unprovoked war on the Igbo nation.

And we do not believe they have the license to dictate to the FGN how it handles any insecurity issues.

We are prompted to ask, with our gory and painful experiences these past months, what the state governors in the Southeast, who have the police at their beck and call have achieved in this regard that the CSOs have the temerity to question and erroneously qualify the deployment of soldiers as the militarization of the region?

We do not believe democratic liberties are anchored vaguely or argued on a blank cheque. The declaration of Intersociety amounts to dancing on the graves of the victims of these criminal gangs and mocking the pains and sorrows of the families of the victims.

We make bold to reaffirm that under the Buhari presidency, Nigerian soldiers have been re-orientated, disciplined and professionally responsible in all their civil engagements across the nation.

The fears expressed and projected by Intersociety are therefore unfounded, baseless and carefully packaged tissues of lies only worth for the trash can.

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Why do we only delight in denigrating the Army anytime there is a pursuit of ulterior motives? That is when we falsely ascribe to them all manner of names just to smear their reputation.

We cannot expect in all sincerity, that the FGN should continue to tolerate the amassing of such criminal and evil forces against the Southeastern people or any other Nigerian anywhere he resides in the country.

No one should think of intimidating us to close our businesses to serve the interest of a few armed criminals bent on destabilizing our region."