Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to also extend the non-kinetic formula for tackling insecurity in Northern Nigeria as proposed by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, to the South-East.
According to COSEYL the submission by Shettima has vindicated the position of Igbo youths that military option is not the best approach towards ending the incessant sit-at-home and festering insecurity in the South-East.
The group argued that like Shettima suggested, the use of the military could not solve but escalate insecurity in any part of the country.
It, therefore, said that time had come for the Federal Government to review the current use of force in tackling the insecurity in the South-East.
Ikengaonline recalls that the Vice President, had while fielding questions from journalists during a condolence visit to Kano State on Sunday, said that “the military cannot end the crisis in the North-East as against a kinetic and non-kinetic solution.”
According to Shettima, President Bola Tinubu’s administration “will in the coming weeks unveil an initiative that will address insurgency and poverty, among other challenges confronting Nigerians especially those living in the northern region.”
Meanwhile, COSEYL, argued that “since it is obvious that the continued detention of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is the major reason for insecurity in South-East, the Federal Government should simply release him if it is sincere about the restoration of peace in the zone.”
COSEYL in a statement by its President General Goodluck Ibem, insisted that Kanu’s release remained the only panacea to the festering insecurity and tension in the South-East.
It called on President Tinubu, to show his respect for the rule of law by obeying the Court of Appeal judgment which had ordered the immediate and unconditional release of Kanu from the custody of the Department of State Service, DSS.
The statement made available to Ikengaonline read: “By all standards, it is an open knowledge that the detention of Nnamdi Kanu in DSS custody is unlawful and an illegality which we expect the President to do the needful by unconditionally releasing him as ordered by the court.
“The statement by Vice President Kashim Shettima that military might cannot solve crisis in North-East but using non-kinetic solution, addressing grievances and social exclusion will end crisis is a confirmation that the insecurity in South-East is as a result of Government’s disobedience to court order releasing Nnamdi Kanu; plus the marginalisation of the South-East zone from the scheme of things in Nigeria.
“Shettima’s statement has provided the lead-way to what should be done to stop the sit-st-home and insecurity ravaging the South-East.
“What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Since Shettima has come up with a workable approach towards solving insecurity in North-East, we demand that the same approach be adopted to solve the security challenge in the South-East region.
“Militarisation of the South-East under the guise of stopping sit-at-home or insecurity when the Federal Government knows what to do by obeying the Court of Appeal judgment releasing Nnamdi Kanu is a sinister motive to exterminate Igbo youths for voting for the Labour Party, LP, Presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi, in the last Presidential election.
“It is an open knowledge that President Tinubu has started clamping down on those that did not vote or support his presidential ambition and South-East is on top on his list.
“If President Tinubu decides to disregard the Court of Appeal judgment releasing Nnamdi Kanu from detention which will bring peace and security in the region and decides to unleash the military on the region, it then means he is on a vendetta mission on the people of South-East for voting for Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
“Unless we want to engage in an endless war of attrition, there cannot be a military solution to the crisis in the South-East. There has to be a non-kinetic solution to the insecurity in the South-East as recommended by Vice-President Kashim shettima for the resolution of crisis in the North-East.”
