The Federal Government has warned
the International Community against interfering in Nigeria‘s internal problem.
This warning follows the ongoing
battle by the government to flush out the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
from the South East.
Senior Special Adviser to
President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, Barrister Okoi Obono-Obla gave the
order on Saturday when he spoke to us on telephone.
He said that other countries
including Iraq have their problems and it was their governments that dealt with
them.
“International Community cannot
interfere with our internal affairs, every country has the right to control its
internal affairs. In Iraq there is a problem there, the government is dealing
with it, in Syria, the government is dealing with their problem and in the
United States, there are problems which the US government is dealing with, so
they cannot tell us how to deal with our own internal affairs,” Obla said.
He further said, “There is
nothing like international community, it is a propaganda. If anything happens
in Nigeria, the whole West African community will be destabilised. If the South
East desire peace, they will have peace, the people should come out and condemn
in totality what these miscreants called IPOB are doing, they should
excommunicate them, we don’t need it.”
On the invasion of military in
Aba, Obono-Obla said “The Military did not invade Aba, I disagree with you, and
the President has the constitutional power to deploy the military to anywhere
there is security reports of possible break down of law and order.
“The military’s job is to protect
the territorial integrity of Nigeria and also to ensure that there is no
internal break down of law and order. These people have been threatening and
declared Cross River, Kogi, Benue, Rivers, Balyelsa, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Imo, and
Anambra states as so called Republic of Biafra.”
“And they have been recruiting
Biafra National Guards, recruiting Biafra security service and the President of
the Country who has taken oath of office, who has swore by the constitution to
defend the constitution, to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity cannot fold
his arms, so why do you call it an invasion, it is not, so if the military
moves to Cross River to maintain law and order you call that an invasion, it is
not please.”
“The action of IPOB is
condemnable, it is stupid. For instance, I am from Cross River state; how can
they declare Cross River state as part of the republic of Biafra without the
consent of the people of the state, how can they declare Akwa Ibom as Biafra
State,Delta, Edo, Kogi, Benue, as Biafra states, how can they declare any part
of Nigeria as Biafra state? It is impossible and provocative,” he said.
The Special Adviser noted that,
“They went ahead to form security forces, Biafra security forces, Biafra
National Guard which is unconstitutional. The only approved security forces in
Nigeria is the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian
Police, DSS, Civil Defence, you cannot form a militia group and say it’s your
army, it is wrong, no nation can tolerate that.”
He said that the President has
been very calm over this provocative act by IPOB , saying he has been very
patient in the past two years. ”They have been blocking roads, collecting
taxes, extorting money from people, flying Biafran flag all over the place, I
mean these are all provocative act.
“They have been burning houses,
burning police stations, attacking innocent Nigerians living in the South South
and South East, these acts are tantamount to declaring war on the Federal
Government. International community cannot interfere with our internal affairs,
every country has the right to control its internal affairs,” he stressed.