Nation
Afenifere Faults Buhari’s Shoot-At-Sight Order In S’East
Apex Yoruba association, Afenifere, has described the shoot-on-sight order given to soldiers in the South-East by President Muhammadu Buhari as a move that would further threaten the unity and ruptured peace in the country.
The order, which was given to the soldiers who are predominantly Northerners without first exploring the option of dialogue, the association maintained, had further fuelled the suspicion that Buhari did not consider the life of another ethnic group sacred but that of Fulani, his kinsmen.
The leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, stated this in a statement signed by the association’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Jare Ajayi, yesterday.
With the inconsiderate order, Afenifere expressed fear that the “fate of the people of the South-East amid clear and present animus, arising from the deeds and words coming from Buhari, now appeared to be in a certain jeopardy.
“The rising hostility against the South-East zone since the beginning of the Buhari administration has now become a matter of great concern to Afenifere, as this reality should also become a major concern of other stakeholders in the Nigerian project”.
The Afenifere leader, who described the order as “artless and heartless”, said it was targeted at protesting Igbo youths.
Adebanjo also noted that from the moment Buhari became president, his “disposition toward the Igbo, a demonstration of his own admission of 95/5%, has been against the posting of northern soldiers to kill at every opportunity, Igbo youths, his mode of engagement in the South-East zone has been this decisive, no dialogue, no civil discourse, just the gun and bullet approach.”
Apparently sensing some foul play, Adebanjo observed that the same fate did not apply to Buhari’s Fulani ethnic group.
He said the Fulani as exemplified by the herders, was the fourth deadliest terrorist group as determined by Global Terrorism Index, the international body that monitors terrorism all over the world.
“Whereas Buhari allows his Fulani people to roam freely, killing, maiming, raping, protecting, prevaricating to the Fulani herders without a restraining order, the Igbo youths he orders his mainly northern military to kill on sight.”
In what Adebanjo described as a “devious plot”, he recalled the genocide in Benue a few years back in which the Fulani killed in their hundreds the innocent citizens of that state.
“Adebanjo, as one of the leaders of Southern and Middle Belt Forum that travelled to Makurdi on that occasion, observed firsthand the positive identification of the killers by the Benue State Government and despite the incontrovertible identity of the killers, all Buhari had to say to the governor, was, “accommodate your neighbour”.
”Adebanjo decried the situation where two sets of laws exist in this country — a set of laws where the Fulani go scot-free and another, that the life of others, especially that of the Igbo, does not matter.
“Take a look at the security council, no Igbo man is a member of Buhari’s security architecture… Is that how to run a multi-ethnic multi-religious country like Nigeria? The Afenifere leader asked pertinently”.
Earlier, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, raised fresh worries over the directive to contain the tension when it condemned the “shoot on sight” order, insisting that it clearly confirmed the uneven handed way the Federal Government had been treating matters affecting the people of the zone.
Quoting an earlier report, Ohanaeze insisted that the way and manner soldiers were carrying out their duties in the zone in the guise of checking insecurity, indicated that a plot was afoot that could trigger “another pogrom and genocide in the zone.
“The pattern of deployment of northern military officers to the southeast lends credence to the above report. It was revealed that in preparation for the above, the Nigerian Army has posted Northern Muslims as commanders over its operations and brigades in Anambra, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Benue, Edo, Delta, and Rivers states.
“In Anambra, the Cantonment Commandant of the 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha, is Col. Abdulsalam Sambo, a northern Muslim; in Imo, the Commander of 34 Brigade, Obinze, is Brig-Gen Ibrahim Tukura, another Muslim; in Abia, the Commander of 14 Brigade, Ohafia, is Brig-Gen M. Ibrahim, a northerner, while in Akwa Ibom, the Commander of 2 Brigade, Uyo, is Brig-Gen Faruk Mijinyawa, another northerner. This is truly worrisome”, Ohaneze had stated.
In his concluding treatise on the “shoot-on-sight order, the Afenifere leader also said, “one will assume that Nigeria is now a theatre of bloodshed as our streets are now lined with the blood of innocent Nigerians not paved with the gold Buhari promised Nigerians with his mantra of Change…
“With this draconian order, no opposition member is safe. To prevent yet another looming massacre in the South-East zone, therefore, Afenifere leader has urged other leaders in the other zones to condemn the shoot-on-sight order.
“The President must be told that if he is sincere about the peace and unity of this country, his reckless and draconian order should be revoked forthwith. Certainly, if the President has no hidden agenda, there are more civilized and democratic ways to beef up the security in the South-East.”
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
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