‘Don’t Use Force on Pro-Biafra Agitators’

From Ede Simeon, Awka

A Prominent Community leader and a philanthropist of national repute, Chief Ozo Raphael Igwe Uchenna, have advised the government not to use force on Pro-Biafra agitators.
Chief Raphael, who made the appeal while speaking with The Dream Daily in his hometown Amansea, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State at the weekend, noted that the use of force would not only be counter-productive but also escalate the crisis.
He said: “I implore the Federal and State governments not to contemplate the use of force against Biafran protesters. The use of force will aggravate the problem. I urge President Muhammadu Buhari to adopt dialogue approach. It is within the ambit of the constitutional rights of people to protest and demonstrate.
“What these people are doing now was triggered by the deliberate neglect of the south easterners and the incessant humiliation received from the para-military forces of the Federal Government, who alleged ly said that the agitation for Republic of Biafra was illegal, not minding that they are not violent or taking up arms against the governments. It is better to solve the problem now through dialogue before it worsens. It is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.”
Expatiating on why he wants the federal government to explore the dialogue option, Ozo said: The use of force will never work. Force can’t work. It is not the solution because history has shown that at the end of the day, it is dialogue that is embraced as tool of resolution in many crises.
Look at the agitations by the people of Niger-Delta over issues relating to environmental degradation as a result of oil exploration. Initially when the Abacha government murdered late Ken Saro- Wiwa, they thought by doing that they would be able to suppress the people, but the reverse was the case as the agitations became more pronounced, and later became violent with the militants taking to the creeks before the later former President Umaru Ya’adua’s administration called for dialogue.
“As for the Boko Haram, it started in a little way, but instead of the government of the day to explore the dialogue option, it failed to do so, and the problem became monstrous.
“Let our leaders be good students of history, they should not listen to bad advisers. The Biafra protesters have some grievances; why not dialogue with their leaders to find a solution to the problem? Federal Government should be careful about how the case is handled.”