A coalition of civil society organisations has charged security agencies in the country to urgently put an end to any counterproductive policy, programmes or pronouncements from any non-state actor in
the South-East region.
The group addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the CSOs said the continued activities of non-state actors in the region has caused human and economic losses.
President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Solomon Adodo who spoke on behalf of the CSOs, warned that the recent declaration of an Economic Empowerment Day in the South East Region could snowball into another security crises such as the sit-at-home observed every Monday in the region which brought about economic stagnation, increased violence, loss of life, and irreversible damage.
He said: “It has become highly imperative that these dastardly developments that are retrogressive be condemned and all appropriate measures emplaced to halt and reverse same.
“We must alert the public, the security agencies and indeed the International community that all the signs and trappings of the Boko Haram terrorism and sundry menace of terrorism in the Northeast have sadly become evident in the tragic developments in the Southeast. This must therefore be arrested immediately and firmly so”.
“Of significant concern has been the enforcement of the Sit-at-Home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its affiliates, causing severe economic disruption and social unrest in the South-East. This policy, the coalition observed, has not only stifled businesses but also kept potential investors and tourists away, leading to dire economic consequences. Lamenting the worthlessness of the sit-at-home, the Coalition called “for an end to such counterproductive policies and the rejection of any non-state actor-driven programs or pronouncements.”
He further noted, “it has come to our notice that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has also announced the cancellation of the forced Sit-at-Home in the South-East on Mondays or any other days. While we welcome that, we equally reject his declaration of Economic Empowerment Day. This is another veiled threat to the Nigerian State and particularly a sniffling of the freedom of the people of the Southeast.
“The Economic Empowerment Day and its accompanying activities also has the potential to snowball into another security crises in the geopolitical zone. After all, sit-at-home began as a voluntary activity till it became a compulsory one, foisted on a hapless people and executed by daredevil terrorists. This veiled aggression must therefore be nipped in the bud even before its seeds of discord are planted.