Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB Are Lesser Threats Compared to Bandits, Boko Haram –Dangiwa Umar
Former Kaduna State military governor, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd), has said the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu constitute lesser threats to Nigeria’s existence than banditry and Boko Haram activitites that are ravaging the North.
He said in a press release on Wednesday that the presidency has only exaggerated the threat posed by Kanu to the existence of Nigeria.
He said “It is quite strange and disturbing that the federal government is according undue attention to the threats of separatist movements in contrast to the more daunting ones posed by bandits, kidnappers and insurgents in the North West, some parts of North Central and the North East.
“Activities of those criminals have resulted in the evacuation of over 20 per cent of the villages in North West and North East. Hundreds are being murdered and maimed every week. Many more are kidnapped for ransom. Millions have been rendered internally displaced, facing diseases and starvation. Over 1,000 school children were abducted in the past eight months with over 300 still in the hands of the bandits and kidnappers demanding humongous ransom payments. Rape of women and young girls has become a daily occurrence. Most economic activities, particularly farming, which is the mainstay of the people in these areas, are now all but impossible,” he said.
He condemned the brutal method IPOB was using to call for secession, and accused President Muhammadu Buhari of mismanaging the diversity of Nigeria.
He pointed out that Northerners living in areas affected by insecurity do not even know about the activities of IPOB, as they are preoccupied by the activities of bandits, kidnappers and insurgents which were of greater threat to the economic development of the country.
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