By Jerry Emmanson, Abuja
The Conference of Minority Tribes of Nigeria has said it will drag the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague following the alleged killings of some northerners in Abia.
The group which condemned the killings of the northerners, described it as a crime against humanity.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja, Secretary General of the group, Comrade Samson Ayodele Babalola said these killings mark a new low in what had been cordial relations between ethnic nationalities in Nigeria that have always accepted each other as family.
He said other ethnic groups strongly condemned government forces when it clamped down on IPOB’ protests and had even planned sympathy marches in support of IPOB and its leaders that are being detained.
He said, “However, by killing these innocent people, whose only offence is possibly that they were of a different ethnic stock from IPOB, these separatists have proven that they do not deserve and must never get the backing of other tribes and ethnic nationalities in the country.”
He warned that if not urgently tackled, the new dimension may lead to the Rwanda Genocide of 1990, in which members of one ethnic group tried to wipe out the other.
He said further, “it is also not too early to begin to monitor the online activities of IPOB members that are carrying out their own brand of radicalisation. They work hard to build public anger against anything Nigerian online making it difficult for their moderate sympathisers to contribute to national discourse without coming under threats. This has greatly shrunken the space for intellectual discourse and actively endorsed promotion of violence against the state as a precondition for being considered loyal to IPOB ideals.”
He explained that there are rules internationally set out for pursuing self-determination and this is the only acceptable option for those with the intellectual bend of mind as the murderous campaign of the paid killers running IPOB violates every known norm.
He said, “the Conference of Minority Tribes will drag those named by the DSS in these killings before the ICC. We had earlier condemned in totality the incessant herders clash with farmers which Nigerians can attest to and the principle of justice and fairness demands that every Nigerian should speak up when there is any perceived injustice in the land.
“This is an unbearable narrative that must be condemned by all irrespective of tribal or ethnic affiliations. It is a matter of time before IPOB separatists turn on the rest of us if we remain silent on this matter.
As for those sponsoring this national blight called IPOB, it is not too late to return to the path of national integration.”
