Presidency replies Saraki over comments on Biafra as a terrorist group

- The presidency said the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist group was in order

- It queried the right of the Senate president to declare the army's order as illegal

- It said IPOB will soon be proscribed as a terrorist group

The presidency has reacted to a statement made by Senate president, Bukola Saraki, that the army does not have the right to declare the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) a terrorist group.

NAIJ.com had reported that the army the army had declared IPOB as a terrorist group due to their activities in the south east but the Senate president has responded that due process must first be taken before that can be done.

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The nation reports that the special assistant to the president on prosecution, Okoi Obono-Obla, in a statement on Tuesday, September 19 said the army’s decision was in order.

He noted that the army was an arm of the executive and queried the right of the Senate president to declare the action of the executive as illegal.

The special assistant to the president drew a distinction between proscription and declaration and said the attorney-general of the federation would soon apply for IPOB’s proscription in court.

He said: “The military, as part of the executive branch of government, has the right to declare that IPOB is a terrorist organization for the purpose of quelling the threat posed to national security and corporate existence of the country by the unwholesome and nefarious activities of the organization.

“So, there is nothing absolutely wrong or unconstitutional for the military, for operational reason, to declare IPOB a terrorist organization.

“Declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organization does not amount to proscription of IPOB. Proscription of IPOB will surely be in accordance with the procedure and processes underlined in the provisions of Section 2 (1) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011.

“It provides thus: ‘Where two or more persons associate for the purpose of or where an organization engages in:

*(a) participating or collaborating in an act of terrorism;

*(b) promoting , encouraging or exhorting others to commit an act of terrorism ; or (c) setting or pursuing acts of terrorism, the judge in chambers may, on application made by the Attorney General, the National Security Adviser or Inspector- General of Police, on the approval of the President, declare any entity to be a proscribed organization and the notice should be published in official gazette.’

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“The military never proscribed IPO, but only declared it a terrorist organization, because of the way and manner it has been carrying out its activities.

“These include pelting stones and cocktail Molotov bombs on convoys of military vehicles, burning of police stations, killing of police officers, attacking and threatening Nigerians living in Abia State, who do not subscribe to its separatist and militants ideology, creating the Biafra Security Service and Biafra National Guard.

Meanwhile, Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti state governor, challenged Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the minister of Information and Culture over his comments in which he alleged that “treasury looters” are the ones sponsoring the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The Ekiti governor said the time has come for Nigerians to hold the information minister "accountable for his frivolous claims”.

Watch this NAIJ.com TV video asking Nigerians if the Operation Python Dance campaign should be canceled.

Source: Naij.com