PANDEF Flays Alleged FG's Selective Persecution of Southerners

Wonders why homes of terrorists, bandits in the North are yet to be raided

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has flayed the federal government and its security agencies for perceived selective actions against persons from the Southern part of the country.

The group, according to its spokesman on Sunday, Hon Ken Robinson, emphasised that while the Military, Police, and Department of State Services (DSS) deploy forces, with incomprehensible zeal and determination against perceived trouble makers from the southern part of the country.

He said: "It is surprising that we do not witness a tenth of that against bandits terrorizing the north-west, the Fulani gunmen killing citizens in some Southern and Middle Belt states, and even the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east.

"Early last week, the nation and indeed, the world, were awakened to the announcement of the "interception" and bringing to Nigeria of the IPOB Leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu. And then, a few days later, it was the raiding of the home of a Yoruba rights activist, Chief Sunday Igboho [Adeyemo], at midnight, in a Gestapo manner, killing innocent citizens and destroying properties. Sunday Igboho's only crime is standing up for the protection of the lives and properties of his people and demanding selfdetermination. He was not going about killing people, kidnapping school children and destroying people's means of livelihood. The same could go for Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB proponents, in their Biafra Republic agitations."

PANDEF noted that the agitations were the fallout of the disaffection in the country, due to the lopsidedness in the conduct of affairs by the federal government; in terms of appointments, and terms of projects, programmes and resources distribution, people are angry; citizens are not happy.

According to the group, the disappointing response of the government to these protestations; raiding homes of citizens by midnight, killing innocent people and destroying properties is causing further provocation and alienation.

It said: "Should citizens be harassed and killed because they are agitating that their people should be allowed to decide how they live their lives, and how they run the affairs of their communities? Because people are insisting that killer herdsmen, Fulani gunmen and criminals should leave their forests, so that their people can live in peace?

"But on the other hand, there are terrorists, bandits, and marauders, killing and terrorising citizens, kidnapping citizens at will, and destroying livelihoods; undermining the territorial integrity of the country. Yet, no home, no forest, and no community in the Muslim North has been raided or invaded, despite the horrible activities of Fulani gunmen, bandits, and Boko Haram Terrorists simply because they are Fulanis or Northerners."

PANDEF stressed that if what is going on in the North-east and North-west were happening in any of the southern states, with regards to violence being perpetrated, several Communities would have been decimated and hundreds of thousands of people killed by the Nigerian military.

The group added that: "A state of emergency would have been declared in states like Zamfara, Kaduna, Borno and even Niger if they were southern states."

It also accused the government and its security agents of colluding with terrorists, herdsmen and bandits in the North while threatening agitators with arrests in the South.

According to PANDEF, "The tolerance of the killer Herdsmen, bandits and even Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in this government are apparent and alarming. There are insinuations that security agents hobnob with these elements and some so-called repentant Boko Haram terrorists are even reportedly being recruited into the Nigerian military.

"But the same government and its security agencies would shamelessly go about abducting, arresting and killing people from the south, whose only crimes are that they are agitating for self-determination and standing up against injustice.

And all these speak to the penchant for nepotism of this administration, to perpetuate the anger and displeasure of southern Nigerians."

The group, therefore, accused the federal government of being overly biased, prejudiced and discriminative; and that it remains the greatest danger to the unity and the corporate existence of Nigeria.

"Unfortunately, they seem not to mind, carrying on like bemused spectators of a tragic-comedy, and not bothered that the country is collapsing under their watch," it said.