Fani-Kayode reacts to alleged killing of IPOB members

Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation Minister, has reacted to the clash between Nigerian security forces and leaders of the Biafra Indigenous People (IPOB) on Sunday in Enugu State.

There have been conflicting reports on the number of casualties as a result of the clash.

As gathered by Daily Times, a report claimed that two operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) and 21 IPOB members were killed during the clash at a venue the pro-Biafra group was having a meeting in Emene area of Enugu State.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: 2 dead, many injured as police, IPOB clash in Enugu

However, reacting to the development in a series of tweets on his verified Twitter handle, @realFFK, on Monday, Fani-Kayode wrote:

“I deplore and condemn the slaughter of young IPOB members in Enugu yesterday by the FG-controlled security forces. Butchering innocent and defenceless young people who were not carrying arms simply because they were having a meeting does not make sense and does not help matters.

“Rather it strengthens their cause, hardens their hearts, emboldens their resolve, legitimises their struggle and wins them sympathy and new friends all over the world. It is also a crime against humanity and those that carry out such murderous operations and dole out such orders become automatic candidates for the ICC at the Hague.

READ ALSO: Biafrans agitate for release of 67 IPOB members, native doctor

“Repression fuels the struggle for liberation and freedom rather than stifle it. The more IPOB youths are killed the more their ranks will swell. I call on the Buhari administration to stop this open display of sociopathic madness and gratuitous violence against its own citizens and to be more tolerant, accommodating and restrained.

“I call for a cessation of hostilities and state-sponsored violence and on the FG to lift the ban on IPOB and enter into negotiations with them before it is too late.

“We must build bridges and not burn them. We must have the courage to talk to those who we may disagree with but who genuinely feel hurt and aggrieved and bring them back to the table.

“We must find a more civilised and humane way to resolve our differences.”