A right activist, Barr. Stanley Okafor, Monday, urged the federal government to refrain from using force in confronting peaceful protesters and other ethno-religious agitators.
According to Okafor, sending visitation panels to Rwanda and Ghana to understudy the methodologies that allowed both countries to overcome ethnic violence and conflict was also needed in solving the insecurities bedeviling the country rather than been confrontational.
The activist, who gave the advice in a paper presented at a town hall conference organised in Awka by the Leadership Orientation and Basic Rights Advocacy Centre (LOBRAC), in conjunction with the Board of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida Annual leadership lecture, bemoaned that the federal government was yet to negotiate with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other ethnic organisations.
“In order to avert total anarchy, the government must address the issues of agitations by our youths with respect and refrain from deploying battle ready soldiers against these young ones. The police can deal with issues of youth agitations by proper deployment of riot equipment in deserving situations if they have them, while respecting the legal rights of Nigerians to peaceful and violence free protests.
“We suggest that in order to restore faith in the ability of government to secure Nigerians and guarantee freedom of movement, property and safety of our institutions, government must convoke a panel of statesmen, past heads of state , experts drawn from all works of life to filter the issues confronting us, meet with relevant stakeholders and proffer credible solutions as a way forward.
“We call on the federal government to put pride aside and convoke visitation panels to Rwanda and Ghana to understudy the methodologies that allowed both countries, one to overcome periods of ethnic violence and conflict, and the other to maintain balance between its southern and northern populations without incidents of cattle breeding controversies,” he posited.
