A group, Youth Advocate for Peace, Justice and Empowerment Network (YAPJEN), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to end insecurity in the Southeast by granting presidential pardon to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
It blamed Buhari for what it termed creating the hitherto unknown Mazi Kanu and making him a hero by detaining him.
In a statement by its President, Timothy Nwachukwu, yesterday, the group regretted that Buhari went ahead to justify IPOB’s agitation by sidelining the Southeast from his appointment, especially in the security circles.
“The lopsided appointments made by the President infuriated members of IPOB, thus creating disunity and distrust among the people of the zone and other zones,” it said.
YAPJEN advised President Buhari and members of his cabinet to apply the carrot and stick approach in dealing with secessionist groups.
It enjoined him to start genuine reconciliation process that would heal the nation by engaging and compensating the families of the victims of the secessionist group.
“If peace must return to the Southeast, the President has a duty to douse the tension he created by de-proscribing IPOB, releasing Kanu and applying a carrot approach by bringing him to a dialogue table.
“The agitation by secessionist groups cannot be quelled with military force. It will rather create a guerilla warfare situation, which will destroy the country.
“The use of force or suppression will only harden members of the group and attract more sympathy from the people of the zone,” the group said.
