The Senate Minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has revealed how he and Senator Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president fought against Military operation code-named; “Python Dance” in South-east in 2017.
ABACITYBLOG recalled that the members of IPOB and soldiers clashed during the 2017 Operation Python Dance launched in zone, which claimed the life of many Biafra agitators.
Abaribe, in a recent interview told The Sun how he condemned the military activities in the region, according to him, He and Ekweremadu released a press statement against the operation.
He recalled how he told the Federal government to direct the military operation to North East where there are insurgency, noting that South East can condone the activities of the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB since they are peaceful protesters without demonstrating for their right
He said; “We condemned the military operation when it was introduced and I am sure that it will not happen again. When the Operation Python Dance was launched in the region, Ekweremadu, the Southeast caucus and I, released a statement to condemn it. We made it clear that there was no insurgency and banditry in the Southeast when the military operation was being undertaken there.
“We told the whole nation that what was going on in the Southeast was that a group of people were just exercising their rights to dissent, in a manner that is recognised worldwide by carrying placards and making statements. They were not disturbing people who were going about their normal businesses. We said that it (military operation) was a hammer that was used to kill a common fly.
“I also at that time, clearly stated that it was not acceptable to us. What we deduced was that the motive behind the operation was not to stop the agitation, but that it was a different one entirely because we also saw that some group of people believed to be from a particular part of the country were going about killing and maiming innocent citizens in many parts of the country and the government was not doing anything about that.
“We condemned it on the floor of the Senate and said why would anybody see all these things that are going on and leave the perpetrators, but decided to focus on those who were not carrying arms. I think lessons have been learnt. Maybe we all know now, and would not want that to happen again.
“If they still insist on returning to the Souteast to launch a fresh military operation, then it means the motive is different because there is no internal dissent there, Abaribe said.
However, Abaribe’s statement was coming on the backdrop of the alleged order by the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on banning the South-East governors from travelling abroad.
ABACITYBLOG also reported that the IPOB members had on 17th of August, 2019, attacked Senator Ike Ekweremadu in Nuremberg, Germany over his role on Operation Python Dance.
