Afenifere Opposes ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ To South West

Afenifere, pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, on Tuesday warned against militarisation of Nigeria, saying it portends serious danger for the country.

The group called on the Federal Government to prevail on the military to halt its planned launch of ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ in the South West to tackle the ‘Badoo’ gang.

It said the operation was unnecessary since the gang had been decimated by the combined efforts of the police and the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC).

Yinka Odumakin, who spoke on behalf of the group after its monthly meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, said it was the duty of the police to handle such matter even if there was a resurgence in the menace of the gang.

“We considered the recent announcement by the military to launch ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ in the South West region of the country after the Python Dance in the South East which has been largely condemned locally and internationally.

“They said the operation ostensibly is to confront the ‘Badoo’ menace. The ‘Badoo’ gang has been decimated by the Nigeria police and the OPC in the area where it occurred.

“We insist that it is the duty of the police to deal with such matters without causing tension, invasion, and harassment as it happened in the South East during Operation Crocodile Dance.

“The military has no duty in going after ‘Badoo’ even if it comes back. We want the Federal Government to be careful at the spate at which it deploys soldiers all over the country.

“The other day, the Speaker of the House of Representatives lamented that 28 out of 36 states of the country are under one military operation or the other.

“The South West has been adjudged the most peaceful area of the country. To now bring military here is to say that the entire country is not safe,” the group said.

Afenifere warned that frequent deployment of soldiers would send a wrong signal to foreign investors and encourage the military to think of coming back to power.

It said: “More importantly, the Federal Government should be reminded that before the coup of 1966, this was how Balewa government started to transfer civil duty to military and the military now thought they could take over power themselves.”

Afenifere flayed Monday’s invasion of the palace of Olubadan of Ibadan by hoodlums, describing it as a direct attack on the sacred institution of Obas in the Yoruba land.

The group called on the government of Oyo State to immediately lead the effort to get the perpetrators and ensure that they are punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

It also expressed worry over the conflict between Ondo and Osun states which had seen a commissioner attacked in Ondo State and a retaliatory attack on the Sunshine Football Club in Ogun State.

“We see this as a brewing crisis that must be nipped in the bud. We can only know the beginning of a development like this, nobody can predict the end.

“We don’t want war between the two states in the South West and therefore call on the two governors to quickly meet and nip the crisis in the bud as it may escalate beyond what we are saying,” Afenifere said.

Produce Nnamdi Kanu, Parents Now, Family Tells Military

Meanwhile, the family of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has asked the army to produce him, saying his whereabouts remain unknown since after the September 14 military invasion of the family house at Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Abia State.

The family also alleged that the whereabouts of his parents, HRM Eze Israel Kanu and Ugoeze Sally Kanu, has remained unknown since after the attack.

Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, who made the call on Tuesday, said he strongly believes his brother was captured by the army during the raid.

He said he had no doubt that his brother was in the custody of the army and urged the military to release him to the police.

“It is either they (soldiers) captured him or killed him when they attacked our house. If they captured him they should release him to the police, and if they killed him they should produce the corpse because he was last seen moments before the raid”, he said.

But in a swift response, the army spokesman, Major Gbadamosi Oyegoke of 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Abia State, said that Kanu was not in their custody, describing the allegation as false.

However, the younger Kanu, who said the family had remained in shock over the attack insisted that his elder brother is in the custody of the army.

He called on the international community to prevail on the Nigerian army to produce his parents and the IPOB leader.

Emmanuel Kanu further expressed shock that the palace of a serving traditional ruler could be raided by the military without provocation in a broad daylight under democratic dispensation and urged well-meaning Nigerians to resist “this glaring military dictatorship in a democratic setting”.

Major Gbadamosi Oyegoke, when contacted again, said he was not authorized to comment on the issue and simply referred the reporter to a contact which, he said, “is in charge of the Operation Python Dance in Abia”.

However, when contacted, the owner of the contact who did not disclose his name simply said “Kanu is not in army custody”.

It would be recalled that traditional rulers in Ibeku land had last week asked the army to produce the monarch whom they said had not been sighted since after the “unprovoked invasion”.

The monarchs had also accused the army of desecrating the throne of Afaraukwu through the raid of the palace of HRH Eze Kanu without provocation.

They described the attack as unacceptable.
It would be recalled that Emma Powerful, Director, Media and Publicity, IPOB, on September 14 said the whereabouts of Nnamdi Kanu was unknown after a detachment of soldiers fired several shots that lasted for three hours and broke into his home in Afaraukwu, Umuahia.

Powerful told INDEPENDENT, “Soldiers occupied the entire compound and shot for about three hours.”

He added that in the process, heavy casualty figures were recorded, and that the dead mostly included members of the organisation guarding Kanu’s home.

He said a lot of members of IPOB were believed to have died and alleged that soldiers took away their bodies.

“The dead ones are mostly those who were protecting our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. And ever since our leader’s whereabouts is unknown.”

He further disclosed that the soldiers were overheard saying they got orders from the Federal Government to get Kanu dead or alive.

“Nobody knows whether Kanu is among the dead,” Powerful had said.

-Independent-