The opposition Peoples Democratic Party has warned the All Progressives Congress-led federal government from using force to quell pro-Biafra agitations, stating that the use of force could escalate an already-tense situation.
It will be recalled that a group called the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had taken to the streets of some major cities in the South East and South South geo-political zones to demand the release of detained Director of Biafra Radio, Nnamdi Kanu.
The group equally said it was canvassing for the sovereign state of Biafra, and blocked the Niger Bridge that connects the South East to other parts of the country on Friday.
To forestall possible breakdown of law and order, the Nigeria Police had gone ahead to arrest some of the members of the group, including at least 83 apprehended in Bayelsa.
In its reaction to the way the federal government is reacting to the situation, PDP through its National Youth Leader, Abdullahi MaiBasira, said the government should seek the path of constructive dialogue compared to force.
“Rather than the use of force as an option which usually fails as a solution in this type of self inflicted socio-political problem, President Buhari should as a matter of national interest and practical necessity, make haste to call representatives and leaders of the South-East for discussions before the situation deteriorates,” PDP noted.
The party blamed the recurrence of the nagging separatist tensions to the “seeming lack of any clear-cut policy direction that concerns the development, mainstreaming and inclusion of young people in the country by the Federal Government.”
PDP questioned the rationale behind President Muhammadju Buhari’s decision not to include youths in his cabinet, while stating that the administration seems to have forgotten its campaign promise to provide three million jobs annually to unemployed Nigerian youths.