Frontline rights group, Centre for Change, has expressed concern over the reported attempt by security operatives to arrest rights activist, Mr. Sunday Adeyemo a.k.a Sunday Igboho.

We must learn from history and tread carefully!

“This was how a little Boko Haram fire was carelessly handled and it became the monster that it is today,” the group said in a statement issued on Friday and signed by the President, Dr. Joe Okei Odumakin.

The statement further said: “With crises everywhere – Boko Haram, Herders banditry, kidnappings and the Niger Delta militants joining the fray again – we must not open another theatre of war in the South-west.

“Rather than go for Igboho’s arrest, let the Federal Government address the vexed issue of Herders terrorism in the South-west and, indeed, in other parts of the country.

“This is what gave rise to the Igboho phenomenon and solving it will be tantamount to uprooting the problem completely and handling the Igboho issue.

“Cutting the branches might turn out an exercise in futility as the tree will sprout again.

“Leaving the substance and chasing shadows is like leaving leprosy and treating skin rashes.

“Addressing the problem of insecurity holistically will be less expensive than opening another front for unrest in the South-west.

“Besides, it is important to remind the authorities that we are in a democracy, which does not allow for extra-judicial killings or the trampling of the fundamental rights of citizens.

“Gestapo-like seizure of citizens is anathema to democracy and we thought we had outgrown that!

“Nigerians fought bitter fights and waged relentless struggles for the freedoms and liberties we all enjoy today – including those of our compatriots in power.

“They, therefore, must not take us back to the dark ages of arbitrary arrests and abridging of the inalienable rights of Nigerians.

“A word is enough for the wise!”

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