A human rights group in Nigeria, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to turn deaf ear to the wise advice of former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the Federal Government should dialogue with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on their agitation, saying that only genuine referendum was the best option to put the matter to rest.

The rights group strongly condemned the militarisation of the zone by President Buhari’s soldiers, describing the action as the act of dictatorship on the part of Buhari as a way to return the country back to the dark days of military era, which people of good will should not allow to stand.

In a statement issued by its Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman on Monday, CHRSJ maintained that the members of (IPOB) did not commit any offence that could warrant invasion of IPOB leader’s house by the military.

It also frowned at the way and manner the Nigeria Army declared IPOB a terror group.

The group maintained that there was no alternative to dispute resolution and that it is high time the Buhari government dialogued with the leaders and members of IPOB as postulated by the former President.

It said: “Any government in Nigeria without restructuring is deceptive. Only restructuring of the nation can bring an enduring democracy. There is nobody in the country today who does not appreciate the need to restructure this nation. Only those who are mischievous today would not want the restructuring of the country.

“Since Muhammadu Buhari serve actively in despotic Sani Abacha regime, there was no different in the current Buhari administration. If we have a better Nigeria, we would not have woken up and seen a democratic government dragging military men to confront unarmed members of IPOB. We are just dreaming that there is change, nothing actually has changed. Nigeria is gloomy because there is nothing organically different from the past as Buhari’s government is nothing but hypocritical.”

It therefore called on Buhari-led Federal government to withdraw military troops from the South-East as the military men should dissipate their energy on Boko Haram in the North-East and Fulani herdsmen, adding that the Federal Government should tender a public apology to the good people of the South-East over the unconstitutional military onslaught.

“When a government mobilises its entire resources, that is military and otherwise to suppress a peaceful agitation of an unarmed people, it means such government is driving the country towards dictatorial tendency. Nigeria can only survive as a true federation,” it submitted.

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