By Grace Danjuma
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has condemned in strong terms the military siege to the South East geopolitical zone, noting that dialogue and inclusion were best options in resolving the agitation in the region.
Ekweremadu, however, called on the people of the South East to remain calm as he and other leaders of the region were engaging the Federal Government in meaningful discussions to ensure that the South East Operation Python Dance was called off soonest.
He said: “The military siege to the South East is uncalled for because there is no prevailing situation in the region to warrant it in the first place. Instead, it is the Python Dance that appears to be creating problems and raising tension in the region. The agitation in the South East at the moment is best resolved by way of dialogue and a sense of inclusion.
“I want to assure our people that I have been engaging the Presidency and security agencies meaningfully on the issue. It is my hope that the Operation Egwu Eke will be called off.
“Until then, however, I call on the military to respect the rights of the citizens. The various videos and reports of gross human rights abuse making the rounds in the social and traditional media are nevertheless very disgusting and disheartening. They should be thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities with a view to establishing the truth and ensuring that no human rights violator goes unpunished”.
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