A human rights advocate, Barrister Higher King, has appealed to the governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, to lift the curfew imposed on Oyigbo Local Government Area and said that the military should be professional in their operations in the local government.
Speaking in an interview, the human rights advocate said that the curfew was no longer necessary as the members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), banned by the Federal Government, must have left the area.
Barrister King had said the people of the local government were suffering and had nothing to eat and no access to medical care.
The human rights advocate said: “I’m appealing (that) the curfew should be lifted by the governor. I’m also appealing to the 6 Division Nigerian Army to re-caution their men. I know it’s painful to lose a friend, a colleague and all that (but) let them not use that anger on innocent people”.
He said he had condemned killing of military men by suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
“There is no way I will support the killing of any man, soldier (or) police (or) anybody”.
He said that the military should be professional and avoid trampling on rights of people in the local government saying they should avoid collateral damage in trying to arrest suspected members of IPOB.
Barrister King said that those who had killed soldiers and policemen should be arrested and prosecuted.
He said he sympathized with the military for the lives lost in Oyigbo and had said that there would be justice for them when suspected members of the IPOB would be arrested and prosecuted.
He however said there were reports of military interference and brutality against the people in the area and had appealed to the military to act with caution.
Barrister King also said that it would be unfair for people to be wrongfully treated by the army in their quest to fish out suspected members of IPOB.
He had also said that IPOB put itself in harm’s way by an alleged threat against the military.
The human rights advocate said innocent people were suffering in the area and thought that no member of the IPOB could still be in the area and had appealed to the state government to lift the curfew in order to bring back life to normal.
