Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has denied comparing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Yoruba Nation agitators to Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist groups.
He said that the separationist activists will take the country down the path of destruction if they are “given time and space” like the terrorist groups.
Reacting to the outrage tailing his comment in a statement issued on Wednesday night, his spokesman, Lanre Fasasi clarified that the Speaker never mentioned any group in his speech.
“In view of the impression created by the said reports, it has become necessary to clarify that the Speaker, in his speech, never mentioned any group.
“For the records, the Speaker said some miscreants and criminals are taking advantage of the separationist agitations to carry their activities.
“These people, in their inclination for devastating violence against fellow citizens, their appetite for the destruction of private property, their disruption of academic activities, commerce, and industry, their propensity for defiling institutions of the state, society and community, their refusal to engage in debate, or to consider the possibility of dissenting opinions and alternative viewpoints, are no different from Boko Haram and ISWAP. Given space and time, they will take our nation down the same path of destruction.”
“As a matter of fact, the Speaker is not alone on the concern about an apparent emergence of a band of miscreants and criminals as different patriotic Nigerians have expressed similar concerns and even condemned the act of maiming, killing, destruction of property and other criminalities perpetrated by the masqueraders.
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