Okupe calls on the Federal Government to meet with IPOB for peace talks

The former aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe, has urged the Federal Government to invite and hold meetings with the Independent Peoples of Biafra to discuss insecurity in the region.

“I hasten to call on the Federal Government to invite the leadership of IPOB to a peace meeting at this critical juncture in our nation’s history to listen to the complaints of the youths from the southeast and see how a true solution can be negotiated,” Mr Okupe said.

“I say this as someone who worked in government when Boko Haram was just getting started. The Federal Government’s presumed power made it appear absurd for the government to summon a ragtag group to a negotiating table.

“After more than ten years, thousands of deaths, human tragedies, and millions of internal human displacements, as well as billions of dollars wasted, I am convinced that not negotiating for peace abinitio was indeed a mistake.”

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Okupe also talked about the drawbacks of overpolicing, using the Anambra election as an example.

“The police have deployed 34,000 officers for the Anambra election, and we do not know the numbers for the military and civil defense institutions. “While militarization and over-policing are unavoidable in Anambra, they can be comforting to the average citizen,” he added.

Mr Okupe is concerned that if the FG does not act quickly to address the issue of IPOB and over-policing, the consequences could be disastrous for the country’s future.