Jonathan condemns Operation Python Dance II, slams Buhari, Lai Mohammed

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari, for making plans to lengthen the military operation to the South-South and the South-West.

Jonathan made the condemnation in a Facebook post on Tuesday, as signed on his behalf by his aide, Reno Omokri.

The former President, “However, we want to advise the Buhari administration, which has announced plans to extend the military show of force to the South-South and the South-West through Operation Crocodile Smile, to tread with caution.

“Nigeria is no longer under military rule. In a democracy, you separate the military from the police. The military is not meant to fight criminality within a nation because they are trained to fight a nation’s external enemies.

“It is the police that are trained to fight crime internally. When the military starts doing the job of the police and starts fighting or doing what they call a ‘show of force’, the effect will not be to reduce crime. The effect will be to intimidate people.”

Recall that the Senate President Bukola Saraki had similarly expressed disapproval of one of the military’s assertions, saying the military had no right to declare the Indigenous People of Biafra as a terror group.

Jonathan went further to criticised the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, for saying the activities of IPOB begun as a result of him (Jonathan) loosing  the 2015 general election.

READ ALSO: IPOB is not a terrorist group – Bukola Saraki

Mohammed had asserted that looters and disgruntled individuals in the opposition were the main sponsors of IPOB.

Jonathan remarked, “The insinuations in the press conference given by Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Sunday, accusing the opposition of sponsoring the IPOB and the fact that he mentioned that Nnamdi Kanu preached Nigerian unity during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan is another clear indication that the present administration has not left propaganda mode for proper agenda mode two and a half year into their tenure.

“If the government, in which Lai Mohammed serves, knows which opposition members are sponsoring IPOB, then they should identify them, arrest them and then prosecute them.”

Jonathan expressed his puzzlement on whether Saraki, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, could be accused of supporting IPOB since he had expressly said banning the group was illegal.

READ ALSO: IPOB plans to humiliate Buhari at UN Assembly

While applauding the South-East governors for their efforts in restoring peace, Jonathan said Mohammed had no moral right to accuse people, as the minister had once condemned him for declaring Boko Haram a terrorist group.

He added, “It is our suspicion that Lai Mohammed is talking from history seeing as he criticized the Jonathan government for banning Boko Haram in a statement he released on June 10, 2013, even though the Jonathan government had gone through due process before proscribing that murderous sect. Perhaps Lai Mohammed thinks everybody is like him and those he represents.”

He advised the minister to focus more on serving the nation than on spreaing propaganda.