The Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, on Wednesday urged the Nigerian Army to be cautious in its activities following the declaration of Operations Python Dance and Crocodile Smile in some parts of the country.
Soyinka made the call during his address at a press conference marking the 50th anniversary of the death of a poet, Christopher Okigbo.
The event took place at the University of Ibadan.
Okigbo died while fighting on the Biafran side during the Nigerian civil war in 1967
Soyinka lamented that humiliation and dehumanisation of the civil populace by military was beginning to creep back into the nation.
He urged the Federal Government and the military authorities to tread with caution while dealing with civilians.
He said: “There has to be a way out of a repeat of war. But we are reaching a stage whereby, like Christopher Okigbo, people are putting their lives on the line again, which can lead to terrible consequences.
“I think at a time when cattle rearers, who feel they own the nation, humiliate and dehumanise innocent citizens in their communities, this is an area the military can focus more on.”
Good men will continue to speak. The military should focus on the herdsmen not on the civil populace
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