In an interview with Arise News from 7:13, Sumner Sambo, a political analyst, cautioned that the current approach to handling Simon Ekpa, a separatist leader, may lead to a repeat of the Nnamdi Kanu situation, which sparked widespread protests and violence in the South East.
Sambo attributed the ongoing crisis to the events of 2017, which he believes were not properly addressed. He expressed concern that if Ekpa is intercepted and brought to Nigeria, it could trigger further protests, agitation, and killings in the region.
The analyst emphasized the need for a political solution to the crisis, rather than relying solely on force. He pointed to the comments of Edwin Clark, a respected elder statesman, who has also called for a political approach to resolving the issue.
While condemning the killing of soldiers and military men, Sambo noted that the continued use of force is fueling the crisis. He urged the government to explore alternative solutions to address the grievances of the separatist groups and restore peace to the region.
In his words;
“What happened in 2017 is actually the reason why we’re here. That’s why I said the lamentation strategy by the Chief of Defence Staff on Simon Ekpa, if not properly handled, we may have another Nnamdi Kanu situation at hand where if he’s intercepted and brought to Nigeria, it could trigger off more protest, agitation and killings in the South East. What we need to do is to look for ways to settle this issue politically and when you have people like Edwin Clark saying this, you’ll know that yes, they may not have gone through it the right way and of course, nobody will condone the killing of Soldiers and other Military men, but the continue use of force is fueling the crisis”…..Sée Móre
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