The erstwhile Minister of Interior, Lieutenant-General Abdul-Rahman Dambazau (rtd), has compared the O’odua People’s Congress, OPC, and the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB to Boko Haram, noting that they are all extremists.
He disclosed this on Friday at the Army War College in Abuja while delivering a lecture to participants of course 5/2021.
Dambazau claimed that both groups were sponsoring a new era of extremism that could spark off ethnic conflict to achieve their succession agenda.
According to him, the police have a vital role to play in quelling recent agitations across the country, “instead of leaving everything for the military”.
He said, “The two groups have been making efforts to ignite nationwide inter-ethnic conflicts through their violent attacks on northern residents or transacting businesses in the south as a quick way to realise their dream for a divided Nigeria.
“We see parallels between Boko Haram and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), both ethnic extremist groups. All the three groups operate on the platform of extremism,”
Speaking earlier, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru directed all Nigerian Army training institutions to build appropriate capacities and competencies to make the army a formidable force to tackle all security threats.
He said, “I challenge you to make good use of your time at the college and imbibe knowledge to open your mind to new ideas that enhance the defence and security of our nation.”