Operation Python Dance: Kanu’s kinsmen demand compensation from FG

- Kinsmen of the leader of the outlawed IPOB group, Nnamdi Kanu, are demanding compensation from the federal government for damage done to their community when soldiers invaded, during their Operation Python Dance exercise

- The residents of Kanu’s Isiama Afaraukwu Ibeku community accused the army of carrying out an undemocratic activity which they said led to the deaths of several persons, and large scale destruction of property

- Kanu’s kinsmen urged the government to urgently address the anomalies that are the root cause of all the agitations, instead of using force to crack down on the agitators


- They also advised the agitators to carry out their activities within the ambits of the law, and refrain from hate speech

The federal government has been asked by kinsmen of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to pay compensation over damage done to their properties when troops of the Nigerian army invaded their community, New Telegraph reports.

Kanu’s kinsmen made their demands in a statement signed by Chief Ikechukwu Ndubueze, the president general of the town union; the union’s secretary, Ikechukwu Chiabuotu; and other village representatives.


LYONSWORD gathers that the members of Kanu’s Isiama Afaraukwu Ibeku community in Abia state, stated that the army’s invasion during its Operation Python Dance exercise, affected economic activities as well led to large scale destruction.

They also alleged that as a result of the raid, several persons had gone missing including Kanu’s father who is also their traditional ruler, Eze Israel Kanu, and his wife Sally.

They stated: “Nobody can ever claim to have seen AK 47 in any of the IPOB rallies in the Southeast like the Fulani herdsmen nor have heard of shooting, maiming, destruction of properties, harassment of security outfits or violence.

“Therefore the militarization of our zone is very undemocratic.”

They also accused the chief of army staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, of deceiving the nation about the army’s real motive for the exercise.


They stated that Buratai’s men had turned their community into a warzone and assumed the constitutional duties of the police.

They stated further: “As the operation unfolded it became a tale of terror, bloodshed and tears. The helpless and armless IPOB members were killed and their corpses carried away by the Army.”

Mazi’s kinsmen further advised the government that using force to crack down on agitators would not solve the problem, stating: “Rather than engage soldiers to eliminate non-violent agitators and are law-abiding people, we urge the government to urgently address the anomalies that are the root cause of all the agitations.

“We the law-abiding people of Isiama Afarukwu are telling the government that by using excessive force to suppress agitators , who are peacefully voicing their grievances, government has shown contempt to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizenry in a democratic society.”

They urged the federal government to employ dialogue in addressing the issue, and also advised the agitators to desist from using hate speeches, and to carry out their actions within the ambits of the law.


Meanwhile, LYONSWORD previously reported that the Independent Human Rights Group in Nigeria (IHRGN) commended the Nigerian army for stopping the activities of Nnamdi kanu, the leader of the Independent People of Biafra through the means of Operation Python Dance II.

The group claimed that the army was able to stop Kanu from using his relationship with the political class and elites in the southeast to blackmail the military.