Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has spoken against the description of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) organisation as a terrorist group.

The Defence Headquarters had on Friday, branded the IPOB as a militant terrorist organisation and urged parents to dissuade their wards from joining the group.

In response to the DHQ’s move on the same day, Fani-Kayode wondered how IPOB could be described as a terrorist group since the organisation never killed anyone.

“How can anyone describe an unarmed group of people as terrorists,” the former minister said in a statement he sent to PUNCH.

“As far as I am aware Nnamdi Kanu and members of his IPOB have never killed anyone and neither have they been carrying arms.

“Theirs is a peaceful non-violent struggle in pursuit of a legitimate aspiration and objective. Violence and arms have no place in that struggle and in my view the military is simply trying to create an atmosphere of terror, fear and intimidation in order to justify their actions in the east and a general clampdown on those they perceive as enemies of the state.”

He added that it is a pity that things have degenerated to this level, calling for restraint on all sides.

“This is a democracy and not a military dictatorship,” Fani-Kayode said.