The South East Governors Forum said Saturday that its Friday’s decision to proscribe the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) followed its realization that Nnamdi Kanu had lost control of the group.
Besides, it said IPOB had lost focus of its original idea and had veered off into causing unnecessary tension and killing.
The result is that investors are scared from doing business in the region.
Throwing light yesterday on the forum’s decision, its chairman and Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi said IPOB’s activities were unduly heightening tension in the Southeast and the governors had no choice than to halt the trend.
Umahi spoke to reporters in Abakaliki.
He said tension had since eased as the proscription began to achieve the desired result.
“The activities of IPOB in the Southeast have denied us of foreign investments and it is very important that our people should understand that and should know that,” he said.
“There are things you do that you have control over and so you work about things you have control over and leave the rest that you don’t have control over.
“ Nobody wants to come to a place that is under tension that’s why we want keep pressing Hong peace.”
The governor said that based on evidence before him, soldiers did not attack IPOB last Sunday as claimed by Kanu.
On the contrary,according to him,it was IPOB members who threw bottles and stones at soldiers who were passing by Kanu’s street.
“When you start a small fire, it can go very far and become difficult to control,” he said.
“The IPOB activities were gradually getting out of control of Nnamdi Kanu.
“ Soldiers were passing when IPOB members started throwing stones and other objects at them and it sparked off the clash between the group and the military.”
He narrated how an IPOB sympathizer sent out the telephone numbers of Southeast governors,Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and others.
“And all our people could do was calling us to insult us and talk to us anyhow,” the governor fumed.
“These are people that never experienced any war in their lives.”
He said the lives of Northerners and other non indigenes in the state and the Southeast zone must be guaranteed at all times and warned that security agencies had been directed to deal decisively with anyone attempting to cause a breach of the peace.
“Our focus is how to save the life of every Nigerian.We believe in a united Nigeria. Lives of people are involved and we must not play politics with that”, he said.
“Anybody that wants to foment trouble must be crushed and I want the security agencies to beef up security around all the non-indigenes in the state and to report to me of any problem because we must maintain the peace.”
The governor asked Igbo youths to stop insulting President Muhammadu
Buhari and leaders of the country.
He said that the Northern Governors will soon visit the Southeast to further ease tension in the country and promote national unity.
A similar visit to the North will be undertaken by Southeast governors.
He maintained that the majority of Igbo are opposed to secession from Nigerian and that all they want is to be treated fairly and justly in the county.
His words:”That is why we are all talking about restructuring.
“There is no part of this country that is not feeling marginalized somehow and that is why all the zones are setting up committees on restructuring.”
Umahi however noted that injustice or marginalization should not be an excuse for secession, maintaining that dialogue should be the best way to resolve and redress all differences.
On operation Egwu Eke II (Python dance II), the governor said the exercise was never targeted at IPOB but intended to curb crime, especially kidnapping and armed robbery, in the zone.
Heads of security agencies in the state and some Principal Officers of the state government attended the briefing.
http://thenationonlineng.net/kanu-has-lost-control-of-ipob-seast-governors/
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