There is a consensus that the military operations in some parts in Abia State must not be allowed to plunge the country into chaos. As part of efforts to douse the tension, Southeast governors are meeting today and an emergency security meeting will be held in Jos. Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna; Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi and Yusufu Idegu, Jos report.
DESPITE the decision of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu not to attend the meeting of the Southeast Governors Forum, the parley will go on as scheduled, it was learnt yerter.
The governors are to appraise the face-off between the Nigerian Army and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in Aba and Umuahia, Abia states.
The Director of Media & Communication at the forum’s secretariat, Mr. Mike Udah, confirmed the meeting in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abakaliki.
Udah said that he had not received any contrary information, even as IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu had indicated in media reports that he would not attend the meeting.
Udah said: “I have not received any contrary information from my superiors on the convening of the meeting due to Kanu’s reported absence.
“The Southeast governors are desirous to ensure that such an incident does not re-occur and bring lasting peace in the zone.”
The forum, under the chairmanship of Ebonyi Governor David Umahi, had earlier inaugurated a seven-man committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the clash and report back to it during the meeting.
Udah denied some media reports that the governors condemned the army’s invasion of both cities, which portrayed it as being against the Federal Government.
He, however, said that the governors were consulting with relevant stakeholders, including the military hierarchy, to permanently resolve the issue.
Uwazuruike: IPOB activities against Igbo interest
THE Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) leader, Ralph Uwazuruike, yesterday condemned the activities of IPOB activities in the Southeast.
The MASSOB chief said IPOB’s approach negates the rule of engagement of the Biafra struggle.
Uwazurike, who spoke yesterday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, said the activities of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, could only lead to an unplanned war which, according to him, was not on the card for the Biafra struggle.
He said the interest of the Biafra movement was to secure the interest, lives and property of Igbo people and not to start another war.
Uwazurike alleged that Kanu’s major interest was to destroy MASSOB’s agenda, explaining that the hallmark of any freedom fighter was to submit to being arrested.
He said: “A real freedom fighter submits to arrest but Kanu has told his members to burn down the country if he is re-arrested, a true indication that he was paid to destabilise MASSOB.”
Uwazurike also accused the Federal Government of popularising Kanu, adding that “if the government had ignored Kanu, the situation would not have escalated.’’
He attributed Kanu’s popularity to the relevance given to him by the Federal Government and called on all Igbo leaders to condemn the IPOB activities as it had no agenda.
Uwazurike said: “The IPOB has no agenda and I advise Igbo leaders to condemn its activities. Nnamdi Kanu has no agenda and he is only thriving on the relevance given to him by the government.
“I recruited him and I know his capacities and he is not a leader. I have 25 steps towards actualising Biafra and Kanu does not have even one agenda.”
Uwazurike condemned attacks on northerners over the ongoing military manoeuvre, code-named, Operation Python Dance II in the Southeast.
According to him, any attack on northerners will be counter-productive as many Igbos are resident settlers in the North.
IPOB agitation a child’s play, says Okorocha
AGITATIONS by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for a sovereign republic in the Southeast are mere child’s play, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha said yesterday.
Okorocha, who doubles as the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), spoke in Makurdi, Benue State, after leading a delegation of the forum on a visit to Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs), and victims of the floods that ravaged homes and farmlands in the Northcentral state.
He said no reasonable Igbo was backing the agitation for secession.
His words: “I have always said that IPOB is an agitation group, but the captioning is bad when you talk of sovereignty within a sovereign nation and also talking of secession.
“Let me assure you that no Ibo person, or man is in support of secession and people must see this as a childish act. We must stand up to address it before it becomes a national problem.
“As for us leaders in that area, it will be insane for anyone to think that the IPOB leader will ask us to follow him to seek secession.
“So, Nigerians must learn to address it specifically. If you are addressing IPOB, you should be specific and not to address it as if it is an Igbo affair.”
Okorocha, who personally donated N10 million to the victims, also sympathised with Benue State over the disaster, stressing that his team was on a fact-finding mission to pave the way for a larger visit of the APC governors.
Northern youths to Kanu: don’t endanger your kinsmen
Arewa Youth Forum (AYF), an umbrella for youth organisations in the North has lashed out at the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
It described him as an over-ambitious agitator scheming to be President of Biafra State at the expense of his people’s lives.
The AYF urged Kanu and his supporters to stop endangering the lives of their brothers residing in other parts of the country, especially in the North.
It said no effort must be spared to avoid any attack that may trigger reprisals, accusing IPOB of plotting to plunge the country into a war.
The group said it refused to be provoked with the latest provocative actions by IPOB members.
A statement by the group’ National President, Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu entitled: “Southeast: Time for reason to prevail”, noted that the self-acclaimed IPOB leader does not have the interest of Igbo at heart, alleging that his actions could endanger the lives and properties of his kinsmen sojourning outside the Southeast.
The AYF leaders urged stakeholders to immediately wage into the situation in the Southeast to nip in the bud possible escalation of the fast-spreading rumour on the social media.
He said the intervention became imperative with the approach of the October 1 earlier deadline given by the various groups.
The northern youth groups withdrew their live-our-region threat served on Igbo resident-settlers in the North following interventions by some concerned leaders in the North, including the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF).
According to the statement: “We are working to curtail any reprisal in the north following the rising tension in the Southeast and North in particular, because of the sad news of the destruction of human lives and property in Abia and Rivers states, by IPOB members allegedly targeted at non-indigenes.
“We wish to call on our people in the North and all over the country to show high level of maturity, intelligence and patriotism, and avoid been provoked to behave in the same manner like the aggressors who have ulterior motive of throwing the whole country into chaos. Let us be different and show that we are a people that are peace- loving and hospitable to those among us.
“As a group of youths devoted to the prosperity of Nigeria as an indivisible entity we refused to be provoked by a semi illiterate loser from London, who found his way back to Nigeria and conned his gullible people into accepting him as their so called freedom fighter and hero and even Messiah to many.
“Nnamdi Kanu and the vast majority of his followers were not born when Nigeria fought the civil war to keep us all as one. Millions lost their lives. These ill-informed persons do not know the misery, death and destruction that war brings. It is therefore too easy for them to beat the drums of war.
“Let it be known that as the umbrella organisation of all youths in the North, we are working to see that there is no reprisal anywhere in the North to the activities of IPOB terrorists who are oblivious of the fact that if reprisal attacks were to happen in the North, our Igbo brothers and sisters living in the region will sustain far worse losses than anybody else.
“However, we are not unaware of the fact that the sanctity of the lives of Nigerians and that of Igbo in the North in particular and anywhere in the country and the security of their properties have never been Nnamdi Kanu’s concerns!
“The man is busy basking in the delusion that he will one day be the head of state of a nation that he is fighting to install and the wellbeing of the people is never his concern.
“It is very important to alert well-meaning Nigerians that we must not allow ourselves to be used as pawns to achieve an agenda of balkanising Nigeria. We are committed to the oneness of the country and we believe that the country is better off as one indissoluble country.
“We must therefore avoid reprisals, and remain calm and law-abiding at all times not to play into the hands of the secessionist foot soldiers. We are committed to making sure all Nigerians are happy and safe anywhere in the country and in the North in particular.
“Going forward we want to align with our northern leaders and northern governors that the North is totally committed to the unity of the country and the oneness of Nigeria is not negotiable. Let us be wise and ignore the merchants of war,” the AYF said.
IPC condemns invasion of Abia NUJ secretariat
The Lagos office of the International Press Centre (IPC) yesterday condemned Tuesday’s invasion of Abia State NUJ Secretariat by troops of the Operation Python Dance II.
Relying on media reports, the IPC said: “The military personnel reportedly beat up journalists at sight and destroyed their working tools, furniture, documents and other property yet to be quantified.”
In a statement by its Director Lanre Arogundade, the IPC described the unprovoked attack as shameful and a clampdown on democracy as the list of attacked journalists recently seems to grow daily with the worrisome trend becoming more condemnable.
The statement reads: “If the military wants to exercise its authority and strength, it should be channeled into assisting the media to make progress in a democratic era and not victimising media professionals.
“IPC therefore calls on the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to thoroughly probe the incident so that all the personnel involved would be made to face the law.”
Besides, Arogundade said the military authorities should replace all damaged equipment in the Abia State NUJ secretariat.
Umuahia NBA urges withdrawal of soldiers
The Umuahia branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday urged the immediate withdrawal of troops deployed in the Abia State capital to avoid hitting up the polity.
Urging the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to immediately redeploy the soldiers operating under Operation Python Dance II, said there was no security threat in Umuahia to warrant military operation.
He said that the unfolding development Abia between soldiers and members of the public underscored the urgency to reconsider the necessity of Operation Python Dance II.
The NBA branch chairman, Nnamdi Eluwa told reporters at a news conference that the Army would lose its meaning, value and worth in the minds of the society if the soldiers in Abia were not withdrawn and redeployed.
Eluwa stressed that the Umuahia branch of NBA would not support any enterprise that would violate the fundamental human rights of Abia people.
He said: “It is our position that there is no security threat in Umuahia and its environs to warrant the deployment of soldiers to intimidate and molest innocent Nigerians who are going about their lawful business.
“We condemn in strong terms the unfortunate attack on journalists in Umuahia and raiding of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat by officers of Nigerian Army on September 12.
“The attack on members of the NUJ by the Army to say the least is an attack on the people of Abia.” Eluwa said there was no need for massive deployment of soldiers in the Southeast as the area is peaceful.
Curfew in Jos, soldiers deployed.
Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong will today chair an emergency security meeting for the Government House in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The governor summoned the meeting last night following rising tension in the Tin City. He announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew (6pm to 6am) on the city to douse the tension.
Billed for the meeting are representatives of the Igbo and Hausa communities in Jos as well all the security agencies in the state.
The security meeting is a follow up security strategy to avoid the growing tension degenerating into violence between the Igbos and the Hausas.
The meeting between the two ethnic groups became necessary as the tension in the state was generated with rumours of some non-indigenes being killed in Aba, Abia State as well as the plan for reprisals in Jos.
The special military troops in Jos, code-named Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) said it has deployed its men to the flash points in Jos, particularly at Chobe, Apata, Katako, Bauchi road, Tafawa Balewa, Farin Gada, Gadabiu, Zaria road.
According to the media officer of the Special Task Force, Captain Umar, “residents can be assured that we are on top of the situation and we can guarantee every resident to go about their normal business without fear. The tension is unnecessary, needless and ineffective because we are on ground.
Army probes video on rights abuse
Investigations into the video clip of alleged human rights’ violations by soldiers which has been trending on the social media has stated, the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army Headquarters said yesterday.
The stand of the army was contained in a statement signed by Col. Sagir Musa, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relation, 82 Division.
The statement said the military was looking for the source and actors in the clip.
It reads: “The attention of the Headquarters, 82 Division, Nigerian Army, has been drawn to a video clip trending on social media and other platforms purportedly showing troops humiliating some people at a check point in Abia State, Nigeria.
“The issue is being investigated with the view to ascertain the source and the actors in the clip. Our code of conduct and rules of engagement are quite clear and any officer or soldier that infringed on any of such directive if found guilty, will face full wrath of the military justice system.
“We would like inform the public that 82 Division is also aware of the planned misinformation and propaganda arrangement by the secessionists Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“They intend to churn out prerecorded video clips aimed at discrediting the Nigerian Army, causing disaffection among the citizens of this country. They will be using bogus, manipulated and photo-shopped photographs as well as video clips. The public should be wary of such mischief, scrutinize and report same to the Nigerian Army or any of security agencies.
“The Division wishes to reassure the public that it is determined to ensuring the safety of lives and properties in its area of operational responsibility, particularly the entire Southeast geo-political zone as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We do not condone any act of indiscipline in the conduct of our operations and training exercises. Any claim of rights violation would be investigated and when confirmed, appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against the erring personnel”.
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