At Last! South East governors proscribe Kanu-led IPOB

*We can’t trust Igbo governors over proscription – Respondents

In what looks like a quick twist to their usual attitude on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) having been declared as terrorist organization by the Defence Headquarters, South East Governors’ Forum Friday announced the proscription of activities of the group.

The DEFENDER, in a recent Editorial, had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to take action against any South East governor in whose state IPOB was any longer found to have carried out break down of law and order by declaring a state of emergency and sending his Bill afterward to the National Assembly for ratification.

The medium’s position was arrived at by its belief that Nnamdi Kanu could not have been so confident posing threat to national security without the backing of governments and other institutions in his South East region funded with Nigerian money and who then used the money to fund his Biafra project against the Nigerian project.

Rising to the challenges, the Defence Headquarters only Friday told Nigerians what the current state of IPOB was and thus declared it as a “militant terrorist organization.”

As if to quickly find a face-cover from the likely effect of supporting a group that has been declared by State as terrorist, some responded have opined, the South East govermors rose from an emergency meeting Friday in Enugu where they decided to proscribe the group.

This medium can comfortably report that arising from the meeting, Chairman of the forum, Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi requested the group and other of such groups to articulate their grievances and send to the forum.

Umahi appealed to all governors in the zone to ensure compliance with the directive in their various states and for the Federal Government to withdraw the troops in the zone.

Although Umahi’s hope that the Federal Government will withdraw the troops of Operation Python Dance II from the South East might just be a dream unachievable as the Army Headquarters had declared Thursday, following Abia State Governor Ikpeazu comment on troops withdrawal, said the operation, billed to take-off Saturday September 16 would continue.

Umahi said: “All activities of IPOB are, hereby, proscribed. IPOB and all other aggrieved groups are advised to articulate their position on all national issues.

“Such should be submitted to the committee of governors, Ohaneze Ndi Igbo and National Assembly members from the South East zone through the chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum,” he said.

The Ebonyi governor said that the forum believed in the unity and indivisibility of the country and reinforced their desire for the restructuring of the country.

“We reinforce our desire for the restructuring of Nigeria where all national issues will be discussed and amicably settled to achieve justice and fairness to every Nigerian.

“Accordingly, we appeal to President Muhammad Buhari to, please, withdraw the military in the South East zone, while police perform their traditional role of maintaining law and order,” he said.

Umahi said that the forum was in touch with their Northern counterparts “who have assured us of the safety of our people living in the North and we have also planned for exchange of visits to reinforce confidence.

“We wish to assure Nigerians that full investigation is ongoing on all allegations of killings, maiming and other unlawful conduct in the zone within this period,” he said.

He said that appropriate actions would be taken against those found culpable.

Umahi said that governors in the zone had taken adequate measures to protect the lives and property of indigenes and non-indigenes and urged northern governors to do same in their respective states.

“We advise all residents of the zone to go about their normal businesses as governments of each state is committed to protecting everybody,“ he said.

The governor said that all those invited for the meeting were present except the leadership of IPOB that sent in their apologies.

At the meeting were governors of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu while Imo was represented by the deputy governor.

Other notable personalities that attended the meeting were the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Abubakar and the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo.

Some of the respondents who commented on the proscription by the South East governors gave reason the sudden decision could not be trusted.

“Even from the tone of the words of the South East Governors’ Forum, you will know that they are just the people sponsoring that guy, Nnamdi Kanu, with Nigerian money to destroy Nigeria.  The fact that they still could not sit that and make a bold statement against the terrorist group that they now harbour in their region means that they are either afraid of IPOB or that they are the major political mischief makers who are behind the activities of the group,” he said.