Southeast Governors’ Forum said yesterday that the arrest of Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu was not responsible for the worsening insecurity in the zone.
The forum blamed the development on criminal elements, who according to it, parade themselves as Biafra agitators.
Governor Hope Uzodimma stated this while addressing reporters after the forum’s meeting in Enugu, Enugu State.
But the Chairman, House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating banditry and kidnapping in some Abia communities, Obinna Aguocha lamented that the existence of IPOB and Eastern Security Network( ESN) in the Southeast threatened the zone’s foundation.
Uzodimma, who chairs the forum of Southeast governors, said the perpetrators of insecurity in the Southeast and their sponsors were not legitimate agitators.
The governor said, “I don’t know how you relate the name of Nnamdi Kanu with the violence, kidnappings, beheading of human beings, the burning down of homes and palaces of traditional rulers to Nnamdi Kanu.
“But, if you have any evidence, please you may wish to approach us after this session.”.
On the possibility of having Ebubeagu relaunched, Uzodimma said, “That has to do with the details of the programme of the forum of governors working in partnership with the Federal Government to deal with the insecurity in the region. When the details are out, we will let you know.”
In a three-point communiqué read to reporters by Uzodimma, the Southeast governors said they resolved to fight insecurity individually and collectively in partnership with the Federal Government.
They called on security agents to deal decisively with any criminal caught parading himself as an agitator.
”We wish to state categorically that the perpetrators of the insecurity in our region and their sponsors are criminals and should not be seen as legitimate agitators. Therefore, upon arrest, they should be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land,” the governor said.
