13022020

Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020—15
By Anayo Okoli,
Chimaobi
Nwaiwu,
Ugochukwu
Alaribe &
Chinedu Adonu
THE Indigenous People
of Biafra, IPOB,
yesterday, warned that it
should not be provoked into
carrying arms by the Federal
Government and its armed
forces by firing gun shots in
Afaraukwu Umuahia,
tomorrow, during the burial
of the parents of their leader,
Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and
his wife, Sally Mmeme.
This came as
South-East governors,
traditional rulers and other
stakeholders, yesterday,
arose from a security summit
in Enugu with the Anglican
Archbishop of Enugu
Diocese, Dr. Emmanuel
Chukwuma, asking the
Inspector General of Police to
tell President Muhammadu
Buhari to declare herdsmen
as terrorists, saying they are
dangerous.
IPOB's Warning
Warning the army against
pushing it to armed struggle,
IPOB said it had remained
peaceful in the face of attacks
by the Nigerian Army and the
Police, but has been receiving
daily threats from the
Nigerian Army and Police,
on their planned massacre of
innocent mourners on Friday
February 14, 2020.
It said: “We are, therefore,
placing the world on notice
that the floodgates of hell will
be opened should the Army
or Police appear anywhere
around Afaraukwu on the day
of the burial. We noticed that
Nigerian government is hellbent
on provoking us into
armed struggle that will
inevitably start the violent
disintegration of Nigeria.
“We equally discovered a
grand plan by some
politicians and socio cultural
leaders, offering financial
support to soldiers in Obinze,
Imo State; Ohafia and Asa,
Abia State; Abakiliki and
Onitsha in Ebonyi and
Anambra States, respectively
in readiness for their deadly
deployment to Umuahia.
“We are, however, not
worried about the plan,
because the era of Nigerian
Army and Police shooting
innocent mourners in
Biafraland has come to an
end, and if they try it again,
they will see the sterner stuff
IPOB is made of.
“Were are aware that the
Nigerian Army and Police
have perfected plans to
disrupt the burial of Eze
Kanu and his wife, but if they
go ahead to carry out any
disruptive activity at that
burial, it will set-off a chain
reaction from IPOB, that
Nigeria will never recover
from."
In a statement by its Media
and Publicity Secretary,
Emma Powerful, the pro
Biafra group said the
presence of Army and Police,
and what they have been
doing in Afaraukwu
Umuahia, Abia State, since
A cross section of participants at the South-East Security Summit, in Enugu, yesterday.
Insecurity: Don’t push us into armed
struggle, IPOB warns Army, Police
•Tell Buhari to declare herdsmen terrorist group, Chukwuma tells IGP
•Police, army extorting Ndigbo at checkpoints—Ohanaeze
•S’East govs endorse NPF community policing model
the announcement of the date
for the burial of the parents of
their leader is provocative,
and capable of pushing them
into carrying arms.
IPOB warned that “simple
arrest of any mourner on
Friday, February 14, 2020, is
capable of inciting a
disproportionate reaction
from angry mourners.”
Declare
herdsmen
terrorists
Speaking at the South-
East Security Summit,
Archbishop Chukwuma said
President Buhari had been
pampering herdsmen
despite atrocities they have
been committing across the
country.
Chukwuma spoke on a day
the President-General of
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief
Nnia Nwodo, lamented the
level of extortion police and
army carry out on the people
of South-East at the
numerous check points
mounted across Igboland.
Nwodo also asked the
Inspector General of Police
why no commissioner of
police of Igbo extraction
would not be posted in any
of the South-East states and
called on him to re-examine
his postings in the zone.
Both Chukwuma and
Nwodo spoke in Enugu at the
South-East Security Summit
organised by the Inspector
General of Police towards
commencing community
policing, which the IGP said
was the best way to tackles
the nation’s security
challenges.
Walk-out
The summit was earlier
threatened when
Chukwuma protested how
the monarchs and other Igbo
leaders and stakeholders
invited to the summit were
abandoned at the venue for
over four hours while the
governors and the Inspector
General of Police were
holding meeting at the
Enugu State Government
House without anybody
informing them of what was
going on.
The protest made Nwodo
to lead many of the
dignitaries, including the
monarchs to walk out of the
summit. However, words got
to the governors about the
situation at the venue and
they quickly rounded off and
came to the venue,
apologised and called
backed the aggrieved
leaders.
His grouse
Addressing the summit,
shortly after the IGP had
made his speech, Bishop
Chukwuma who was flanked
by other religious leaders, told
the Inspector General of Police
and the gathering: “Please,
help us tell Mr. President to
declare the herdsmen
terrorists in this country. He
has pampered them enough.
They are dangerous. Our
people cannot go to farm
again.
“We are religious leaders
and we are saying that what
is happening in our country
today is very much
devastating. Before now,
internal security was in the
hands of police and external
for the soldiers.
"Before, you don’t see
soldiers on the street but
because security has gone
out of hand and police was
becoming inefficient and
inadequate, soldiers are
coming in to help.
“The worst of it now is that
today, Rev Fathers are being
kidnapped; religious leaders
are in danger and church
premises are now in trouble,
we begin to ask ourselves:
why is it so?
“If this should continue this
way and we pray and God
sends his angels down,
Nigeria will be in confusion.
So we want to appeal to you
to help us in this strategic
effort for peace to reign in our
community.
“Because of the inadequacy
of the situation, I wish that
the community policing will
address the issues. Again,
this issue of a rich man having
20 policemen in his home
because he is rich should
stop; it is making them
inadequate to provide
security for the masses.
Road blocks
“The number of roadblocks
in the South-East is alarming.
From Enugu to Awka, you will
meet over 17 checkpoints
with police and soldiers and
you cannot find such in other
zones. Why is our own
different from others?
“We are ready to partner
with you but you must
recognise the traditional
rulers and religious leaders
to help you out and make
your strategy a successful one
and stop people from being
violent.
“Tell the herdsmen to stop
harassing and kidnapping
our leaders. We don’t have
money but the grace of God.
I want to make it clear, if the
so-called herdsmen continue
this way, we are not going to
take it lightly with them, we
will take our own measure
and deal with them spiritually
and physically.”
Police, army
extorting Ndigbo
at checkpoints
—Ohanaeze
In his remarks, the
President-General of
Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief
Nnia Nwodo, also lamented
the number of checkpoints in
the zone, which he said exist
for the sole purpose of
extorting the people.
“We welcome you to your
home, South-East, where you
were once a commissioner of
police. I must commend you
that during your tenure, some
aspects of intellectuality have
come back to police because
in the time past, no one had
given it a thought.
“We are not happy with
how you kept us for over four
hours without hearing from
any of you concerning the
security summit. Our
traditional rulers and other
stakeholders have been here
waiting. I know it is not in your
character but unfortunately
your protocol treated us this
way.
“I think what you are
planning to do is good but
your assumption may not
work. In this zone, our people
have little or no confidence
in the police. Because I once
travelled from Enugu to
Onitsha and recorded 17
checkpoints with soldiers and
police.
“The former GOC
dismantled one at Oji River
axis. In all these checkpoints,
they are using children at the
ages of 14,16,17 to collect
money from the motorists
while they are there playing
draft. Why is our own like
this? There is another one at
Ozalla in Igbo Etiti Local
Government Area."
Farmers trouble
“Our farmers are
devastated and the herders
carry AK-47 openly without
being persecuted by police.
The one that happened at
Benue Catholic Church was
done openly. They danced
with the heads of those they
killed and was recorded,
transmitted to all the social
media with everything to
recognise them but nothing
was done.
“Our people believe that
there is one law for us and
another law for the others. If
there is anything you can do
for us, it is to give instruction
that any one you get
exploiting people, collecting
bribe from them, that you will
expel him/her.
Restive youths
“The restiveness of our
youths has reached its limit.
The situation now is that Igbo
peopole are conquered
people. There is a limit you
will push a man to the wall
and he will retaliate. There is
not one commissioner of
police in the South-East that
is Igbo man. How can you
talk about community
policing while the people you
want to use to work with our
people do not know the
language or know the terrain.
“We have many officers in
the Nigeria police, army, civil
defence or what have you.
Why is our place targeted for
posting of non indigenes to
head every security agency?
“I want to plead with you,
re-examine the posting you
make here. All our leaders are
finding it difficult to stop the
anger of our people. I am
happy that when you were
mentioning our problems,
you made mention of
restiveness of our youths. Our
children have reached their
limit. Our governors are the
chief security officers of their
states because Section 14 of
the constitution gives them
right to protect the lives and
property of their people.
“When you start sharing the
heads of security with
commanders, controllers and
whatever, and you do not
include the governors, heads
of communities, religious
leaders; the exercise is dead
on arrival. These
commanders and controllers
are coming to dilute our local
security."
S’East govs endorse
NPF community
policing model
Meanwhile, Governors of
the South-East, yesterday,
endorsed the new
community policing model of
Nigeria Police Force, NPF, for
effective security in the zone.
Rising from the South East
Geo-Political Security
Summit, initiated by the
Inspector General of Police,
IGP, Mr. Mohammed
Abubakar, the governors in a
communiqué read by the
Governor of Ebonyi State and
Chairman of the South East
Governors’ Forum, David
Umahi, said contents of the
new community policing
strategies of the police were
not different from their security
measures already in place in
the zone.
Umahi disclosed that South
East governors, before the
summit, had a closed-door
meeting with the Inspector
General of Police, at the
Government House, Enugu,
where the police chief
explained to them
extensively the concept and
effectiveness of the
community policing in
addressing security
challenges in the zone.
Other governors at the
event include the host
governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi,
Governor Willie Obiano of
Anambra State, Governor
Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State
and the governor of Imo State,
represented by his deputy,