South-East Governors yesterday expressed worry over an alleged invasion and sporadic shooting by the military as occurred at the residence of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Umuahia by suspected soldiers, leaving three persons dead with many injured.
The governors noted that the alleged invasion of the IPOB leader’s home was coming at a time they were making concerted effort to broker peace between the federal government and the Biafra agitators. Speaking to reporters in Abakaliki on telephone, the Chief Press Secretary to the governors, Chief Mike Udah, said that the reported invasion and shooting in Umuahia by suspected military men had punctured the peace moves initiated by the governors.
Udah said: “The South- East governors are worried that the relationship between the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra [IPOB] and the government is degenerating into this kind of ugly situation.
“They did not want this kind of situation to occur and that was why they invited the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, with Prof. Ben Nwabueze to their meeting in Enugu. So, they are working to ensure that such situation does not reoccur.
“The South-East Governors do not want a situation where the South East would be seen as working against the federal government. They don’t want a situation where there would be a breakdown of law and order.
They don’t want a situation where it will appear that there is a strained relationship between the people of South-East and the federal government. “The South-East governors want peace and amicable resolution of whatever is the problem between the two parties. That was why they invited the IPOB leader, Kanu and Prof. Ben Nwabueze the other time to their meeting in Enugu.”
