Ebonyi State government on Sunday debunked media reports that some Boko Haram suspects were transferred to the Abakiliki prison from Ekwulobia in Anambra State.
Here is the full text.
“We read with utter disgust, stories by two national dailies that there was
panic in Ebonyi State over rumour of the transfer of some Boko Haram
inmates from Ekwulobia Prisons in Anambra to Abakaliki Prisons.
His Excellency, the Governor of Ebonyi State, Eng. David Umahi, is surprised
that almost 48 hours after he addressed a live press conference
denying the rumour , the newspapers still went ahead to publish
falsehood.
Eng. Umahi had at the news conference unequivocally stated: “One of the few
issues some of you journalists sent me text messages was that Boko Haram
prisoners
in Anambra State prisons, according to them have been relocated to
Abakaliki
prisons.
“That
was a very bad news for me and I said Father, still help me to overcome this
challenge. I started making phone calls but
at the
end of the day, it turned out to be false news. We need to be very
careful because that was capable of disintegrating the state and
inflicting fears in our people.
“So, we need to screen information we are getting and one of them
(journalists) said a prison
official told him but that was not cautious. So, there is nothing like
that. Our people should go about their normal business. If such a thing were
to happen, what were the criteria that would make Ebonyi State qualify to
host such high calibre criminals; the prison space is not there;security
is not there; and Ebonyi is too small a place and of course, the
governor
must be informed as the Chief Security.
“So,
I want to tell our people there won’t be such because Ebonyi is not ripe at all
to harbour Boko Haram
prisoners
and we will not harbour them in Jesus name.”
It is
therefore utterly disappointing that the newspapers still went ahead to publish
the falsehood.
While the
governor agrees that rumours are a veritable source of information
for
journalists,
rumours must be verified and when not true must be ignored.
Abakaliki
prisons are within the capital city and therefore should not have taken
the newspapers
more
an hour after His Excellency made the denial to authenticate his
comment.
Strangely,
one of the newspapers still went ahead to repeat the falsehood in its
Sunday(yesterday) edition.
The
story in the two editions(Saturday and Sunday) states in paragraphs eight
and nine, that the newspaper spoke with the Commissioner in charge of
the state Police Command, Peace Abdallah and the Spokesman for the Abakaliki
Prisons, Mr Frank, who said they were unaware of such development.
In
Paragraph 10, the same newspaper quoted Anamabra State Governor Willie Obiano
as saying that the 47 inmates in Ekwulobia Prisons were taken out of the
South-East. We therefore ask, is Abakaliki no longer in the South-East?
Going by
the statements by Governors Umahi and Obiano as well as Abdallah and
Frank, a discernng mind would know that the rumour isnt true.
His
Excellency hereby restates his call to all residents of and
travellers to Ebonyi State
to
go about their normal business without fear.
He is
optimistic that God will help Nigeria to put hehind, the issue Boko
Haram.
Emma Anya
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.
