Abia state Governor, Okezie
Ikpeazu, has said that South-East Governors only banned the Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), but did not declare it a terrorist organization.
He stated this while speaking on
The Osasu Show, where he also explained that the Governors only proscribed the
activities of the group, to douse tension in the region.
Ikpeazu warned that labelling
IPOB a terrorist organisation has far-reaching consequences.
“Put the action of the south-east
governors within context. It became expedient for the south-east governors to
look at their mandate,” Ikpeazu said.
“My mandate as a governor is to
secure life and property of not only Abians but everybody that is doing
business within the geographical space called Abia.
“So at that time, I should
protect even those agitating for an independent country called Biafra. I come
from a part of the country where the lives and property of visitors within your
gate is perhaps more important than your own life.
“My duty and responsibility as at
that day was to make sure that I avert bloodshed of monumental proportion.
“People make all types of
agitations across Nigeria. But for me as governor, I supported proscription as
at that day because we did not want news to gather under one location or
another under the aegis of IPOB.
“But going forward to say this
group is a terrorist group has international and far-reaching consequences.
“I don’t think the Igbo are
getting a fair deal in this country. There is no other ethnic group in this
country’s post-war experience that believes in one Nigeria more than the Igbo.
“The information that is
available to the federal government is not available to me and if that is what
they have said, it is up to them to defend it.
“But me as a person, sitting in
my small corner, I can speak on any other Nigerian; ‘oh, the decision is a
hasty decision’ but looking at it from the prism of the federal government is
another angle.”
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Ok then what have you governors done after the ipob was declared terrorist by federal government.
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