Following the ongoing military action in some parts of Orlu
Senatorial District of Imo State, the state governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma has
insisted that his administration would not yield to pressure from those calling
for withdrawal of soldiers from the crisis-ridden area.
The governor stated that he invited soldiers in Orlu to
restore calm in the area after members of the proscribed Indigenous People of
Biafra (IPOB), killed several policemen and innocent citizens in the area.
Uzodimma, who gave the explanation through the state
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Cyprain Akaolisa, at a
press briefing in Owerri, said the narrative that innocent people were being
killed by the military was intended to shift attention from the despicable
activities of IPOB in Orlu.
According to the governor, the government discovered that
there were deliberate attempts by IPOB to attack Orlu people and the government
in the guise that they were looking for Fulani herdsmen.
These attacks, he said, started during the #Endsars protests
last year.
Uzodimma said, “The attacks on police stations and killing
of policemen during #Endsars were carried out by IPOB and not protesting youths
for the sole purpose of hijacking and stealing weapons.
“They are now using those arms to destroy Orlu.
“They killed 10 policemen, a prominent Orlu soon, Ignatius
Obiezu and one Emmanuel Okeke (Soludo) collected their Hilux vehicles
“The IPOB also shot and killed four Moslems doing their
business in Orlu.
“IPOB said they were looking for herdsmen, but these victims
they killed before the crisis, were they herdsmen?
“We heard Nnamdi Kanu celebrating the activities of his men
in Orlu that they are doing well by killing innocent citizens. There’s no
Fulani herdsmen in Orlu.
“So, we asked ourselves, what is the colouration that IPOB
is trying to give this onslaught in Orlu?
“That’s why our government decided to invite military to
flush out IPOB and their so called ESN.
“We discovered that there was a camp which IPOB established
at Umutanze, Orlu and we sent police to dislodge them. But, it happened that
they attacked the policemen and killed two of them. It was after they killed
those policemen that government had to bring in the military.
“It was not easy for the military to push them out of that
place. But the military succeeded. That was why they came on a reprisal attack
and killed the innocent ones.
“They also relocated to Udah in Orsu LGA, a camp at a
boundary between Imo and Anambra States. The place is a very depressed groove
that no one can easily enter.
“For the past two weeks, surveillance was monitoring that
place and there were more than 200 people being trained in that camp. The
military had to deploy their arsenal to diminish the IPOB people there.”
The governor expressed surprise that people could call for
withdrawal of soldiers from Orlu.
“We can’t do that. We can’t fold our arms for these boys to
continue to kill people everyday”
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