‘Recent killings, war against South East region,’ as governors, Ohanaeze condemn insecurity

[From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki]

South East Governors have condemned the rising insecurity in the region, saying the recent killings are a sign of a total war against the people of the region.

Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi who spoke on behalf of South East Governors’ Forum, in his office in Abakaliki, shortly after an enlarged State security council meeting on Thursday, said though, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had dissociated itself from the killings, criminals were still hiding under cloak of the group to perpetrate crimes.

The Governors who strongly condemn the ugly killing of Dr. Chike Akunyili, who they described as a notable medical Doctor, said not less than 12 lives had been lost in the zone in the last weeks.

“We condemn in totality the insecurity in South East orchestrated by our own people that is tagged unknown gunmen and I appeal on behalf of the governors that this should come to a stop. We are very mobile people, restricting our people is to destroy us and I am sure that every man and woman in South East knows that.

“We strongly condemn the ugly killing of Dr. Chike, a notable medical Doctor and we don’t know the reason for that killing and other killings not less than 12 within the past weeks. It’s so terrible and so bad, fear has been inflicted into our people and this is very un-cultural”, the Forum said.

The Forum directed the people of the region to ignore the October 1st sit-at-home declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and go about their lawful businesses.

“I am calling on the entire South East to understand this sit-at-home and those who are orchestrating this sit-at-home are our brothers outside this country who are paid per hour and so, they find it very difficult to feel very comfortable for them to be at work and ask us to sit-at-home. They  are working to be paid to have means of livelihood the same way they are working to be paid to have means of livelihood.

“If they truly mean it and they want to ask us to sit-at-home, all the South East people that are outside this country should be here. Any day they want us to sit-at-home, let them also sit-at-home and see whether they will not be repatriated because they will have nothing to pay for their livelihood. So, it is all about deceit.

“Those who are being killed here in confrontation with security agencies, they are our children, they are our sons and daughters belonging to some of us who are at home. So, I want us to disregard this sit-at-home. Nobody all over the world is against peaceful agitations including agitations at home. We have agitations everyday; husbands versus wives, children versus father, even house boys/house girls versus the mother of the house. So, there is always agitations. So, agitation is natural, its fundamental but there is nobody who carries gun and wants to kill another person in the name of anything is justifiable.

“We appeal to these youths to lay down their arms. I don’t know why there should be insecurity, I don’t know why there should be killings, I don’t know why they should inflict fears in the minds of our people. This is very uncalled for and I am warning that the South East people, their youths may one day rise up against these very few people doing this thing. It is a total war against our people and we are calling that it should stop.

“So, this is my own opinion about the sit-at-home. All Flags must be flying very high tomorrow, in fact, it should fly higher tomorrow and we believe in one, equitable, fair Nigeria and we will fair better in united Nigeria where there is justice, equity and love”, he said.

Also reacting to the death, the former Governor of Anambra State and Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 General election Mr. Peter Obi has expressed sadness over the killing of Dr. Chike Akunyili by gunmen on Tuesday.

Obi spoke at the Palace of Obodoako in Agulu.

Obi who said the Divisional police office in Ogidi in Idemili North local council granted him permission to take the bodies of Akunyili and others to Iyienu mission hospital for the bodies to be attended to, said nine people were killed in the Tuesday attack.

He said, out of the nine killed, three were beheaded.

Akunyili’s corpse was taken to Borromeo Catholic hospital where he was chairman of board of trustees for preservation later in the day, according to Obi.

Obi described the incident as very sad, saying, “Akunyili was a gentleman, a peaceful and great man who could not hurt a fly. Nobody in the world can find a fault in him. He can’t do anything wrong and he is very happy with himself.”

The former Governor said nobody could  immediately explain the reason for Akunyili’s murder, adding that his death showed how society had degenerated.

“He was not the only victim, there was his driver and police security aide. About nine people in all were involved in the shooting on Tuesday, and some of them were even headless, and it is now a problem identifying them,” he added

He said the security situation could only be solved through the collective action from stakeholders, because according to him, what is happening can consume everybody.

Also speaking, the traditional ruler of Agulu Igwe Innocent Obodoako expressed sadness over the incident, describing it as “a terrible situation”

He lamented that Chike’s wife, Professor Dora Akunyili died few years ago and for the children to be made orphans so soon was very worrisome.

He described Chike as a very good man.

Meanwhile, the apex Igbo Social-Cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has lamented that the South East region of Nigeria is now under siege with incessant killings.

President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor, stated this at the Christian Ecumenical centre, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, during a prayer summit organized by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South East chapter to mark World Igbo Day.

He said the killings in the region especially the recent ones in Anambra State called for retrospection and pause.

 Represented by Amb Okey Emuche, Secretary General of Ohanaeze, Professor Obiozor said the people of the Southeast region including Biafra agitators should take a pause and understand what was confronting the Igbo nation.

“We need to take a pause in the Igbo nation, we need to seek the face of God. We need to think about today, the Igbo nation is under siege with killings. A video was sent to me, the husband of late Dr. Dora Akunyili was brutally murdered. If you see the video, if you don’t hold yourself very well, you won’t be able to do anything.

“The killings in the last couple of days in Anambra call for retrospection, calls for a pause. We are under siege, the South East states are under siege. We plead with the men of God gathered here; the CAN President is here, there are mothers in this hall, there are fathers in this hall.

“Something needs to be done, something urgent needs to be done. This is the message of the President General of Ohanaeze. He has asked IPOB and other groups to stop this killings because if you kill everybody, who will be there.

“We need to take a pause as a people and understand what is confronting us. Beyond sit-at-home, these killings that have started going round from one state to the other in the IPOB will finish us.

In his sermon, the Chairman of South East Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali said the killings of Dr. Chike Akunyili, showed that the Igbo had not come out of the civil war of 1967 in which he said over three million Igbo were killed.

He however, called for peace and unity in South East, to avoid giving room for the enemies of the zone to take advantage of the situation in the region and overwhelm the people.