Governors of South East, Igbo political and religious leaders have vowed that the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) will no longer be observed in the region.
The Igbo leaders made the resolutions in a meeting of South East Governors, South East leaders, Traditional Rulers, National Assembly members and the clergy in Enugu on Tuesday.
They also said that they will engage the federal government for amicable settlement of all issues agitating the minds of Ndigbo, particularly their youths.
They further resolved that the South East regional security outfit, EbubeAgu, will be launched in all states if the zone passes enabling laws before the end of the year.
Governor Umahi who read the communique said that they condemned the killings in the South East and have agreed to join hands with security agencies to stop the killings.
“The meeting condemned the sit-at-home order, which is mostly issued by our people in diaspora who do not feel the pains. In view of the information that even IPOB cancelled the sit-at-home, the meeting resolved that governors and all people in the southeast do everything within the law to ensure that there is no further sit-at-home in the south east and that people are allowed to freely move about in the zone.
“The meeting received report on various matters affecting the southeast, especially on the issue of security and marginalisation of the south east people, and resolved to study the reports for immediate implementation and engagement with the federal government for amicable settlement of all issues agitating the minds of our people, especially the youths.
“The meeting resolved to support election in Anambra State and directed security agencies to ensure a peaceful election in Anambra and state come November 6 2021.”
Meanwhile, IPOB has replied saying on Wednesday that the South-East governors cannot stop its sit-at-home order.
Spokesman of the group, Emma Powerful said the sit-at-home order was the only way people of the region can express their displeasure over the brutality by the Nigerian security agents in the Southeast.
“South-East governors cannot stop the wishes of the people because they have failed the masses and sit-at-home is the only way our people show their displeasure and that they are tired of Nigeria and its security brutality in our territory. South-East governors have no stand to stop it.
“IPOB can only stop sit-at-home because they initiated it. We stopped Monday sit-at-home because we found out the implications on our people, but the Nigerian Government and their politicians hijacked it and killed people to implicate IPOB worldwide. Very soon, they will understand how we will handle it because we have discovered all their antics and gimmicks. IPOB will not allow that to continue.
“So South-East governors cannot do anything unless IPOB and the public do. We still stand on no more Monday sit-at-home and anybody enforcing it is not IPOB. They will get their reward soon; our people should stop Monday sit-at-home because IPOB has stopped it openly, and we are not going back on that. Last Monday, Hope Uzodinma recruited some hoodlums who were attacking people in the name of IPOB in order to implicate us as a violent group which is not and that attack was not from IPOB security.”
