Panic in Eastern Nigeria As IPOB Dares Governors
There is a simmering tension in the Eastern axis of Nigeria following an alleged threat by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to abduct the five governors of the political bloc. Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State made this public.
He spoke as they, the allegedly threatened governors, were calling on the military to caution troops to be more professional in the discharge of their duties in the region and also warning the armed security forces to remain apolitical, pointing out that any attempt to yield to the temptation of being used to manipulate general elections will be resisted.
According to the Governors Forum, the forthcoming elections will go a long way in shaping Nigeria’s future as one indivisible entity.
The military has launched Operation Python Dance III in the zone to assure residents of their safety in the face of alleged heightened tension ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Forum Chairman, Governor Umahi spoke for his colleagues when the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Abubarka Maikobi, visited him at the Government House in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.
Umahi acknowledged that Eastern Nigeria had been greatly troubled by the military presence, especially because of the recent clash between the army and members of the proscribed IPOB and accordingly called on troops deployed in the region to remain neutral and maintain high level of professionalism in the discharge of their duties for as long as the operation will last.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor challenged them to come up with workable policies that will earn them the confidence of the people of the zone in the cause of their duties, adding that the army and other security agencies must remain neutral in the coming general election in the state and, by extension, the East.
