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No regret proscribing IPOB in Rivers – Gov. Wike

Published

4 years ago

November 19, 2020

RIVERS State Governor. Nyesom Wike, has said he has no regret proscribing the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in Rivers State, saying he believes in the unity of Nigeria.

He said Nigerians must at all times rise to protect and defend the interest of the country and refrain from allowing parochial and sentimental politics to destroy the nation..

Wike stated this when a delegation of Coalition of Northern Groups paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on his efforts and dedication in protecting the interest of ethnic groups living in the state.

The governor said the EndSARS protest was peaceful in the state until IPOB hijacked it, killing six Army officers, four policemen and burnt police stations and courts.

Wike, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said he would not seat as governor and watch such lawless acts being perpetrated by a group that had been proscribed by the Federal Government to cause ethnic war.

“Without any apology, I am a true Nigerian. I believe that things must be done properly in a way that every part of this country will be satisfied,” he stated

The governor reiterated that he was not against any particular ethnic group living in the state, including every law abiding Igbo, but maintained that as a governor, he would not tolerate a situation where some misguided persons under the guise of IPOB would unleash mayhem on innocent Nigerians in Rivers.

He explained that if the State Security Council was not proactive to impose curfew in the entire Oyigbo Local Government Area, the situation would have degenerated to a war between Igbo and Hausa community.

The governor said all Nigerians must stand against injustice at all times no matter who is involved and be determined to work for the interest of the country, adding that he would continue to work for the indivisibility of the country.

Earlier, CNG spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said they were in the Rivers to express their profound gratitude to the governor for his leadership, sacrifice, statesmanship, and unwavering commitment deployed in protecting northern communities from the violence and violation of their rights and dignity during the mayhem in Oyigbo.