Thousands of people take part in the “peace march” against xenophobia in Durban, South Africa, on April 16, 2015. South African President Jacob Zuma on April 16 appealed for the end of attacks on immigrants as a wave of violence that has left at least six people dead threatened to spread across the country. In the past two weeks, shops and homes owned by Somalis, Ethiopians, Malawians and other immigrants in Durban and surrounding townships have been targeted, forcing families to flee to camps protected by armed guards. AFP PHOTO
By Chidi Nkwopara & Chinonso Alozie, OWERRI.
The recent threat by the leadership of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to shut down the South East geo-political zone Friday, was largely ignored in Imo State, as people went about their normal businesses.
All the markets, schools, medical facilities, financial houses and other business concerns remained open, while the state police command carefully positioned its personnel at strategic points, in all the major urban towns of the state.
Speaking to Friday Vanguard on the preparedness of his command to counter any threat to peace, the Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, said “we are fully primed for action”.
“This command is very friendly to law abiding citizens, but usually hard on miscreants. I advice IPOB loyalists to try their luck elsewhere because we are fully primed for action”, the CP said.
Continuing, Mr. Lakanu said that police presence can be felt everywhere and appealed to parents and guardians to caution their children and wards against taking actions that would pitch them against security agencies.
“I am therefore, assuring Imo people that this command has installed adequate measures to effectively counter any IPOB uprising”, Lakanu said.
Meanwhile, some people have attributed the failure of IPOB order in Owerri, to the counter instruction issued by the Chief Ralph Uwazuruike-led Biafra Independence Movement, BIM.
Uwazuruike, who spoke through his Director of Information, Mr. Sunday Okerafor, urged his loyalists to ignore the order and go about their lawful businesses.
“The IPOB order is selfish and I’ll timed. Giving such an order in the face of the current economic hardship inflicted on Ndigbo by the Nigerian government, will cause more harm than good”, Uwazuruike reasoned.
While saying that it was senseless to ask Ndigbo to stay away from their means of livelihood, Chief Uwazuruike equally debunked IPOB’s claim that it fully discussed with various Igbo groups before handing down the stay at home order.
“BIM was never consulted and we would never have consented to such a sudden order by IPOB”, Uwazuruike said
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