…No election in Anambra except Uzodimma is removed
…Move AIG Okon out of Zone 9, South East
…Police, army must stop killings in Igbo nation
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on Thursday said the posting of Mr. Ene Okon as the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Zone-9 Umuahia would bring unprecedented trouble in the state. Fresh developments monitored by News Echo indicated that Okon was transferred back to the State last week to head Zone-9 which includes Abia, Imo, and Ebonyi states.
In his maiden press briefing as AIG, Okon assured the three states under Zone-9 of the repeat of peace which he offered Abia as the then Commissioner of Police, vowing to tackle crime within the zone.
It will be recalled that during the heat of 2017 IPOB tension in Umuahia, Mr. Adeleye Oyebade was the Commissioner of Police in the state. Oyebade was replaced by Mr. Anthony Ogbizi, who was later replaced in 2018 by Mr. Chris Ezike who barely served for few months before being replaced by Mr. Ene Okon in 2019.
Okon was however removed as Abia CP in 2020 following the spate of killings of innocent civilians during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown in the state. It was reported that his (Okon’s) lackluster explanations to the police authorities about incessant killings, especially the one carried out by those he referred to as drunk officers in Ebem Ohafia led to his redeployment in October 2020.
The killing of Ifeanyi Arunsi, a provision store attendant in Ebem Ohafia, whose death sparked off riot by some angry youths of the area, which its resultant effect was the burning down of the police station at Ebem, damage of a judicial building and other government properties led to Okon’s removal as Abia CP.
Speaking during an emergency broadcast monitored by News Echo, Kanu accused Okon of abducting and killing innocent people with impunity between the period he served as commissioner of police, stressing that Okon must be arrested and prosecuted. He threatened that failure to remove, arrest and prosecute Okon for all the alleged atrocities he listed would usher in a new wave of trouble into Abia State that would be unprecedented.
“If Ene Okon is not removed, prosecuted within 14 days, the gate of hell will be released in Abia State. If one single soul is abducted in Abia State by Okon, hell and brimstone will be released inside Umuahia. We’ll find Okon, his children wherever they are and do onto them what he did to other people’s children when he was a Commissioner of Police in Abia State. All the governors in the South East have met their Waterloo. It’s time to pay for all your evils. People come to our land, they kill us and we allowed them to go free, it encourages them to do more. We’ll take the war to them this time around. Anywhere they’re seen in public, we’ll go after them, we’ll go to jail or die and they too will die and their families”, the IPOB leader stated.
He added; “They don’t understand civility. They’re not human beings. We must unleash our madness now. Police and army go about killing people and nobody talks. Okon killed our people and went free. I want all the major newspapers to report what will happen to Okon that they may understand that vengeance belongs to God. Anywhere you see Okon in public, go after him. I’m giving Okezie Ikpeazu and the International Community 14 days to arrest and prosecute Okon or the flood gate of hell will be emptied in Abia State.”
The fugitive Biafra agitator, who was obviously angry based on his tone, went on to declare that the 2021 Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November would not hold unless Okon was sent out of South East. He stressed that formerly, people were asked not to vote, but this time, there would be no campaign, no political gathering or any other thing that related to preparation for the election.
According to him, “Every edifice for election in Anambra will be brought down. There will be no election in Anambra State. Come out and campaign and meet your doom. There will be no campaign in Anambra. Why must we keep electing people who are fighting against their own people? If we vote in Anambra, what happened in Imo State will repeat”.
Kanu said that the only way election will hold in Anambra in November is for Senator Hope Uzodinma, Imo State governor to be removed and a fresh election organized in Imo. “If they want election in Anambra State they must remove Senator Uzodinma as Imo State governor and call for fresh election. If we catch anybody wooing people to come out and vote, that person will see hell”, he enthused. He went on to declare that henceforth, there will not be vehicular movements in Anambra and Abia State between 12 midnight to 5am till further notice. He claimed that the Nigerian Army, the DSS and Police are currently abducting and killing innocent people in Anambra State, recruiting some youth corps members as secret informants.
“The secret abduction and killings of Biafrans in Anambra State must stop now. The army, DSS and police are now renting accommodation around Nnewi. They are using Youth corp members to act as informants for them. Patrolling in the day time and abducting in the night. Because of that, from today, I don’t want to hear that there’s a vehicular movement in Anambra from 12 midnight to 5am.
Any car that I see in Anambra from 12 midnight will be destroyed. Let me see how you’ll do that your abduction again. From 12 midnight to 5am, in Abia State and Anambra State, I don’t want to hear that there’s any vehicular movement. Youth corp members, please be careful and don’t allow Nigeria security agencies to use you against what you came to do. This ban on vehicular movement is until further notice. They’re using those governors to mess things up for us,” he narrated.
Kanu said that the massacre of unarmed IPOB members in Nkpor, Idemili North LGA of Anambra State in 2016 will never be forgotten, until all those involved in the murder are brought to justice.
He said, “Obiano is the one at the helm of this rubbish. They’re organizing themselves in a way that they’ll deplete the number of our men. It was under Obiano that over 500 men were slaughtered at Nkpor without provocation. No more sleep from now in the entire Biafra land for all the young men. It’s now time to organize yourselves and protect yourselves. I don’t want to hear about communal clashes in Igbo land again. Let the kings and community leaders be careful. When Fulani herdsmen were destroying Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra, the governors allowed ordinary herdsmen to make mess of our people. Today, they’re busy talking loud against us.”
He warned all landlords in Anambra State, who he alleged give their houses to Nigeria security operatives to be careful as not to cause their own doom.
In his words, “If you give your house to DSS and army and from your house people are abducted, what will happen to that landlord will be bad. I’m warning you landlords now; don’t give your house to anyhow person. We’ve succeeded in truncating the plans of the Fulani militia who wanted to start mass murder in 2022, now they know their game is up they’re using governors against us. We’ve paid with our blood to defend our land.
Take this message serious, Anambra State is a hot bed of abduction and execution of our people. We can’t allow it to continue. Obiano from today, wherever you’re seen in the public you’ll be attacked. You’re an enemy of the people now and forever more. You’ll never be forgiven. You’re organizing with our enemies to come abduct your people and kill them.”
This is not the first time the IPOB leader will be issuing orders to the Nigerian security agencies. It remains to be seen how he will carry out his treats in the likely event that the Federal Government of Nigeria fails to heed to his directives.
