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From George Onyejiuwa and Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Imo state government has justified why it invited the military to flush out members of the Eastern Security Network, ESN, an arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, operating in the forest of Orlu -Orsu axis.
This is even as the state government said that the arrested members of the ESN will be prosecuted for murder. The state Attorney General and commissioner for Justice, Cyprian Akaolisa who disclosed this on Friday in Owerri, said that the state government had to bring in the military to arrest the orgy of violence caused by the ESN members who he described as hoodlums and criminals.
He accused the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu of engendering the lives of the people of the state through the alleged criminal activities of the ESN in Orlu.
“The activities of the ESN linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra led by Nnamdi Kanu is endangering the lives of the people of the state and the state government will not allow that to continue and that was why the state government invited the military to flush out the hoodlums who call themselves members of ESN in the Orlu – Orsu axis of the state. We don’t have herdsmen in Orlu and those killed were not herdsmen. In Awo – Idemili, we have the largest cattle market in Orlu zone and the owners of these cows are not Fulani people but our people. So, we cannot allow hoodlums to continue to cause crisis in Orlu”, he stated.
He added that “ESN members have cashed in on the #EndSARS protest last year to murder many people including security personnel and took away their arms with which they are now using to operate.”
He commended the federal government for deploying troops to secure the inhabitants of the area. “We commend the federal government for deploying the troops to the state and the military will not leave Orlu until normalcy is restored in the Orlu – Orsu axis. “
Meanwhile, the state government has insisted that the military operation in Orlu has since been brought the situation there under control after the imposition of curfew by the State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba urged the residents of the State to disregard the rumour of fresh crisis in the area and go about their normal businesses.
According to the statement “The attention of Imo State government has been drawn to malicious rumours circulating around that the security situation in Orlu and environs has worsened.
“The purveyors of this tale went even further to impute that security forces have been shooting sporadically and arresting innocent citizens. For the avoidance of doubt, there is no truth whatsoever in those stories. If anything, the situation in Orlu has since been brought under control. There is absolute peace and calm in the city as people are going about their normal duties.
“Government is aware that opposition elements who abinitio instigated the crisis for selfish reasons are not happy that government quickly arrested the situation, hence the rumours.
“Government assures all law abiding Nigerians living in Orlu or passing through the town that the city is completely safe. They should therefore go about their lawful businesses without any let.
“No matter the level of provocation, Imo State government under the leadership of Governor Hope Uzodinma will continue to discharge its primary duty of protection of lives and property.”
