The governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has declared that the state is winning the battle against sit-at-home enforcers and that his government will never submit to commands from those he has referred to as murderers and enemies of Igbo land.
Mbah said there was no way Enugu could become the premier destination for investment, living, and tourism or its economy grown from $4.4 billion to $30 billion with the people still talking about or taking orders from faceless persons outside the state, insisting that “we cannot be defeated by evil and we must not allow that to happen”.
The governor called for concerted efforts by the media and Enugu people against scaremongering and fake news, which he described as the latest resort by the sit-at-home promoters, having lost their capacity to inflict havoc on lives and property as was previously the case due to re-energised security measures applied by the government and security agencies since the ban on Monday sit-at-home in the state.
Mbah spoke during his maiden media chat with Enugu-based newsmen and media executives at the Government House, Enugu, at the weekend.
The governor urged the newsmen to be professional in their duty by seizing the opportunity presented by investigative and modern journalism to fact-check and verify the authenticity of information before feeding the public with them.
“The truth is that we have won the actual war against sit-at-home enforcers and murderers out to destroy Enugu State and Igbo land. We have unleashed the security resources on them and they have been thoroughly defeated and discomfited.
“Because they no longer have the capacity to unleash terror on lives and property of Ndi Enugu, that is why they have now resorted to scaremongering, peddling of fake news, and all manner of dramas to instill fear in our people and control their minds and actions.
“We practice democracy. We can never allow murderers and terrorists to dictate to us.
We must not allow those who do not have the mandate of the people dictate for us how to live our lives; when to go out; when to close our businesses and when to sit at home.
“What we are facing now are media terrorists using the social media to instigate fear and peddle fake news. We must not allow them to succeed. It is totally unacceptable. Nobody can make you inferior without your consent. These hoodlums are very few compared to our numbers. We cannot be taking instructions from hooligans.
“We must not allow those without our mandate tell us how to live our lives. We have a duty to ensure that we flush them out in all directions. They have no stake in the affairs of our state.
“It is, therefore, our responsibility to re-orientate our people to start coming out and going about their normal businesses. We have a duty to kill fake news and counter it with our superior pen and media.
“Therefore, as we are leaving here, we must begin to tell our people the right thing; that nobody can make them inferior without their consent; that we can’t be cowed by the cowardly acts of a few people,” the governor declared.
Dr Mbah also urged the people not to be deceived by those who use the name of the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, as a cover for their criminalities, noting that Kanu had since expressed his displeasure at the enforcement of sit-at-home and consequent havocs on Igbo land.
Mbah said that the state was equally exploring the option of dragging both the instigators and enforcers of violence and illegal sit-at-home order in the state before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to answer to the crimes against humanity, noting that in the 21st Century, nobody should be allowed to stay in one part of the world to enjoy life while causing deaths and pains in other parts.
“As media people, it is important you educate our people for them to know that these sit-at-home enforcers are not after Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s welfare or freedom. We must be able to separate the two.
“Ndigbo are on one page in demanding for the release of Nnamdi Kanu. I have also seen the president over this matter. Other Igbo leaders have made the same demand and we are not relenting.
“However, the so-called sit-at-home enforcers are mere criminals and our people must face them frontally,” he said.
The governor also disclosed that technology had already been deployed to guarantee safety of residents, saying there were no longer hideouts for criminals in the state.
While responding, members of the media lauded the efforts of the government in stamping out insecurity, offering suggestions on how to bring lasting peace and security to the state.
They expressed their readiness to collaborate with and support the government to achieve its plans for the people, promising that they would play pivotal role to ensure the people return back to work through their reports.