Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party in the February 25 presidential election, characterized the insecurity in the South East region as “criminal activity.”
He explained that while these actions have been attributed to the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), a banned organization, the group has consistently denied involvement in these criminal acts.
Thus, Obi emphasized that the situation unfolding in the South-East primarily constitutes criminal activities.
“Also disturbing is the continued disruption of business and social activities in the South East region over the Sit-at-Home directive purported to be coming from the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, when the body has publicly denied issuing such directive.
“What is going on in the South East therefore is essentially a criminal activity that must be nipped in the bud, with all hands being on deck, security agencies, and the people alike,” Obi said in a series of tweets on his Twitter handle on Thursday.
While commending the governors from the region, he said the states’ helmsmen needs to be more strategic and intelligence-driven.
He said, “The South East Governors are to be commended for their renewed efforts at curbing this menace but there is a need to be more strategic and intelligence-driven in our approach to reducing the suffering of innocent people.
“Security agencies should take necessary and quick steps to arrest the ugly incidents because the country cannot just be spilling the blood of innocent citizens. We as a people through our various governments should up our value for human lives in the way and manner we respond to issues that touch lives. The implications of an insecure environment for development are far-reaching because no investor will consider going to an area where their resources will not be safe and secured.
“Therefore, I will like to urge critical stakeholders in these areas, traditional, Christian, and Muslim leaders to continue pushing for peace among their people in the way and manner they conduct themselves.
“The various governments at all levels should also take deliberate steps to address the issue of poverty and youth unemployment because the provision of stomach infrastructure is the surer way to tackle insecurity.
“Also, urgent steps should be taken consciously and intentionally to ameliorate the hardship of the people.”
