President Buhari’s planned visit to Imo, IPOB orders sit-at-home

…Ohanaeze Ndigbo, warns miscreants

Abiodun OBA

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a sit-at-home order to people of the Imo State to protest President Muhammadu Buhari’s planned visit to the State

IPOB had in a statement on Monday by its Director of State (DOS), Chika Edozien, declared that President Buhari “is not welcome to Imo on Thursday, September 9, 2021.”

He warned leaders and every Igbo citizen to stay away from any ceremony organised by the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma to welcome President Buhari.

In addition, he stated that there would be a “total lockdown of Biafraland” on Thursday.

It was however gathered, that the stay-away order during Buhari’s Imo visit, is generating fears among political stakeholders in the Southeast.

Expressing doubt over how residents would welcome President Buhari ahead of Thursday’s visit, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in a statement issued on Tuesday, warned miscreants who would want to foment violence during the visit to stay clear.

According to Ohanaeze, rather than resorting to Sit-at-home and violence, Ndigbo should imbibe the Igbo cultural ancestry and norms of welcoming visitors with warmed reception.

“We heard intelligence reports that some miscreants had planned to embarrass the President and his delegation during the visit in Imo. We warn the miscreants not to pelt stones and sachet water on our visitors, security agencies will deal ruthlessly to anyone or any group of persons that engages in such immoral act”, it warned.

Also, a socio-political group, Imolites Collective (IC), has declared that President Buhari’s visit to Imo State on Thursday is of great interest to the Imo people.

According to the group, Buhari’s coming “would not only show that the President is interested in the development of Southeast geopolitical zone but also reveal the level of work done in the areas of infrastructure, peacebuilding and security of life and property by the state government.”

In a statement signed by its President and Secretary, Longinus Duru and Ernest Iroha respectively, IC noted that the President’s visit would help Nigerians to know far peace has returned to the state, stressing that the governor, Senator Uzodimma, has been working quietly behind the scene to ensure the return of peace and progress to the state, especially the Imo heartland, Owerri.

President Buhari is billed to visit Imo State tomorrow, even as the governor disclosed that while in the state, the President would commission a number of projects completed by his administration in the past one and a half years.