South-East leaders, including governors, politicians, religious and traditional leaders have disowned the Indigenous People of Biafra and all pro-Biafra agitators.
The leaders rose from a meeting in Enugu on Saturday with a clear announcement that the secessionist groups do not speak for the region.
The leaders called for a halt to the wanton killings of Igbo youths in the region in the name of arresting the hoodlums causing unrest in the South-East.
It would be recalled that a presidential delegation, led by the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd), had earlier met with Igbo leaders on June 11, 2021 on insecurity in the region in particular and Nigeria in general.
The South-East leaders at the Saturday meeting made a number of resolutions that were read out by the Chairman, South-East Governors’ Forum and Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi.
The leaders disowned Nnamdi Kanu’s Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and similar groups agitating for a separate Biafran country and assured people of other ethnic extractions living in the South-East that they had no reason to fear or leave the region.
Umahi urged the leaders of other regions to also ensure the protection of the Igbo people living in their regions.
He said there were some recently uncovered threats against Igbo living in other parts of the country and urged the leaders of the regions to nip these in the bud.
The communiqué read states: “Arising from the meeting of June 11, 2021 with the presidential team led by the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd), we the South-East people agreed to a further meeting with them as requested by them.
“Consequent upon that, we scheduled our own meeting today, June 19, 2021, to enable us to discuss as brothers and sisters and articulate our positions to enable us to not only engage the presidential team but to also engage our people over all burning issues.
“We the Igbo do reaffirm our commitment to a United Nigeria under the platforms of justice, equality of rights, fairness, love, and respect for one another.
“We condemn in totality the activities of violent secessionist groups in the South-East and elsewhere. We firmly proclaim that we do not support them and they do not speak for the South-East.”
Other leaders at the meeting included Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; Anambra State Deputy Governor, Nkem Okeke; Imo State Deputy Governor, Prof Placid Njoku; the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige; a former Deputy Senate President, Prof Ike Ekweremadu; Senate Minority Leader and the Chairman, South-East National Assembly Caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; and Senator Sam Egwu.
Others were Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof George Obiozor; Chief Nnia Nwodo; the Minister of State for Steel and Mining, Dr Uche Oga; the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev Callistus Onaga; Bishop of Nsukka Catholic Diocese, Most Rev Geoffrey Onah; Anglican Archbishop of Enugu Provence, Most Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma; Methodist Bishop of Enugu, Dr Christopher Ede; and the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, South-East, Most Rev Emmanuel Ede among others.
