CVEKT Condemns IPOB Mondays Sit- At Home Enforcement, Wants South East Governors Intervention

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Saturday, January 22nd, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Enugu based Center for Victims of Extrajudicial Killing and Torture (CVEKT AFRICA) has condemns in strong terms, the senseless and criminal forceful disruption of social and economic activities in the South East by some hoodlums masquerading as members of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in the name of enforcing purported IPOB’s sit-at-home order.

A statement issued and signed by its Executive Director Rev Fr. Tony Amarube, said that “whereas it is public knowledge that IPOB had long announced an end to the Monday sit-at-home practice in the South East in view of its negative effect on the socio-economic well- being of Igbos, that CVEKT views the continued enforcement of the so called sit-at-home order by these hoodlums as a declaration of war against Igbos as well as an insult and affront on the collective interest of Ndigbo.

CVEKT considers it both ironical and highly insidious that after Fulani herdsmen who have been terrorizing the people of the South East and destroying farm crops and preventing our people from engaging in economic activities by way of farming had largely been forced out of our forests and farmlands, some Igbo young men have taken over from the Fulani to wage economic war against their own people by preventing them from doing their legitimate business on Mondays.

“This open declaration of war by these hoodlums must not be allowed to stand”. Fr. Amarube stated.

“CVEKT therefore, called on the governors of the South East, as the Chief Security Officers of their respective States to put their feet down and assert their constitutional power and obligation to defend the lives and property of citizens and residents in the region.

It added that “CVEKT rejects the notion or impression advanced in some quarters that the South East State governors have lost their power and authority to IPOB.

We would rather believe that South East governors have been humane for too long, to the point of risking the charge of abdicating their constitutional responsibilities, by continuing to treats these recalcitrant and pseudo IPOB irredentists with kid gloves even when they have turned to bare faced terrorists.

“CVEKT is convinced that the time is overdue for the governors of the South East to assert and invoke the powers conferred on them by the constitution to stop these hoodlums in their track with executive order by directing law enforcement agencies in their respective states to marshal every force allowed by law, including shoot at sight order, to deal decisively with these enemies of Ndigbo and clear criminals under a false cloak of Igbo patriotism.

“Meanwhile, as the Igbo proverb says, when an animal runs too fast, the hunter responds with equal alacrity.

“A situation where over 100 billion naira is lost every Monday and other days people are prevented from doing their business, and where dozens are killed and cars burnt with reckless abandon in the name of enforcing sit-at-home has certainly assumed a state of emergency.

“This is why the South East governors must act fast and now. Or be seen to be incapable of the primary obligation of their offices, which is the protection of lives and property of their people.

We are convinced that our governors are not incapable.