Members of the Rivers State Caucus of the National Assembly have given their backing to the measures taken by the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, to rein in the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the state.
The lawmakers said they unconditionally stand with the governor on every action he has taken to preserve lives and properties of all residents in the state.
Leader of the caucus, Senator George Sekibo, stated this when he led members of the caucus on a solidarity visit to Governor Wike at the Government House, Port Harcourt.
Sekibo explained that the caucus had been impressed with efforts and commitment of the governor in the handling of #EndSARS protests and the aftermath.
According to him, while the governor had ensured that the protests were peaceful, traducers and enemies of the state masquerading as IPOB, decided to cause mayhem; kill innocent residents and even security officers; destroy properties of the state and citizens, especially in Oyigbo, Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt local government areas.
“As a caucus, we want to state our unalloyed support for your re-affirmation of the proscription of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in line with the categorisation of the group as a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government.
“We also want to unequivocally state that Rivers State cannot and will never be annexed by any group, organisaton or person(s) whatsoever, as we are Niger Delta people, and will always stand for the course of the Niger Delta, her people, dreams and aspirations”, he said.
Sekibo emphasised that if the powers that be had listened when in 2016 the governor called the attention of the world to the atrocious activities of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SAR) in Rivers State, the nation would not have suffered the colossal loss of lives and properties during and after the protests.
Responding, the state Governor, Wike lauded the caucus for the solidarity visit, and reaffirmed that he would continue to do all that is required to protect and defend the state.
He explained that members of IPOB capitalised on the contiguousness of Oyigbo to Abia State to invade the community and unleash violence, resulting in the death of six soldiers and four policemen.
The governor, who vowed that IPOB would never be allowed to exist within Rivers State, reiterated that law abiding Igbos and people of other nationalities shall continue to live and do business in the state unmolested.
He reiterated that if the Federal Government had not politicised security, steps should have been taken to checkmate the activities of the notorious SARS.
Wike further blamed the politicisation of security for the reason why the state’s Neighbourhood Watch has not taken off.
The governor assured the lawmakers that when the state receives the N78billion refund from the Federal Government, the money would be judiciously used for the benefit of the entire state.
Furthermore, the governor declared that he would supervise the employment of 5,000 youths into the State Civil Service in order to ensure that no community, ward, local government area was marginalised.
