IPOB protests: Southeast Governors, Ohaneze to meet in Owerri

Southeast Governors and the leadership of the Apex Igbo socio-political organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo, will convene in Owerri, Imo State, this weekend at the instance of the Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to find a lasting solution to the rising activities of separatist groups in the zone.

Okorocha, who had earlier denounced the activities of the pro-Biafra groups on behalf of the Southeast Governors and Igbo leaders, said the governors and leaders in the zone could no longer sit and watch the situation degenerate further, adding that the Igbo as a people cannot afford to have another Boko Haram in the region.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor noted that the pockets of protests across the zone and in other neighbouring states, organized by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), is highly embarrassing, disturbing and counter-productive.

He said, “The pro-Biafra protests could not be in the interest of the Southeast people but are only sending wrong signals to the rest of Nigerians.  And it has become increasingly necessary for the governors in the zone, Ohaneze leaders and other stakeholders in the area to meet, to call a spade, a spade.

“It is also expected that at the end of the Owerri meeting, the governors and other leaders will take a common position and will also invite the leaders of the pro-Biafra groups for a meeting, to let them know the socio-economic and political implications of their activities including their demand for sovereignty in a united Nigeria.”