IPOB Threatens Umahi, Asks Buhari to Shelve S’East Visit

Police beef up security, warn group Ebonyi bans rallies, party logos

The leadership of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB) has threatened to deal with the Ebonyi State governor Dave Umahi and his family, and advised President Muhammadu Buhari to shelve his planned visit to Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital today, threatening to unleash mayhem should the president and his team ignore the warning.

The group, in a statement yesterday by its media and publicity secretary Emma Powerful, said the visit if not shelved would lead to bloodshed, as members of the group would go on the rampage.

Despite the threats, the Ebonyi Police Command yesterday warned the group and supporters of political parties in the state against disrupting the president’s visit to the state.

of Agriculture, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Solid Minerals.

“They have tremendously helped us to revamp our agricultural programme and solid minerals in Ebonyi State. So I believe Mr. President will be coming to see how far we have fared with the assistance he gave to us.

“Of course, he gave to other states but the Bible says that in the last day, men shall be unthankful.

“We are not like those that are unthankful. We have to say, ‘well Mr. President has helped us and so he is coming to see how much we have been able to manage the state we yearn for,’ and he will be able to see the level of marginalisation we suffered before the creation of Ebonyi State.

“He will compare side by side what we have been able to achieve and our agitation for this state’s creation, whether we have justified it or not.

“A lot of people that were here before the state’s creation and even those that came a few years after have given endorsement for the creation of Ebonyi,” he added.

Buhari will today commission two giant fly-over bridges in Abakaliki, one of which is a 700-metre twin bridge over the Western Trans-Sahara Road linking Enugu and Ebonyi with Cameroon.

He will also commission another flyover named after a Second Republic senator, Offia Nwali, described as the first Nigerian to obtain a PhD in Computer and Analytical Studies.

The president will also commission a 14.5km federal road linking Abakaliki with Afikpo built by the state government.

He will also unveil the statue of the first civilian governor of Eastern Region, Francis Akanu Ibiam.

The president will leave Abakaliki tomorrow morning for Awka, Anambra State, where he will lead the grand finale of the APC rally ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.