The Guardian (Nigeria)

Again, Imo residents ignore Uzodimma’s plea not to stay at home

- From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri

AGAIN,despite the plea by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, to the residents in the 27 local councils of the state, to henceforth, ignore the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra ( IPOB) sit- at- home order, people in various parts of the state stayed at home yesterday, in perceived compliance to the order.

In Imo, motorists stayed away from the streets of Owerri and routes into the state. Also, school pupils and students stayed at homes; shops, markets, banks, government offices were closed.

School children were seen playing football on their various streets.

But on Sunday, October 17, 2021, Uzodimma, while addressing worshipper­s after the church service at the Government House chapel, Owerri, pleaded with the people of the state to stop sitting at home any day the IPOB directed them, henceforth from Monday,

October 18.

He urged the people to have confidence in the government in addressing the issue of agitations, stressing: “To achieve them, it must not be through violence or by killing ourselves.”

The governor also asked the people to be wary of those he called “political jobbers” who “hide under the guise of IPOB and ESN, hire bandits and import killers into Imo State to kill innocent brothers and sisters.”

another developmen­t, Uzodimma has described the death of the erstwhile military administra­tor of the state, Col. Tanko Zubairu, as a big loss to the state.

The governor’s feeling was contained in a statement at the weekend and signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary/ Media Adviser, Oguwike Nwachukwu.

The announceme­nt of the death, The Guardian learnt, was made at the weekend by a family source.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Nigeria