South East governors in talks with FG on Nnamdi Kanu’s release – Alex Otti

Alex Otti, Abia State Governor, says governors of the South East are engaging the Federal Government over the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Speaking during his monthly media chat with journalists on Thursday, Otti revealed that efforts were ongoing behind the scenes to secure Kanu’s freedom.

“The information and assurances are not for public consumption. As his governor, I am in the forefront of ensuring that he comes back.

“The South East governors are also involved. So, we are discussing” he said while answering questions on the IPOB leader’s case, he said:

The governor added that beyond Kanu’s detention, his administration remained focused on strengthening security across the state, especially with the approach of the festive season.

“We will also continue to support the agencies, supporting the police, the army, the DSS, with little things to make their lives easier. We are also renovating and expanding the prison, not that we are expecting more criminals to be sent there,” he said.

Otti commended security agencies for maintaining relative peace in Abia but cautioned residents to remain vigilant.

“The state has been relatively peaceful. I want to use this opportunity to thank the security agencies, the army, and the officers who have worked and continue to work very hard. But it is never over yet. We have just launched into the ember months.

“And we all know what goes with ember months. I am using this opportunity to call on all of us to be more security-conscious. To report whatever we see. We should not keep quiet.

“A large part of the success in security is information. We have our own ways of gathering information. But if you also support what the government is doing with information, it will be very helpful.”

On education, Otti expressed concern over cases of school vandalism in the state, blaming some youths for the trend.

“Some Abia youths are involved in the vandalisation of schools in the state. We have concluded plans to recruit four security staff for each school and they will resume duties soon,” he said.

He also gave updates on infrastructure, disclosing that President Bola Tinubu would visit Abia next Friday to inaugurate roads in Aba.

“We are almost set to flag off the reconstruction of the Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene federal road route and that should happen in the next few weeks. And of course, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic will be here on Friday next week to commission a pack of routes and seven other routes in Aba,” Otti announced.

On the Abia Airport project, the governor admitted challenges in compensating affected host communities but assured that the problems were being addressed.

“I would like to acknowledge that not too long ago I was told that some people from Nsulu protested over non-payment of compensation. I was a bit surprised because I was of the view that everybody had been paid. So I had to dispatch the team that worked on that project for me. By the time they returned, they found out that a few things had happened.

“One, some of the genuine owners of the lands, their details were omitted and their payments had not been done. The second one was that some of the people who also protested failed to complete their documentation. Because their documentation had not been completed, payment could not be made.

“There was also an error by the contractor in getting into some spaces that were not originally marked for acquisition. That was the easiest to correct and the contractor has corrected that and issued instructions.”