South-East Professionals condemns attack on Imo police headquarters, Correctional Centre, others

*Accuses IPOB of complicity in the act

Reactions have continued to trail the recent attacks on the Imo State Police Command’s headquarters, in Owerri, the correctional Centre headquarters in the state, public property as well as security personnel in the state by some criminal elements.

Condemning the attack in a very strong term, a southeast group under the aegis of Coalition of South-East Professional Network in Nigeria and Diaspora (CSEPNND) accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), for the act.

The group in a statement by its National President, Prof. Madumere Chika, alleged that the dastardly act was a political and well calculated attempt to make Imo State in particular and South East in general, ungovernable.

Describing the act as not only barbaric but also uncivilized and strange to the South East culture, it warned that unless the madness was immediately stopped, the region might be consumed by actions of the group it referred to as “criminal group.”

“We condemn in totality the barbaric attack on Imo State Police Command’s headquarters in Owerri, Nigeria Correctional Centre headquarters, the military and some security agencies as well as government properties, by members of the outlawed proscribed IPOB.

This is not only cowardly but also uncivilized and strange to the culture of the Igbo people’’, the group said.

While cautioning the outlawed IPOB to desist from such criminal act before the whole world starts seeing people from the region as enemies of progress and anti-government, the professionals appealed to all Igbo sons and daughters of good will to immediately rise up to stop the madness before it consumes everyone.

‘’We are aware that this dastardly act is political and well calculated to make Imo State in particular and South East in general, ungovernable.”

“We, therefore, appeal to all Igbo sons and daughters of good will to immediately rise up to stop this madness before it consumes all of us.

‘’If we allow these criminals to weaken our security agencies in the South East, they will revert to us and make the state more ungovernable for all the citizens.

‘’ For some of our elites who are funding these criminals, we wish to passionately appeal to them to desist forthwith.”

“No matter the political differences, we must know that Imo State belongs to us all and if we destroy it today because of politics, we will be the first victims,”it further warned.

The group further blamed security agencies, especially the newly appointed service chiefs, saying they have not lived up to people’s expectations.

It said:”We register our utmost displeasure with those trusted with the security of lives and property in Nigeria especially the newly appointmented service chiefs. We feel they are not up and doing despite the high expectations that greeted their appointments.”

‘’We naturally expected that by now, they would have made impact in the security situation of the country since their appointments but unfortunately,it’s rather deteriorating on the daily basis.”

“The security agencies are losing grip in the South East and this is not good for our country’’, it observed.

The group tasked the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma to immediately summon stakeholders to a meeting with a view to tackling issues giving rise to the ugly development in the state in particular and the South East in general.