Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has debunked reports claiming he ordered the Military to kill Igbos in the Oyigbo area of the oil-rich state.
While insisting that members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) had destroyed properties in the area and killed people, Wike in a state broadcast on Monday, restated that the imposition of a curfew in Oyigbo was to restore order to the area.
—It Is Not True —
“So, it’s not true that I order the military to kill Igbos in Oyigbo. When did I become a friend to the Military?” the former Minister of Education wondered. “So what about the Igbos living elsewhere in the state are they also being killed?”
The narrative that Igbos were being killed by the Military, Wike argued, is to move attention from the nefarious activities of the pro-Biafra group in Oyigbo.
He maintained that this is not the first time the pro-Biafra group is using the area as a launching pad.
“IPOB added a new dimension this time. They killed 6 Army Officers and burnt one. They killed four Police Officers,” he explained. “They destroyed all the Police Stations and Court Buildings. What offense did we commit as a state?”
—No Relationship —
The governor added that he has “no relationship with the Army or the Police, I do not command them. They change Commissioner of Police every time. How will I begin to direct the Army that I do not give instruction?”
Wike who expressed anger at IPOB’s hoisting of its flag in a school in Komkom Town, vowed not to allow “criminals” to destroy Rivers State.
“I will not fold my arms and watch criminals destroy my state if those few criminals are Igbos then they should know that I will not allow them,” he warned. “They made attempt to rename a local government in my state. That alone is a signal. I will not agree to that. I know who is doing all these; who has told them to rise, protest against Wike.”
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