Governors of states in the country’s South-East region have vowed to stop the sit-at-home directive imposed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) secessionist group.
This was contained in a communique issued by the governors on Tuesday after an emergency security meeting in Enugu, Enugu State.
The meeting was convened to discuss the insecurity in the region, which many believe is orchestrated by IPOB.
The sit-at-home order is observed every Monday in Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Abia, and Ebonyi states.
The action, which is the group’s way of putting pressure on the federal government to release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has continuously disrupted economic and social activities in the region.
Kanu is currently in DSS detention in Abuja and is standing trial in Abuja for alleged terrorism.
The governors said, “The meeting condemned the sit-at-home orders, which are mostly issued by our people in diaspora who do not feel the pains, the meeting resolved that Governors and all (the) people of the South-east do everything within the law to ensure that there is no further sit-at-home in the South-east and that the people are allowed to freely move about in the zone.”
They also condemned the killings in the region and agreed to support security agencies to restore peace and concluded that all the states in the South-east should pass a law before the end of 2021 to give legal backing to the setting up of a joint security outfit, Ebubeagu, in the region.
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State hosted the meeting, which had Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, and Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State in attendance.
Abia State was represented by the Deputy Governor, Ude Chukwu.
