The Isiama Afaraukwu Ibeku Community in Umuahia north local
government area of Abia State on Thursday dissociated themselves from
the call for succession as being championed by the leader of the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
DAILY POST reports that the community pledged their support and loyalty to a united and indivisible Nigeria.
Isiama Afaraukwu ibeku community is the hometown of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Addressing journalists in a press conference organized by the
community on Thursday, an elder statesman, Chief Geoffrey Onyemaobi said
the people of Isiama Afaraukwu ibeku was not part of the agitation for
sovereign state of Biafra, just as he raised alarm over the invasion of
the community by IPOB members.
He explained that on Wednesday, the community was invaded by members
of IPOB, with over five hundred vehicles, which led to heavy traffic jam
in the area.
According to Onyemaobi, the IPOB members blocked the entire roads in
the community and that it took residents of the community about two
hours to get home from Umuahia town.
He pointed out that it took him two hours to get Isiama Afaraukwu
from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) junction, Umuahia, appealing to
federal and Abia state governments to come to their aid over the
invasion of the community by those he referred as ‘outsiders’.
Onyemaobi restated once again that Isiama Afaraukwu ibeku was not
supporting break-up of Nigeria, maintaining that they joined other well
meaning individuals on the call for Nigeria restructuring.
His words,”They invaded my community, isiama Afaraukwu Ibeku yesterday, that’s on Wednesday.
“There was no space in entire Isiama Afaraukwu. They invaded the
community with over five hundred vehicles carrying young boys who have
no idea how war looks like, walking around every place in this
community.
“The people of the community, including myself could not come out
from our compound. They blocked our gates and roads with vehicles. I had
to manage to squeeze myself out.
“Coming back, it took me complete two hours from Federal medical
Centre (FMC) junction, through Aba road, because they blocked the Golden
Guinea Breweries road, I had to take Holy Trinity road, still they
blocked it. No space anywhere in Afaraukwu.
“Two hours to get to my compound. Is it what we are going see in this
community? We are appealing to government to please come to the aid of
this community. We are not part of what is going, I mean, Biafra
agitation. We are not part of it.
“The community is being invaded by outsiders. They are invading our
community. We are only calling on government to protect us. This is an
invasion. One cannot come out of his compound, we have been held inside
our compound.
“We are calling on the Abia state and federal government to wake up
because what is coming gradually now, might turn to something else.
“We want peace in this community. There is tension everywhere in this
country. If they want us to break up this country, this is not the way
to go about it; it is by referendum, everybody will sit down and agree.
“But I don’t believe breaking up of this country is the right thing
to do. I believe that there must be changes in the polity. I believe the
present federal government is listening. Everybody in this country have
said we need to restructure Nigeria.
“And we believe if this country is restructured, all these agitations will cease.”