The 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential contender Peter Obi called the southeast sit-at-home instructions a criminal operation.
On Thursday, Obi tweeted that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) does not issue sit-at-home orders and urged security forces to take immediate action to combat rising insecurity and criminality.
Obi also praised south-eastern governors for their efforts to combat crime and asked for more strategic and intelligence-driven initiatives to decrease civilian suffering.
“The amount of lives and assets lost with very little opposition from security officers in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau state has caused a lot of anxiety,” Obi stated.
“Also concerning is the continuous interruption of economic and social activities in the South East area over the Sit-at-Home command purportedly emanating from the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, while the organisation has officially denied giving such instruction.
“What is happening in the South East is fundamentally a criminal operation that must be nipped in the bud, with all hands on deck, security agencies and the people alike.
“The South East Governors are to be praised for their increased efforts to curtail this problem, but we need to be more strategic and intelligence-driven in decreasing innocent people’s suffering.
“Security authorities must act quickly to stop the horrific tragedies because the nation cannot continue to shed innocent blood.
“We as a people via our governments should increase our regard for human life in how we react to challenges that impact lives.
“No investor will invest in an unsafe environment since their resources will not be safe and secure.”
Obi urged religious, traditional, and stakeholder groups to keep working for peace and urged governments at all levels to address poverty and young unemployment.
“Therefore, I would want to encourage crucial players in these regions, traditional, Christian, and Muslim leaders to continue striving for peace among their people in their style and manner,” he stated.
“Because stomach infrastructure is the best method to fight insecurity, governments at all levels should also address poverty and young unemployment.
“Also, urgent efforts should be made knowingly and actively to alleviate people’s hardship.”
