President Muhammadu Buhari (right) in a handshake with the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari who was on a working visit to Ebonyi State, again missed the opportunity of correcting the impression the Igbo has about him when he told leaders of the South-east geo-political zone that he would not meddle in the travails of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra’s (IPOB).
Buhari who could not hide his hard stance on the Igbo nation looked the elders in the eyeball and told them that he would do nothing about their detained son as the court would determine the fate of the leader of IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The Igbo leaders, during a meeting with the President at the Government House, Abakaliki, had pleaded with Buhari to release Kanu. The call was delivered to Buhari by the Chairman, South-East Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Charles Mkpuma.
Responding, the President said: ‘‘I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said previously, this matter remains in the full purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated. My worry is for our hardworking and innocent civilians, for whom life is already tough and would like to earn a decent and honest living. ‘There are many that fit this profile and the government owes them that obligation to protect lives and property. I will once again repeat, no one has the right to carry an AK-47, and anyone seen in any part of the country doing so and is not a law enforcement officer is a threat to our peaceful coexistence and should be treated as such.”
Buhari however pledged his administration’s readiness to protect innocent and hardworking Nigerians from terrorists and those causing break down of law and order in the South East zone. He expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the region, reiterating his directive to security agencies to “flush out” those perpetrating violence in the land. He added: “I must register my deep and grave concern with regards to the deteriorating state of security affairs in this region.
“In the last 48 hours, I have been informed of the latest in the round of brutal actions carried out by gun-wielding terrorists, who prey on innocent and hardworking citizens. Unfortunately, these barbaric acts were visited upon those who have committed their lives to protect their fellow citizens.”
Buhari also paid tribute to members of the Nigerian Armed Forces who recently lost their lives in the region. On infrastructure, President Buhari highlighted some of his government’s achievements in the zone, dismissing those peddling false narratives of lack of care and consideration for the people of the South-east by his administration
The President said he was proud of the reconstruction of the runway of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport and ongoing upgrade of the International Terminal Building, assuring Ndigbo that the N200 billion Second Niger Bridge and 10km six-lane expressway in Onitsha and Asaba would be completed before the end of the year.
