The governors of Nigeria’s South-east region may be
preparing to hold talks with IPOB, going by the positions
adopted by the governors and other leaders of the region
during their Saturday’s meeting in Enugu.
IPOB is a pro-Biafra group which has been proscribed by the
Nigerian government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the Chairman of
the South-East Governors’ Forum, Governor David Umahi of
Ebonyi State as telling reporters that the leaders from the
region had set up a committee to engage the “agitators” in the
region to address their fears.
It is not clear if Mr Umahi specifically mentioned IPOB by
name when he spoke with reporters.
But the governor may have very well referred to group when
he said “agitators”, as IPOB is the main group agitating for
the independent state of Biafra, for now.
This development signals a departure from the previous
hardline posture against IPOB and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Although Mr Umahi said secessionist groups from the region
were not speaking for the people of the area, he made some
remarks that seemed like the kind of thing IPOB and their
supporters would like to hear.
The governor, for instance, said governors and other leaders of
the region condemned the extrajudicial killings of civilians in
the region by security agencies.
He also said that although the South-east remains committed
to Nigeria’s corporate existence, but that such union must be
based on love, mutual respect and equality of rights,
irrespective of one’s religion, ethnic group, political inclination
and creed.

The governor said that leaders from the region had noted with
concern threats against the Igbo people by some groups in
other regions.
“The meeting pleaded with leaders of other regions to note
such threats to our people, address it and protect our people,”
he said.
Those present at the Saturday’s meeting included Okezie
Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu.
Anambra and Imo States were represented by the deputy
governors, Nkem Okeke and Placid Njoku respectively.
Others were the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe;
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige; Minister of
State for Mines and Steel Development, Uche Ogah, and
President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, George Obiozo.
‘It’s difficult to proscribe an ideology’
Governor Ikpeazu, before now, had urged the federal
government to open talks with IPOB and other agitators in
different parts of Nigeria in order to check the rising insecurity
in the country.
Mr Ikpeazu said, “The good place to start is to listen to the
crux of their agitation, because some of the things they have
mentioned is what is agitating the mind of the ordinary people
in the South-east. So, what is wrong in listening? What is
wrong in discussing the issues?
“If they say they want somebody in the Security Council, why
can’t that happen?”
The Nigerian government, he said, should begin a
“conversation” immediately.

When asked about the possibility of holding talks with a group
like IPOB which has been proscribed, Mr Ikpeazu said, “You
can proscribe an individual, you can proscribe a group, you
can proscribe an organisation but it is difficult to proscribe an
ideology.”
South-east’s Security challenge
Frequent deadly attacks on security agencies has complicated
the security challenges in the South-east. Such attacks,
including the burning down of court buildings, INEC facilities,
and other public facilities, may be eroding the people’s trust in
the government.

The huge success recorded in the recent IPOB’s sit-at-home
order could also erode the people’s trust in the political
leadership of the South-east governors and others.
Apart from the fact that the Nigerian military may be over-
stretched with their campaign against the Boko Haram
insurgency in the country’s North-east and other campaigns in
other parts of the country, military operations in the South-
east, which is seen by many as an extreme option, appeared
not to have brought about a lasting peace in the region.
Some gunmen on Wednesday attacked the country home of a
state lawmaker in Imo and beheaded a security guard on duty,
in what appears to be a new dimension in the security
challenge in the state.
The country home of the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma,
was similarly attacked in April.
Mr Ikpeazu has said that IPOB was trying to “fill a gap”
wrongly and that the group was being energised by the
activities of “criminal herders” who invade farmlands in the
South-east.
“In the first place what is the genesis of the agitation in the
South-east? Some people in the South-east feel unprotected
the way things are going and they also feel that some criminal
herders that have found their way into our forests were not
adequately sanctioned according to the rule book of Nigeria,
and that created a gap.
“It is this gap that non-state actors are trying to fill, wrongly
though,” he said.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/468891-south-east-governors-to-hold-talks-with-ipob-official.html

Way to go, if IPOB can't go about it the right way they should drop it.

Very good, seem they want to beg the boys to shealth their swords.

I'm loving these


God continue to bless the land of the rising sun.

After loosing thousands of innocent Biafrans for the restoration of Biafra they think IPOB will back down lol.

It's Biafra or Biafra. Discussions should be how to conduct referendum. Simple
All hail Biafra

Our leaders and their love for violence. This is what they should have done since but they waited for the agitation to turn violent before acting.

E get as this story go do APC miscreants.
Na so dem arrange to kill Nnamdi kanu after holding meeting with him before

To discuss actualization of Biafra? If not the meeting is useless

Anything to bring peace in SE is welcome

The Talk Better Be on How to Peacefully Divide this Country if not they are Wasting their Time.

Monogamy:
Anything to bring peace in SE is welcome

anything to actualize Biafra is welcome

Effort in futility

Chibuzoc:
After loosing thousands of innocent Biafrans for the restoration of Biafra they think IPOB will back down lol.

It's Biafra or Biafra. Discussions should be how to conduct referendum. Simple
All hail Biafra

You're not Igbo

So shut up and get lost

Logic: if the Biafra of a post-country thingy is actualized, these governors would have nothing to govern. How do you expect them to give in?


What does it change? Man's government has failed.

UGM or ESN should visit every former governors of Imo state and behead all of them.

The Imo state axis of the Ihiala-Orlu road is the worst road I've ever plied in my entire lifetime. They just allowed that road to rot for donkeys years while Anambra even though an opposition have fixed their own end of the road.

What exactly is Imo state gaining from being in the same party controlling the center since the days of Udenwa (whose house is even right in front of that road), Rochas (who is from that zone) and the idiotic Hopeless Uzodinma (who was imposed to make the state ungovernable)?

The discussion should be how to conduct referendum for Biafrans,anything apart from that is wasting of time and energy.

Ipob have cross the ribbon,so no going back.
Or else Nigeria is going to bring back our youths they killed since 2015.





We must continue.

fourboys:
anything to actualize Biafra is welcome

No be when peace dey you go fit actualize your Biafra?

Mtcheeeew

They want to hold a talk with ipob, will they travel to UK to talk with Nnamdi Kanu, if no, they won't succeed.

PrinceOfLagos:

You're not Igbo

So shut up and get lost

Yen yen yen.

IPOB is not a political party, IPOB is the Indigenous people of Biafra and our quest is for the total restoration of Biafraland.

It's either Biafra or Biafra

Proudly dot man aka 5% wey better pass 97%

Chibuzoc:


Yen yen yen.

IPOB is not a political party, IPOB is the Indigenous people of Biafra and our quest is for the total restoration of Biafraland.

It's either Biafra or Biafra

Proudly dot man aka 5% wey better pass 97%

Keep fooling yourself

Better you talk to your violent kids else Buhari would treat them in the language they understand.

- erase the dot

Monogamy:


Mynd44, Oamj4, Lalasticlacla, Dominique

All NL rules broken

Yes, they deserve to be beheaded, do you know how many people these governors have killed by swallowing the money meant for that road and leaving it rot and cause fatal accidents?/

Behead all former and present governor of Imo. The ones coming afterwards will learn and sit up.

FakeUnity:


Yes, they deserve to be beheaded, do you know how many people these governors have killed by swallowing the money meant for that road and leaving it rot and cause fatal accidents?/

Behead all former and present governor of Imo. The ones coming afterwards will learn and sit up.

Some of you people would be a bad ordinary class captain

Lately, I haven't red about killing and burning in the SE

Are they tired of burning down their abodes ?

Nothing amazes me as the turnaround of the online warriors who were galvanizing the UGM killing but now praying for peace to reign

Pikin we sey him papa no go rest him too no go get peace

Chibuzoc:
After loosing thousands of innocent Biafrans for the restoration of Biafra they think IPOB will back down lol.

It's Biafra or Biafra. Discussions should be how to conduct referendum. Simple
All hail Biafra

who will conduct the referendum?

Ipob are tired of killing policemen

Monogamy:


Some of you people would be a bad ordinary class captain

A class captain is better that all the idiotic muslim fulani rulers of nigeria put together.

Is there any other mode of rulership that your muslim fulani masters know apart from looting, plenty looting and super looting?

PrinceOfLagos:
You're not Igbo
So shut up and get lost

He may not be Igbo but he is right.