Ebonyi State Police have urged residents in the state to reject the outlaw Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) stay-at-home order scheduled for May 8-11.
This is contained in a Monday statement by the spokesman for the police in the state, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya.
Ebonyi Police Commissioner Faleye Olaleye, according to the statement, described the order as illegal and cannot be upheld.
“Therefore, we order the good people of Ebonyi to dismiss the warrant and go about their legal business without fear of intimidation, as the police are prepared, more than ever, to provide them with the utmost protection for their safety.” said Mr. Olaleye.
The commissioner also urged residents to report threats to their safety in the state to police.
“We assure you that the command will remain resilient in its determination to ensure that criminal elements are denied space to carry out their illicit activities in the state,” the commissioner said.
increase in attacks
Security has deteriorated in southeastern Nigeria with frequent attacks by armed individuals throughout the region.
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Attacks often target government officials, security agencies, and their facilities.
The Nigerian government has accused IPOB of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra that it wants to separate from the south-east and some parts of the south-south of Nigeria.
(YAYA)