Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike has said the state was peaceful before members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB suddenly killed six Soldiers, four Policemen, destroyed all the Police stations and burnt all the courts in Oyigbo.
Wike said the IPOB also went as far as renaming communities in the State and put up their flags in some places.
“We all know when you kill a security operative particularly the army they wouldn’t let you go”.
“They didn’t stop there but started renaming communities in Rivers State and put up flags in some places”.
“IPOB went on to attack the Hausas and I called for the curfew when it was degenerating into a tribal conflict with the Hausas”, Wike alleged..
“Everybody knows if there is one person the military doesn’t like it is me but that the army doesn’t like me doesn’t mean I shouldn’t speak the truth”.
“Nobody has criticized the Police or Army more than me but you don’t go and kill them and expect me to tell you welldone”.
The Rivers State Governor said the allegation against him that he ordered Soldiers to kill Ibo people at Oyigbo makes no sense adding that no relationship exits between him and the Army.
“Saying i sent soldiers to oyigbo to kill Igbo people is nonsense because I have no relationship with the Army and can’t command the Army, I can’t even command the Police much more to direct the army”.
Governor Wike explained “What I said and still maintain is that security agencies should maintain the ban on IPOB and shouldn’t allow their activities anywhere in the State as no sane govt would sit back and encourage the kind of destruction they carried out.
“The only problem with Oyigbo is the activities of IPOB not Igbo people. We have lived peacefully and intermarried with the Igbos for years and nothing can change that. Oyigbo people should also rise to the occasion and assist in flushing the IPOB extremists from among them.
“The story of house to house killings in Oyigbo is false but as a further measure we have called for a Security Council meeting to review the security situation in Oyigbo”.
