According to him, his state was not part of the states that formed the “Sovereign States of Biafra,” which had been proclaimed by the Indigenous People of Biafra, the Punch reports.
Umahi, who also serves as Chairman of the South EastGovernors’ Forum, however, said some of the agitations of IPOB members were genuine, except that the approach used in actualising their objectives were bad.
Umahi also raised the alarm of an alleged threat of kidnap on the five governors of the zone by the group and added that the fresh threat was received via text messages, sent to his wife.
He spoke on Sunday at the Nkwegu Military Cantonment in Abakaliki, the state capital, during the inauguration of Operation Python Dance (Egwu Eke) phase III, by the Nigerian Army.
He said,
“The GOC, you are coming at a time we had our brothers and sisters of IPOB sending text messages that, there will be no elections and insulting the leaders, particularly the South-East governors.
Just few days back, they sent text message to my wife that the five governors of the South-East would be kidnapped and that their security would be overpowered and that after ransoms were paid, they would kill them and kill themselves.
“That is laughable; although as a leader in the zone, I must say that some of their complaints are genuine; but the approach is very bad. That is why the leaders of south-east are not in support of their approach.”
“So, we are not against them, but their approach. And as the Chief Security of the state, I do not welcome them; Ebonyi state is not part of Biafra, we are a sovereign state, and we don’t want to be colonised again, as we are a state demanding better treatment in the affairs of our nation.”
