The leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly has said no part of the state will be ceded to the Indigenous People of Biafra, adding that the state will do everything within the law to protect its land.
The House raised the alarm that IPOB was threatening the security of the state as it called on the Federal Government to be aware.
The Speaker of the House, Ikuiyi Awaji-Ibani, stated this when he appeared as a guest on a radio (93.7 Rhythm FM) programme in Port Harcourt on Saturday. The programme was monitored by our correspondent.
Awaji-Ibani said Biafra was not part of Rivers State and vice versa, noting that the state government would continue to protect the lives and property of the people.
He said, “The banning of the activities of IPOB by the Governor (Nyesom Wike) is a step in the right direction. Let me join the governor because I am in a sober mood to also commiserate with the families that lost their loved ones in the hands of wicked persons.
“Because the issue of security is classified in the exclusive list, they should know that IPOB is not part and parcel of the political activity that we as Rivers people engage in.
“There is no way we can cede any part of Rivers State to become part of Biafra. It is not known to us. Anything the proscribed group does to destabilise the polity of the state will not be in their interest.
“If they are here doing business, they know that Rivers State Government has been protecting them, giving them enough leverage. But they should not take that for granted.”
“No rational leader will sit and watch a proscribed organisation and classified as a terrorist group to wreak havoc on innocent people and destroy properties. It is not known to any civil society.”
PUNCH