•South East group demands apology from Unongo over Atiku comments

From Jeff Amechi Agbodo and Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) yesterday carpeted President Muhammadu Buhari over his alleged inability to tackle the killings of innocent citizens of the people of Benue and Taraba states by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The group demanded immediate deployment of soldiers to the affected areas to tame the situation against earlier directive of the president for deployment of policemen to the areas.
A statement by the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, said the president shouldn’t have, in the first instance, directed the Inspector General of Police to relocate to Benue State when he knew that police could not tackle the situation.
“We are still wondering why the Nigerian Government could not send soldiers to aid its citizens in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and other states where Fulani herdsmen are rampaging and killing innocent citizens with impunity.
“If the Nigerian government and her security agencies are sincere about tackling the menace of Fulani herdsmen, they must also deploy their soldiers to Benue and Taraba states with the same shoot-at-sight order they readily applied against peaceful Biafra agitators.”
Meanwhile, South East chapter of Atiku Solidarity Movement 2019 has asked a chieftain of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Chief Paul Unongo, to apologise to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, over comments that he is a major financier of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, whose herders are allegedly behind the recent killings in Benue State.
South East Co-coordinator of the Movement and National Organising Secretary of Dynamic Youths of Nigeria (DYON), Obi Egbeji, who spoke with newsmen in Awka, yesterday, described the statement credited to Unongo as unbecoming of a man who should be an elder statesman.
He threatened that the group would take up legal action against the Arewa leader and also embark on a five million-man protest if he fails to apologise to the former vice president after seven days.
“It is, indeed, unfortunate that a man who should be respected as an elder statesman chose to condescend to the level of a rumour monger by making malicious and undignified statements against one of the pillars of our country’s democratic process.
“It is on record that President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against terrorism and wanton killings has been unimpressive and smacks of an administrator who appears to be overwhelmed by the challenges of his office,” he said.