Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru has denied any involvement in the arrest of the President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, lgboayaka Igboayaka.
Gov. Nwifuru’s response is coming against the backdrop of speculations that he ordered the arrest of Igboayaka by the police, following the attack on Amegu Nkalaha community in the Ishielu Local Government Area of the state.
During the attack on the community, an unknown number of villagers were killed, many fled their homes, and property worth millions of naira were destroyed.
The governor in a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor and made available to journalists in Abakaliki on Tuesday, stated that the scene of the unfortunate incident is a grotesque one to behold and has drawn nationwide attention, and condemnation.
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“At a period Ebonyians are trying to be psychologically detached, enemies of the state masquerading as online merchants and social media contractors, have yet again thrown caution to the wind by alleging Governor Nwifuru’s involvement in the arrest of lgboayaka, the factional helmsman of Ohanaeze Youth Council all in attempt to distract concentration and temporarily halt the supersonic transformation of the state governor.
“What the social media assassins have failed to know is that the same Igboayaka claimed responsibility for the attack by stating publicly he knew when the attack was conceived and hatched, a reason he claimed to have had, four days earlier.
“Intelligence at our disposal does not in anywhere show that Igboayaka works with the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA), nor for the Directorate of State Services (DSS), to be armed with such intelligence that threatens internal security.
“Rather, Igboayaka is a social deviant running a factional arm of the apex Igbo socio-cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Let me categorically state that Governor Nwifuru has no involvement in any such arrest or police action against Comrade Igboayaka.
“As the chief security officer of Ebonyi State, Governor Nwifuru remains committed to upholding justice, ensuring peace, and protecting the rights of all Ebonyians, including those who express concerns about security matters.
“It is important to clarify that the role of the governor is to collaborate with security agencies to safeguard lives and property, not to interfere in law -enforcement procedures.
“Any arrest or investigation by the Nigerian Police is purely within the jurisdiction of the security agencies, independent of any influence from the governor.
“Governor Nwifuru condemns in strong terms the attack on Amegu Nkalaha and remains focused on ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
“The governor, whose administration is anchored on the people’s charter of needs, is working closely with security agencies to enhance proactive measures that will prevent further attacks.
“While we urge the public to disregard any false narratives aimed at misrepresenting the governor’s role in this matter, we should commend security agencies for the timely arrest of Igboayaka, who claimed responsibility for the attack, to provide intelligence that will permanently end killings and other communal skirmishes in the future.
“The government of Ebonyi State remains committed to justice, transparency, and the security of its people,” the statement said.
