IGP Orders Police To Be Ruthless With IPOB/ ESN In Southeast

The acting Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba has ordered police Operatives in the Southeast region to deal ruthlessly with criminal elements and secessionists who may attempt to take the risk of testing their will.

The acting IGP gave the order Tuesday in the company of southeast governors when he launched a special operation, codenamed ‘Operation Restore Peace’ (Operation RP) in the Southeast geo-political zone at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu.

The IGP advised the police officers and men deployed on the special operation to see their deployment as a call to national duty, as according to him, the force leadership and indeed, “the entire nation are looking out for two major outcomes as you discharge your duties during this operation. First, to stabilize the security order in the Southeast in the shortest possible time. Second, to be professional in your conduct as you strive to attain this objective.”

The IGP, who advised the policemen to be civil with the law-abiding citizens and respect the rights of the citizens and undertake the operation within the dictates of rule of law, however, charged them to defend themselves against any armed group that might attempt to attack them, any police assets and other critical national infrastructure.

He described the people of Southeastern Nigeria as historically peaceful, tolerant, innovative, industrious and entrepreneurial, who are highly respected citizens that have made their marks in the field of academics, scientific inventions and commerce.

He lamented however that despite the fact that the southeasterners were a unique ethnic group that freely and peacefully live with others across the country and within the Southeast, the events of late had altered the positive narrative.

According to him, “The Zone in recent years has been witnessing increasing cases of kidnapping, armed robbery and communal violence. This trend has of late been laced with inter-ethnic intolerance and separatist agitation as championed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

“The separatist agenda of this group has assumed an armed dimension in which important political and community leaders as well as personnel and assets of the Nigeria Police, Military and other security agencies are being constantly targeted in clearly well-coordinated, premeditated violent attacks in the region.

“Aside this, the deepening inter-ethnic prejudice and intolerance in the region is also occasioning unjustifiable inter-ethnic violence and counter-violence. Apart from the massive loss of property and fatalities to lives, the violent campaigns are beginning to have damaging effect on the socio-economic development of the region.

“This trend is being compounded by the illegal proliferation of firearms as well as the deployment of the social media by the leadership of IPOB to indoctrinate, misinform, and misdirect south easterners towards the path of violent separatism. This evolving trend constitutes a major threat to our nation’s internal security and national unity and, hence, requires urgent sets of all-inclusive actions in order to roll back the disastrous tide.”

Alkali explained that the launch of ‘Operation RP’ was conceptualized to ensure that “we should as a people, be determined to build a consensus, partner in condemning any act of criminality and resolve to work with the police and other security agencies towards identifying, isolating and bringing the criminal elements within our communities to deserved justice.