- The Abia State Police Command has beefed up security in Umuahia, Abia State ahead of the burial of the traditional ruler of Isiama Afara Ukwu, Umuahia, Eze Israel Kanu, and his wife, Sally.
The Abia State Police Command has beefed up security in Umuahia, Abia State ahead of the burial of the traditional ruler of Isiama Afara Ukwu, Umuahia, Eze Israel Kanu, and his wife, Sally.
The monarch and his wife, who are the parents of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, will be laid to rest on Friday, February 14, 2020.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Ene Okon, also enjoined residents of the capital city to disregard a rumour making the rounds that he wanted to scuttle the burial process.
Okon, in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Ogbonna Geoffrey, on Tuesday, stated that the police were inundated with a series of intelligence reports that miscreants disguising as members of IPOB were intending to hijack the burial process.
He said the presence of security officials in and around the city should not be seen as a threat but a proactive measure to prevent the infiltration of hoodlums into the Afara community.
The statement partly read, “To this end, therefore, the police in alliance with the Afara community, wish to re-assure all residents, indigenes and those attending the burial of their safety, while miscreants are warned to steer clear of the environment as the security operatives will not fold their arms and watch their unlawful activities.”
But Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel, told the police to stop wasting resources sending its officials to the community.
He maintained that the Afara people were peace-loving and would not hurt anybody.
He said, “I understand that the CP is under pressure to satisfy the Federal Government, who employed him. But I want him to understand that we are mourning our parents and we are not preparing for war.
“The burial of our parents is being organised by the three autonomous communities in Afara and we are assuring our friends and well-wishers of their safety during the burial.
“The CP himself is our tenant and he can attest to the fact that we are orderly and decent people, at least nobody has harassed him since he came to this community.”
Meanwhile, the IPOB on Wednesday assured that the burial of the parents of its leader would be peaceful.
It asked the security agencies to steer clear of the burial venue, adding that there would be no need for their presence on the occasion.
