Outrage over, plan to transfer B/Haram…

However, the All Progressives Congress (APC), South-East Zone, has dismissed rumour of planned transfer of Boko Haram suspects to Anambra State Prisons.

The party, therefore, called on the people of South-East to ignore such rumour and remain calm.

In a statement issued yesterday by Mr.OsitaOkechukwu, Spokesman, South East APC, he said the party “wishes to state categorically that the rumour making the rounds that Boko Haram Detainees will be transferred to Anambra State or any other state for that matter is blatant falsehood.

“We have made contacts with the Presidency and the Nigeria Prison Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and they assured us that there is no iota of truth in the mischievous rumour.“In the clarification, the Nigeria Prison Service stated unequivocally that, ‘Most of the terror suspects are awaiting trial and so there is no way they can be moved to another state, because they must be tried in the state where they committed the crime.’

“They went further to state that their primary and traditional duty is to move detainees from prison to trial courts and wondered how easy it is to move the detainees more than 1000 kilometers from Onitsha to Maiduguri if they are relocated?

“Accordingly, the South East zone of the APC candidly appeals to our dear compatriots to disregard the blackmail and sinister rumour of rear-guard elements; who are yet to recover from their failure in the March 28th presidential election.

“We assure our people that the change President MuhammaduBuhari promised is real: the 2nd Niger Bridge, Federal Roads, Enugu Coal and other physical and social infrastructure in the South East will be revamped”.

It would be recalled that there was massive protest in Anambra State on Saturday over the alleged plans to transfer some Boko Haram suspects to the state.

Traders in the state as early as 9am shut their shops in major cities of Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and Agulu, to kick against the purported plan.

At Tarzan junction, Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state, traders, and other residents blocked the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway chanting songs suggesting that they would be forced to revive the clamour for Biafran Republic if pushed to the wall.

The traders carried placards bearing inscriptions like ‘Buhari should not destroy the peace in Anambra State,’ ‘Biafra kanyichoro’ (We want Biafra), ‘Buhari, Igbos cannot accept your prisoners, ‘We do not want Boko Haram in Anambra,’ ‘Federal Government, why extend Boko Haram to Anambra?’ and ‘Boko Haram prisoners are not allowed here.’

Speaking with newsmen during the protests, the Secretary-General, Anambra State Amalgamated Traders Association, Chief ChumaElucharu, stated that traders in the state decided to shut markets to protest the rumoured relocation of Boko Haram detainees to the state.

Also in Onitsha, the protesters threatened to go violent should the rumour be proved to be true.

There was tension as police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.

While addressing the traders, the President-General of AMATAAS, Chief OkwudiliEzenwankwo, urged them to be calm, saying that further consultation would be made by the association to get clear picture of the situation.

Also, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr.UcheEze, said there was no need to panic, nothing that the police were handling the situation.

However, the Nigeria Prisons Service said there is no plan to transfer Boko Haram suspects in custody to prisons in Anambra State as being speculated.

Speaking through its Public Relations Officer, Francis Enebore the NPS said most of the terror suspects in prison custody were still awaiting trial and cannot be moved out of the jurisdiction of the court where they would be prosecuted.

In its reaction, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law says that the proposed transfer to Anambra prison of some detained suspects of the Boko Haram terror group is seen by the leadership of the group as an infamous policy by the reactionary forces at the Federal Government aimed at the massive destruction of Igbo lives and properties and the escalation of Islamic insurgency in Nigeria.

EmekaUmeagbalasi, Board Chairman of the INTERSOCIETY in a statement disclosed that there were strong intelligence reports at the disposal of some highly placed public office holders of the South East extraction, and other strategic citizens to the effect that signals were recently released to relevant prison authorities in the South East zone to prepare special grounds for prisoners transfer involving some suspects of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria.

He said that a leading politician of South East extraction, Chief Victor Umeh and undisclosed top prisons officials in the South East zone, have attested to the intelligence reports. He added that although the Prisons Service denied the proposed plan, it could not change the position of the group and majority of Igbos on the issue.

INTERSOCIETY stressed that their fear is borne out of the fact that the people of South East zone in Nigeria are endangered species in the Federation. He disclosed that their hard-earned properties through self-help are also targeted for destruction and annexation by other federating partners including their military and civilian goons, at any slightest social misdirection. According to him “the emergence of President MuhammaduBuhari; a leading actor in the genocidal war against the zone and their South-South counterpart between 1967 and January 1970; is seen by many in the referenced areas as resurgence of war vendetta policies and actions such as the above referenced.

“Already, the zone is yet to recover from codified social, economic and political marginalization and apart from receiving the least Federation’s monetary allocations, social services, infrastructural developments and political appointments; the zone is also the least in the number of states, local government areas, senatorial districts and federal constituencies allocated to the country’s six geopolitical zones.

Umeagbalasi explained that the group holds the proposed transfer of the detained Boko Haram terror suspects is aimed at massive destruction of Igbo lives and properties and relocation of Boko Haram insurgency to the South East and the South-South zones. “The policy is, therefore, ill conceived and politically motivated, he reasoned.