Transfer of prisoners responsible for B/Haram influx – Ohanaeze

OGBONNAYA IBE
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing has blamed the presence of the dreaded Boko Haram sect in Enugu State on the alleged transfer of Boko Haram prisoners to Ekwulobia Prisons in Anambra.

The group blamed the state governors in the South East, as well as the South East chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for not speaking out against the alleged transfer.

President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, urged all youths in the South East, and Igbo speaking parts of the South South, to be vigilant.

He said the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing would not allow the Boko Haram sect to operate in the South East.

“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing is always vigilant, we are determined to secure Igboland against any form of foreign aggression and we will do everything possible to make sure that Boko Haram does not operate in Enugu or any other part of the South East.

“But, honestly, we are disturbed that, up till now, the South East governors and the South East APC have not said anything about the transfer of Boko Haram prisoners to Anambra prisons.

“We believe that this disturbing revelation that Boko Haram has moved into Enugu is tied to the transfer of those prisoners to the South East.”

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Police Command on Monday said it was not aware of the arrest of any Boko Haram member in the state.

Responding to enquiries, the Command equally said it has no knowledge of the presence of Boko Haram terrorists in Enugu State, as announced by the Department of State Security.

The DSS had, in a statement released on Sunday, said it had arrested 20 suspected Boko Haram commanders in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Plateau and Gombe states.

According to the security agency, the suspects, who it said were arrested between July 8 and August 25, 2015, include the masterminds of the suicide attacks in Potiskum, Kano, Zaria, and Jos.

It added, in the statement signed by an official, Tony Opuiyo, that those arrested were notable commanders and frontline members of the notorious group from different parts of the country.

However, the police in Enugu State, one of the states where the DSS said Boko Haram has moved to, said information available to it did not disclose the presence of the terrorist sect in the state.

Spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said that the command was not aware of any investigations, or arrest, concerning Boko Haram in Enugu State.

“There is no case of Boko Haram investigated by the Command, neither was there any arrest by the Command,” Amaraizu said.

Amaraizu stated this in response to a question if the Command had put any special measure in place to ensure the safety of residents and visitors in Enugu, against the backdrop of the DSS disclosure that the Boko Haram sect has moved into the state.

But Amaraizu added that police command would continue to keep the state safe.

“Meanwhile, the Command is relying on the already established proactive measures which have so far kept the state and its environs safe,” he added.

The police spokesman noted that the DSS did not provide details of the presence, and arrest, of Boko Haram commanders in Enugu, unlike the case in Lagos and other areas reported in the statement.

DSS had in the statement, identified a number of Boko Haram suspects it arrested in Lagos, but it did not provide similar details in the case of Enugu State.

However, our correspondent observed on Monday that the reported presence of the Boko Haram sect in Enugu, as announced by the DSS, was a major cause of concern for many residents of the state.

The matter was the major topic discussed in offices, bars, newsstands and other public places.

The DSS had explained that the presence of Boko Haram in Enugu was in line with the sect’s determination to export its terrorist operations from the North to other parts of the country.