Come Home and Witness What Soludo Is Doing Firsthand, APGA Chief Tells IPOB Agitators in London

By Tony Okafor, Awka

The APGA Media Warriors Forum has condemned the reported confrontation of Governor Charles Soludo by a group claiming to represent the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) at a recent Town Hall meeting in London.

The meeting, intended to update the Anambra diaspora on Soludo’s developmental achievements, reportedly turned tense as the group accused the Governor of inaction over Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s detention and alleged complicity in attacks on youths.

In a statement on Tuesday, Evang Chinedu Obigwe, National Coordinator of APGA Media Warriors, dismissed the claims, noting that most of the “so-called agitators” haven’t returned to Anambra in over ten years due to fear of kidnapping or violence.

The statement highlighted Soludo’s efforts to restore law and order, including an amnesty programme for criminal elements to surrender arms and reintegrate.

The statement alleged that “criminal elements, masquerading as IPOB members”, terrorized eight local government areas, forcing residents to flee.

Soludo’s administration launched Operation Udo Ga Chi to restore security.

The statement read in part, “The attention of the APGA Media Warriors have been drawn to a report that Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state was confronted by a group of people claiming to be members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra IPOB.

“The confrontation was said to have occured at a Town Hall meeting in London convened by the Governor to interact with Anambra in diaspora on the developmental strides of his administration as a point of departure for the next four years.

“They accused the Governor of not making efforts at securing the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and also accused him of sponsoring the attacks and killings of youths in the area .

“Against this backdrop it has become instructive that we state the following points for the purposes of clarity and braveity.

“At the inception of Soludo’s administration he had appealed to criminal elements leaving in the forest to come out under his amnesty program and be rehabilitated.

“Soludo urged them to hand over their arms and join in the development of Anambra state which lasted for months .

“Those who accepted the offer were reintegrated into the society and those that had been in detaintion were granted bail.

“Above all Governor Charles Soludo also visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the DSS facility where he described the Monday sit at home order as illegal and also described the killings and kidnappings in Igbo land as unacceptable to him .

“Despite these honest and deliberate moves by the Governor those miscreants operating under the guise of IPOB persisted holding eight local government areas of Anambra state under siege.

“People fled their homes and the economy of the entire South East was criminally being sabotaged to say the least.

“Consequent upon this lawlessness that pervaded in the state as it where, Governor Charles Soludo introduced and launched the Operation Udo Ga Chi which is made up of the Agunechemba Security Squad as well as all the Service Commands in the state aimed at putting an end to the carnage in Anambra state.

“Governor Charles Soludo has been on the vanguard for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu urging the Federal government to hand him over to him .

The statement added, “Apparently it is indeed most regrettable that some fifth columnists and uninformed people chose to protest against the restoration of sanity ,peace , security and Rule of law in Anambra state.

“Most of these perceived agitators have not come home in the past ten years for fear of being kidnapped or killed and their relatives have continued to advise them not to return home .

“It is indeed clear that those that came to confront Soludo at the Town Hall meeting are those sponsoring the killings, arsons and insecurity in Anambra state as they have actually lost their deposists in this bloody and deadly interprice.

“For the first time in the past ten years Anambra state celebrated a mass return as cultural and other traditional functions were held with pop and pageantry.

“These fifth columnists are apparently the real enemies of Anambra and indeed Ndigbo giving the fact that they are protesting against the peace and tranquility that our people are currently enjoying.

“We challenge them to come home in order to have a first hand and on the spot accesment of the peace in Igbo land than making very bogus and false claims.”

Obigwe said confrontations in London were instigated by those benefiting from insecurity, saying Anambra has seen peaceful cultural events and mass returns of citizens for the first time in a decade.

The forum challenges protestors to return to Anambra and witness the peace and development rather than making “bogus and false claims” abroad.