Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state Tuesday said members of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that attacked the Central Police State Onuebonyi, Abakaliki are natives of the state.
The police station was on Monday set ablaze and two policemen were killed at the incident.
Umahi during a state wide broadcast on Tuesday noted that the identity of the supposed IPOB members are known.
He said, “Let me apologise to you all for the crippling of our state activities by criminals and hoodlums who came to loot and kill our people yesterday, Monday, 26th October, 2020.
“Let me also offer my sympathy to all those wounded, killed, whether security agencies, civilians, or criminals as every live is sacred before God and should be seen as such by everyman.
“On Tuesday, the 20th of October, 2020, those who invaded our state and destroyed our infrastructure came from outside. Yesterday, Monday, 26th October, 2020 those who came are Ebonyians from a particular village and a Local Government in the name of IPOB.
“We know these people, we know their fathers. Same people that abducted some policemen who were on peace mission in their community sometime last year even though the policemen were later released by my intervention.
“I have offered details here so that you know we know you very well and you are responsible for the killing and looting in your state using the cover of IPOB. I refuse to buy into this as a criminal is a criminal and criminality is criminality.
“I, therefore, appreciate our security agencies for their maturity and listening ear to me yesterday not to retaliate. However, it is unconventional for people to invade a police station, burn the police station, kill the police people and take their guns.
“It is uncommon for you to attack the army who were protecting you, strategic government assets too and yet they remain unprovoked. Security agencies in the state have asked me to please plead with you to stop attacking them and burning their stations.
” Let me assure Ebonyians that more security agencies were deployed from outside the state last night and they have been deployed to protect you.
“Social-economic activities in Ebonyi State must return now, go about your normal businesses in peace.
“To our young children who are hiding under IPOB to kill us, we do not deserve it, our government has done their best to give you good governance, where we have failed as human beings, I here again offer my apologies with a firm offer and promise to make amends with your inputs.
On palliatives, he said his administration has shared all palliatives.
“You are aware that we spent billions buying palliative which we shared to you, polling unit by polling unit irrespective of political alliances.
“We reached over 600,000 Ebonyians including those in Lagos and Abuja, the little one left now is left for our Ebonyi State University Students who were not in session.
“School has resumed; they have started carrying their items, the only items left are being taken now by students and they are 50 bags of just 10kg rice, 200 bags of 20kg rice 1,500 cartons of tin tomatoes, 2000 gallons of oil, 2000 cartons of noodles and these items for the students put together is not up to what we gave to polling units.
“We do not have any palliatives unshared. We have gone ahead with both the state and Local government to make provision for the second phase of palliative slated for December for our people,” he said.
