By Dansu Peter
According to the groups, at this crucial period, all that is required is for the military to consolidate on the gains made and not distraction.
In a joint press statement co-signed by their Publicity Secretaries, Alphonsus Ozoani and Okolo Kennedy Okolo, on Thursday, the groups hailed the security chiefs for being alive to their responsibilities of protecting lives and properties as well as the preservation of the country's territorial integrity.
Unlike time past, it testified that Igbo sons and daughters can now return home for the annual festive season without fear of kidnappers or ritualists, attributing this to the measures put in place by Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai
Going further, the groups described the Nigerian Army's operations in the region as professional and a huge success.
While throwing its weight behind the military leadership, the Igbo groups, however, urged those against the interest of the country to retrace their steps and embrace the positive gains.
The Igbos in Nigeria Movement and the Igbos Progressives Assembly for Nigeria advised fellow "Igbo brothers and sisters not to be misled by the gimmick of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or any of its affiliates because President Buhari has indeed done well, as well as the various heads of security agencies in the country".
Read full statement below:
The Igbos in Nigeria Movement and the Igbos Progressives Assembly for Nigeria is issuing this joint press statement in the light of the recent attempt by some unpatriotic Nigerians to distract the ongoing efforts towards addressing the various security challenges in the country.
We state in emphatic terms that indeed the security architecture under President Muhammadu Buhari has been alive to its responsibilities of the protection of lives and properties as well as the preservation of the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
Worthy of mention is the fact that the Nigerian Military has helped in no small measures to curb the activities of kidnappers, ritualists and other militant groups which before now was a daily occurrence in South-East Nigeria.
This is an undeniable fact, and it further emphasizes the invaluable role the Nigerian Military has been playing in internal security operations in the country. This is also aside from the fact that the Nigerian Military has been actively involved in the war against Boko Haram Insurgency in North-East Nigeria.
The Igbos in Nigeria Movement and the Igbos Progressives Assembly for Nigeria wishes to state that, but for the intervention of the Nigerian Military, South-East Nigeria would have been engulfed in an unimaginable crisis that would have been worse than the Boko Haram crisis.
To say that before now, the activities of these nefarious groups reigned supreme would be an understatement given the extensive and complicit network with which these criminals operate in South-East Nigeria.
Worthy of mention is the fact that now, Igbo sons and daughters can visit home for the annual festive season without fear of kidnappers or ritualists. This is indeed courtesy of the measures put in place by the Nigerian Army under the dynamic leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.
As a fact, the operations of the Nigerian Army in South-East Nigeria have been indeed commendable due to its high level of professionalism and commitment to ridding the region of kidnappers, ritualists and other militant groups that have inflicted terror on the people in times past.
The Igbos in Nigeria Movement and the Igbos Progressives Assembly for Nigeria salutes the bravery and leadership style of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai that has culminated in the peace and tranquillity in the South East region of Nigeria.
We are consequently duty-bound as a body of patriotic Nigerians to declare our unalloyed support for the security architecture in Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari and wishes to advise those against the interest of the country to retrace their steps and embrace the positive gains Nigeria is recording in critical sectors of the economy.
This is indeed not a time for distractions, but indeed a time for consolidation of the efforts in tackling insecurity in Nigeria. Nigerians must also be aware that tackling insecurity is not an event, but a process that evolves.
This much we have seen in the various security agencies, and we wish to advise all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with our security agencies towards consolidating on their ongoing efforts at addressing the various security challenges in the country.
The Igbos in Nigeria Movement and the Igbos Progressives Assembly for Nigeria wishes to advise our Igbo brothers and sisters not to be misled by the gimmick of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or any of its affiliates because President Muhammadu Buhari has indeed done well, as well as the various heads of security agencies in the country.
It, therefore, behoves on all well-meaning Igbo sons and daughters to lend their support to President Muhammadu Buhari and the heads of security agencies in Nigeria. The task at hand requires all hands to be on deck.
The Igbos in Nigeria Movement and the Igbos Progressives Assembly for Nigeria, on behalf of all Igbo sons and daughters hereby declare total and unalloyed support for the President, the Service and Security Chiefs in the country.
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