Ahead of the November 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra, the Federal Government has been advised not to take the threat by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to disrupt the election with levity.
A retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ambrose Aisabor, also charged the Igbo cultural organisation, Ohaneze and other leaders in the zone to stop pretending about the identity of the perpetrators of killings in the South-East region in recent times.
In a chat with Daily Trust, the security expert said stakeholders’ engagement and massive deployment of security personnel, saying the security agencies must deploy their personnel “properly” to cover all the nooks and crannies of the country.
IPOB had threatened a one-week sit-at-home commencing a day to the election if its leader, Nnamdi Kanu who is standing trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged treason is not released.
But the security expert stressed that certain things need to be done to ensure a peaceful and credible election in Anambra.
He said, “The issue of security is very important. There are threats from many quarters that may likely truncate the election. The most potent is the one being propagated by the IPOB.
“This threat should not be taken lightly in view of what has been happening recently. Not that the people will not like to go out to cast their votes but because of fear of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) which is the armed wing of the IPOB.
“The people also have the belief that the security forces are not capable of protecting them judging from recent ugly events. The security agencies must deploy their personnel properly to cover all the nooks and crannies of the state even before the Election Day.
“Another important area to look into to ensure citizens come out enmasse to exercise their franchise is the issue of stakeholders’ participation. The stakeholders in this case are the Ohaneze Ndigbo, the National Orientation Agency, the political parties, the clergy, the traditional rulers, the town unions, the transport and market unions among others. These people must be sensitized and mobilized.
“The Ohaneze Ndigbo and other leaders in the zone should no longer pretend about the identity of these unknown gunmen. They all know that it is the IPOB and its military wing, the ESN, that is doing all the killings in the south east zone.
“The security agencies must show capacity and professionalism. The issue of marginalization of the south east zone of the country is real and must be addressed through constructive engagement.”
