Biafra: Obiano reaches out to families of slain MASSOB, IPOB members

Against expectation from IPOB/MASSOB following their allegations that Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State masterminded the killing of its members, Obiano has proved a point as he has reached out to the families of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) members who were killed by soldiers during the re¬cent peaceful protests the pro-Biafra groups in Onitsha.
In a special message issued on Friday in Awka, the state capital, Obiano bemoaned the tragic incident and urged the grieving families to take heart.
He said: “The death of these young men and women in these protests is a sad chapter in the history of peaceful agitations in Nigeria. It is regrettable, but we must accept it as some of the sacrifices we must make in Nigeria’s march to a stronger and more united country.”
The governor regretted that what was ordinarily a peaceful protest was hijacked by hoodlums whose agenda was contrary to the objectives of the protesters and assured the bereaved families that he had opened a channel of communication with them.
Governor Obiano said that “as a nation, Nigerians must realise that we have come to a point in our history when violence should not be an option in the search for solutions to our numerous developmental challenges. We ought to have known by now that no meaningful progress is ever achieved through violence. That is why my administration does not spare any efforts or resources in our quest to preserve the peace we currently enjoy in Anambra State.”
He cited his delicate handling of the potentially explosive transfer of Boko Haram inmates to Ekwulobia Prisons as one good example of the creative use of dialogue in resolving disputes. “We stamped our feet firmly on the ground to ensure that our people did not take the laws into their hands,” he stated.
Governor Obiano recalled that it was his deep belief in the efficacy of dialogue that made him to single-handedly sustain the pressure on the relevant authorities until the controversial Boko Haram inmates were relo-cated from Ekwulobia.
On the spate of rising agitations for self-determination across the South East, Governor Obiano advised all the aggrieved parties to consider dialogue first before taking further steps. He also advised the security opera-tives keeping the peace in Onitsha and the residents to exercise extreme restraint in the prevailing circumstances to avoid further loss of lives.