Leave Rivers State Out Of Biafra – Ateke Warns Biafra Agitators

BEVERLY HILLS, April 10, (THEWILL) – Leader of Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV) and Ex-Niger Delta agitator, Chief Tom Ateke, has warned Pro-Biafra agitators to stay clear of Rivers State stressing that the agitation had nothing to do with the state.

Ateke who spoke through his media aide, Ifeanyi Ogbonna, said it was worrisome that the Biafra agitators were using the state which he said was peaceful in their protests urging the people to desist from using his name and pictures unnecessarily in the protest and or political gains.

He declared that the issue of Biafra was a national issue and has nothing to do with him, a Niger Deltan.

“Biafra agitators should leave Rivers State alone. I am a law abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of this great country Nigeria. I have always prayed for peace in the country. So people should stop using my name and pictures for business gains,” he said.

“Governor Nyesom Wike is God fearing and peace loving man and he has the interest of the people at heart. I advise the local government authorities to work with the governor in order to rid our communities of crime.

“The whole country is not stable now. The security situation even in other states is very bad and so if you check it you will see that our state, Rivers State, is very peaceful for now. The state is peaceful so people should stop using the state as head line news to fight for political gains.

Also, the South-East chapter of the All Progressives Congress has urged all pro-Biafra groups in the zone to abandon the struggle for the secession of Biafra.

The call was contained in a communiqué issued after a meeting by the leaders of the South-East zone of the APC in Enugu where it resolved that the party's leaders in the zone would meet with President Muhamadu Buhari over Igbo interests in the APC.

The communiqué, which was signed by the APC National Vice Chairman, South-East, Emma Eneukwu, and the Zonal Secretary, John Mkpuruka, said after extensive deliberations, the party's leaders in the zone urged all pro-Biafra groups to have a “rethink” and abandon the idea of secession from Nigeria.

“We call on all the groups agitating for separation from united Nigeria, particularly the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra and Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra to rethink and abandon the idea and join other ethnic groups in building a formidable united Nigeria, where all Nigerians will be equally treated in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the communiqué read.

Story by David Oputah