Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo State, has reaffirmed the necessity of establishing calm and putting an end to the insurgency in the South-East while supporting calls for the extradition of separatist Simon Ekpa, who resides in Finland, in response to the unlawful Monday sit-at-home order.
This occurred the day after the Senate urged the Federal Government to work with the Finnish Government to repatriate Ekpa to Nigeria for prosecution and denounced the order being carried out by a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
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Uzodimma disclosed his position on Friday during a familiarisation visit from Major General Hassan Dada, the new General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Enugu, at the Government House in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.
“What is topmost in our cases is this popular sit-at-home order. There’s one man called Simon Ekpa somewhere in Finland,” he said.
“It is our hope that the security agencies, particularly the military, working with the Federal Government, will be able to either bring Simon Ekpa back to Nigeria to also sit at home with us or be made to face the wrath of the law.”
He also spoke on the negative effect of the illegal sit-at-home orders, promising the new GOC and his team his support and that of the people of Imo State.
In a similar vein, the governor met with traditional rulers and community leaders at the headquarters of the Traditional Rulers Council in Owerri where he called for their support in stemming the tide of insecurity and supporting the government and security agencies in fighting crime.
He urged them to shun any sit-at-home order and go about their lawful businesses.
The governor also used the opportunity to disclose the numerous intervention programmes and incentives lined up from the state and federal governments to cushion the economic effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
