JUST IN: South-East elites silent on killings over fear of reprisal attack on properties, families – Keyamo

Former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo said the reason South-East elites are not speaking up against killing of their own people in the East is the fear of reprisal attacks against their own properties and family members back ‘unknown gunmen.’

Keyamo stated this in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday.

He stated, “I think it is time to call a spade, a spade: the simple reason the elites in the South East are finding it difficult to speak out against those killing and dehumanising their own people in the East is the fear of reprisal attacks against their own properties and family members back home by these ‘unknown gunmen’.

“I have spoken to my friends privately and they have admitted this much. Let’s not put unnecessary pressure on these elites. It’s a difficult situation for them. Their silence does not mean support for what is happening there.

“It is the responsibility of the federal government to restore law and order in all parts of the country and this I am ABSOLUTELY certain the government of @officialABAT will do.

“Besides, we cannot isolate a region and its elites in a country where we see ourselves as one. It is our collective responsibility to assist the FG in restoring order nationwide.

“The only thing I ask is that these same elites must either now be silent or totally support the efforts of the federal government (be it military or otherwise) in restoring order to that region.

“When they initially kicked against operation ‘PYTHON DANCE’ in the East, little did they know that the situation would degenerate to this level of savagery. Now, they know.”

Recall that killings of innocent people by unknown gunmen in the South-East have been on the increase in recent times.

Disturbed by this development, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB condemned the killing of people across Southeast states by unknown gunmen.

In a statement signed by the National Director of Information, MASSOB, Samuel Edeson in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi state, the group called on prominent leaders of Ndigbo to unite and fight against the continuous killings of innocent citizens.

According to him, “It is no longer agitation for Biafran freedom because you cannot be killing your brothers and sisters in the name of Biafra.

“It’s evil and an abomination in Igboland for one to kill his own brother or sister because of their different beliefs, even if they don’t believe in Biafra with you, you don’t have to kill them.”

The group condemned in totality the killings of people in Awgu, stating: “What happened in Awgu yesterday at the PDP campaign rally was a sacrilege and should be condemned by peace-loving citizens.

“Our stand on Biafra agitation remains sacrosanct, but you can’t get Biafra by killing your people because they belong to one political party or the other; you can gain their support through sensitization and not by forcing them to join you.

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MASSOB further stated, “We wish to make it clear that these killer squads are working against Igbo interest, or have been paid by our enemies to destroy [us].

“They have destroyed the economy of Ndigbo, they have turned South East into war zones, killing people at will.”