There are indications that governors of the South-Eastern states are now reluctant to travel out of the country following the threat by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to attack them.
The governors are reportedly shelving any trip abroad until the issue with IPOB is resolved.
The IPOB had last Saturday attacked a former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in apparent obedience to an order by the leader of the secessionist group, Nnamdi Kanu, that its members in 100 countries across the world should attack the governors of Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and Anambra states if they were seen abroad.
The group also put on notice Ndigbo leaders such as the President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who it accused of supporting the Operation Python Dance in the South-East.
One of the lawmakers in the region, who confided in The Punch, noted that “It should be clear to our governors now that the essence of the military operation (Operation Python Dance) in the South-East then was to carry out an ulterior motive which has been defeated. The governors should initiate dialogue with the leadership of IPOB in the interest of peace.”
Also, Igbo senator, speaking in confidence, said, “Why should they (governors) reach out to them (IPOB members)? For what purpose? The IPOB threatened the governors and the states’ chief executives also threatened them.
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“The governors threatened to force the IPOB leader, Kanu, back to Nigeria if the agitators should lay their hands on any politicians from the eastern part of the country who travel abroad again.
“The governors said they would use every means to repatriate Kanu. How they want to do that, I don’t know. That threat means that they are afraid. That means that they are taking the man’s threat seriously.
“Our people are expecting the governors to dare the guys by saying nothing would happen and decide to embark on foreign trips, but it is obvious that the governors are scared of the IPOB threat.
“Our people are even happy that the threat would make the governors stay at home and work for their people. The governors were saying that they would plot Kanu’s repatriation so that the people at home can deal with him, but the boys on the ground here are just laughing at them.
“What can either the South-East governors or the Federal Government do on Ekweremadu’s case? Will they travel abroad to go and arrest the guys who attacked him? The German government has already said that the guys have the right to protest. What else will they do?
“It is a mob action. No one can be arrested. The only thing that the Nigerian government can do is to go and arrest those who invited him, which is not possible.”