Don’t partake in any protest, southeast leaders tell Igbos

Southeast leaders on Thursday met behind closed doors in Enugu and directed the people of the zone not to partake in any protest.

The meeting was attended by the governors, federal lawmakers, ministers as well as religious and traditional leaders from the zone.

• #EndSARS: MURIC seeks compensation for Igbo Muslims, to report Gov Wike to ICC
• Don’t turn EndSARS protest to Igbo affairs – South East govs

The leaders said they would never allow the destruction of lives and property to continue.

The chairman of the forum and Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi, who read the communique of the meeting to newsmen, said: “We advise all our youths that while our governors are working hard to meet their demands, the destruction of public and private properties and killing of security agents and civilians will never be allowed to continue.

“We, therefore, direct all Igbos, both in and outside Nigeria, to go about their businesses and should not participate in any form of protest and criminality.”

He said the governors pledged to protect all ethnic groups living in the southeast zone and thanked other parts of Nigeria “for protecting our people in their areas too.”

Umahi said the forum would engage the youth in the zone to “ensure a sustainable peace in the southeast and a glorious future for our children.”

He said it was also resolved that each state in the zone set up a fund to assist the victims of the #EndSars crisis, including the police, the army and other security agencies as well as civilians.

The leaders of the zone pledged their commitment to addressing the concerns of the youth that “are peculiar to various states.”

They also promised to engage the Federal Government and their colleagues in other states to address other national issues.

at the meeting were Governors David Umahi , Okezie Ikpeazu, of Abia State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and the deputy governors of Imo and Anambra States who represented their governors.

Also present were Senator Ike Ekweremadu and other members of the National Assembly