Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province and Bishop of Enugu Anglican Diocese has said that Church leaders and traditional rulers in the South-East were collaborating to work with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the fight for justice equity for Ndigbo in Nigeria.
Chukwuma who frown at corruption which he lamented had eaten into the very fabrics of leaders in the country, noted that the government of Nigeria has not treated the South-East geo-political zone fairly,
Speaking during a press conference to mark the commencement of the Enugu Diocesan Golden Jubilee celebration, Archbishop Chukwuma insisted that IPOB was not a terrorist group but an agitator group, agitating for the right of the Igbo.
The cleric said, “First of all, IPOB are not terrorists, IPOB are agitators. There are three terrorist groups I think they should declare and there should be action against them, the Fulani killer herdsmen are terrorists, Boko Haram are terrorists and the bandits are terrorists. It is not enough for the court to declare the bandits terrorists, it is a matter of follow up, the church is calling on the federal government to follow up by dealing with them brutally and seriously by making sure that the bandits are arrested.
“We frown that you find it easy to arrest Kanu but you cannot arrest terrorists. If you have the system and technique to arrest Kanu why don’t you have that system again to also arrest bandits, terrorists that you call about, so there is selective negligence? Until when these terrorists and bandits are arrested, dealt with as they should, we still feel that this is not enough so they should go further to identify who the terrorists and those behind them are and be able to expose them because some people are sponsoring them.
“These kidnappings in our schools in the north are highly condemned and government should be honest about it but they should de-proscribe and remove that name terrorist from IPOB. IPOB are not terrorists, they are agitators and they are agitating for the rights of the Igbo and the federal government must listen to them.
“We’re also collaborating with other church leaders and traditional rulers to ensure that we join hands with IPOB to fight for justice, equity and all that concerns the Igbo race. Government of Nigeria has not treated the South East fairly.
“Enugu Diocese in its 50th year is calling on the government, therefore, to be sensitive about the situation of Nigeria. We frown against the killings, the banditry, kidnappings, and inequality in the country.”
On the 50th anniversary celebration of the diocese, Chukwuma noted that Enugu Anglican Diocese became 50 in August last year, having been created in August 1970 with Rt. Rev. Gideon Otubele as its first bishop adding that the diocese had since its creation, given birth to 11 other dioceses and was out to execute pragmatic evangelism; care for the poor, the widows and orphans, the less privileged and the displaced.
