KEY POINTS
- Imo State government denied owning up to the reported IDP camp in Ehime Mbano.
- That in Nsu is one of the skills acquisition centers for the South East.
- Commissioner calls on security personnel to equally act against spread of fake news and instigative messages.
The Imo state government has dismissed as untrue, an allegation that an IDP camp has been located to Ehime Mbano, Imo state. The commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, said on Monday that they did not establish an IDP camp in the location as alleged.
According to the director, Emelumba, they are building the structure in Nsu primarily as a skills acquisition training center for the people in the South East region of the country, not as a camp for refugees from other parts of the country.
He alleged that some people, notably one Uba, misled people of Imo State with information that other citizens of Nigeria were planning to harm them.
Reinforcement of the Training Facility
The commissioner was quick to state that the facility in Ehime Mbano is one of the strategies to establish training center for skills development in each geo political zone. It’s a training center in Ehime Mbano, for south east as other parts of the country are being provided with such training center, Emelumba said. He called on the people to ignore such beliefs they make to consider that refugees from the North or even the west will be brought to Imo State.
Emelumba said that Uba sought to incite hatred and was a “troublemaker” who provided information with the aim of causing trouble. Responding, he said, “Uba has distorted facts from the National Refugees Commission to incite strife among Nigerians” said Woke, calling on security operatives to deal with individuals who want to cause chaos in the state.
The Government’s Call for Unity
He also criticised alleged fake news, which Uba purported the governor of Imo, Hope Uzodimma wanted to ‘marry off Imo women to Fulani settlers.’ He termed these allegations as a planned one that aims at causing insecurity in the region.
According to Vanguard, Emelumba urged the security agencies to intervene before the ugly situation gets to the ethnic hue which he said could result from mis-information. He used the opportunity to inform the public that the government is fully committed to protecting and building the society especially in Imo State.
The speaker called on the people of Ehime Mbano and the Imo State in general to refrain from listening to messages that encourage division and to remain supportive of the government’s aim to bring growth to the area and ensure law and order.
