Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi perfecting plans to secure land for Ruga – IPOB
* ‘Not true, allegation malicious’ – Ikpeazu
By Steve Oko
The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, has alleged that Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, and his Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had perfected arrangements to acquire land and secretly hand over to the Federal Government for the controversial Ruga settlement for Fulani herdsmen.
IPOB in a press statement issued Sunday by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful , warned the duo to jettison such anti-Igbo plans or brace up for the wrath of the people.
The statement which said Ruga would not be tolerated in any part of Biafra sternly warned Governors and political elite in the region not to sabotage the collective interest of the people for pecuniary gains.
According to the statement, while Ikpeazu is allegedly perfecting arrangements to hand over land at Olokoro in Umuahia South Local Government Area for Ruga, Ugwuanyi on the other hand, had already secured a land in contention between Nenwe in Awgu LGA, and Nomeh in Nkanu LGA for the same purpose.
But Ikpeazu in a swift reaction denied any involvement in such arrangement, dismissing the allegation as “a figment of the imaginations of those behind it”.
Ikpeazu said there was no iota of truth in the allegation and urged members of the public to discounternace the allegation.
The Governor who spoke with Wawa News Global through his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, said no part of Abia would be used for Ruga or grazing in any disguise.
His words : The allegation is not true. Our position is not different from the position of the South East Governors.
“They have made it clear that no part of South East will be used for Ruga and that position has not changed.
“In fact, it was the collective resistance of our people that made the Federal Government to suspend the policy.”
Ikpeazu said he did not intend to give “any inch of Abia land for Ruga”, while urging members of the public to disregard “the baseless allegation.”
Meanwhile, efforts to speak with Ugwuanyi did not yield any fruit as his Media Aide, Louis Amoke did not pick calls put to his cell phone even though they all rang out.
He also did not respond to text message sent to him before filing this report.
IPOB had in the statement alleged that the duo were working with the federal government in secret but openly criticising the Ruga policy.
The statement read in part : “It has come to the knowledge of the great family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia have both concluded arrangements to hand over our land in three senatorial zones of Enugu state and Olokoro in Umuahia to Fulani terror herdsmen as part of their clandestine RUGA implimentation program in the East.
“We have also discovered that Governor Ugwuanyi along with some traditional rulers and President General of some communities also connived and handed over a land belonging to Newe in Aninri and Nome in Nkanu communities of Enugu States to Fulani terrorists and their cattle.
“The said land has been in dispute for years between the two communities but now Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has forcefully taken these ancestral lands and handed them over to the same Fulani terror herdsmen that is responsible for hacking to death dozens of Enugu indigenes in Nimbo and other parts of the state without any reprimand. The message South East governors are sending out is that Fulani terrorists are welcome to kill Biafrans at will and on top of that they get rewarded with a land for their Fulani settlement.
“Instead of apprehending and prosecuting these maurading murderers, Gov. Ugwuanyi has rather empowered them by giving them a RUGA settlement in Enugu State while publicly claiming he has not done so. This level of criminal deception from South East governors has placed the entire Biafraland in danger of a wholescale Fulani invasion.
“We IPOB cannot be dying and placing our lives in danger on a daily basis across Biafraland, fighting well armed Fulani terrorists with our bare hands only to have a governor like Ugwuanyi undermine our noble effort. Anybody related to Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Okezie Ikpeazu or other Fulani slaves in government houses in the East must warn them to desist from their suicidal undertaking to hand over our land to Fulani Islamic caliphate.
“We are equally aware that other state governors and politicians in Biafraland are having series of secret meetings on how to allocate our sacred land of Biafra to Fulani terrorists for their Ruga Settlement on the pretence of a renamed National livestock Program (NLP).
“We are calling on all relatives, stakeholders, supporters of South East governors and traditional rulers to warn Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his collaborators including those in other states to desist from this evil act of ceeding our ancestral lands to Fulani terrorists for Ruga Settlement or National Livestock Program in any part of Biafraland.
“IPOB does not wish to abandon the critical task of confronting Fulani terrorists in our forests and bushes in order to face these wayward governors and their families in our quest to secure our land. We will not spare any person or persons implicated in the conspiracy to Islamise Biafraland through forced Fulani settlements.
“It is important we notify the public that Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and his supporters have secretly deployed and detailed a detarchment of Fulani controlled Nigerian Police and Army in the two communities of Aninri and Nkanu as a way of frightening and preventing youths, women and children from protesting against the injustice of RUGA settlements in our land.
“Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi must be cautioned and called to order by his family members, friends and associates because if Fulani terrorists aquire or establish Ruga settlement anywhere in Enugu State and its environs, he, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will bear whatever consequences that may result from it.
“Our people in Enugu and other parts of Biafraland must remain at full alert and continue to report every suspicious Fulani movement to the nearest IPOB family unit for appropriate action.
“IPOB can never and will never allow the establishment or implementation of Ruga Settlement anywhere on Biafran soil. We shall continue to confront and drive them away wherever they are found even with their police and army support. “
Steve Oko, Publisher/C.E.O, WaWa News Global. For more information on advert placement and news coverage, contact us on: 08038725600, or via email stevemanofgod2000@yahoo.com; wawanewsglobal@gmail.com Always read WaWa News Global - Your most dependable online news platform for the latest breaking news in Nigeria. 
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