Posted by Dr. Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu State, has declared victory in the state’s war against “sit-home enforcers,” whom he has called “murderers and enemies of Igbo land,” and has vowed that the state will never again take orders from them.
According to Mbah, “we cannot be defeated by evil and we must not allow that to happen.” If the people of Enugu continue to discuss or take orders from anonymous people outside our state, then the city will never become the premier destination for investment, living, and tourism.
Having lost their ability to wreak havoc on lives and property as was previously the case due to reenergised security measures applied by the government and security agencies since the ban on Monday sit-at-home in the state, the Governor urged the media community and the people of Enugu to work together to combat scaremongering and fake news.
Mbah made these remarks over the weekend at the Government House in Enugu, during a conversation with journalists and media executives from the city.
The governor called on journalists to do their jobs responsibly by using investigative and contemporary journalism to double-check the veracity of stories before broadcasting them to the public.
We have defeated the home-based enforcers and killers who sought to destabilize Enugu State and Igboland, and this is the truth. We pounced on them with all of our security apparatus, and they were soundly defeated and discomfited.
“Because they can no longer unleash horror on the lives and property of Ndi Enugu, they have turned to scaremongering, the trafficking of fake news, and various theatrics to instill dread in our people and control their thoughts and actions.
Democracy is something we do. Killers and terrorists have no right to dictate to the rest of us. We must not let unelected officials tell us when it is safe to leave the house or when we must close our businesses and stay indoors.
Media terrorists that spread disinformation and incite panic via social media platforms are the current threat we face. We can’t give them the victory. That can never be tolerated. No one can make you feel inadequate unless you allow it. We outnumber these criminals by a huge margin. Hooligans are not the right people to be giving us orders.
We must not let unelected officials dictate our daily routines. We need to make sure they’re completely purged from the area. They care nothing about the state we run.
Therefore, it is up to us to re-orient our people so that they can resume going about their regular activities outside. It is our responsibility to put an end to fake news and to oppose it with our superior writing and media.
The governor stated, “Therefore, as we are leaving here, we must begin to tell our people the right thing; that nobody can make them inferior without their consent; that we can’t be cowed by the cowardly acts of a few people.”
Mbah, on his part, warned the populace not to fall for the ruse of criminals hiding behind the name of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. He pointed out that Kanu had already voiced his displeasure with the sit-in and the resulting destruction of Igbo territory.
Mbah said the government was considering taking those responsible for the violence and illegal sit-at-home order in the state to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to answer for the crimes against humanity, adding that in the twenty-first century, nobody should be able to live in comfort in one part of the world while causing death and suffering elsewhere.
“As media professionals, it is your responsibility to inform our people that these home-bound enforcers are not concerned with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s safety or liberty. We need to disentangle the two.
All Ndigbo agree that Nnamdi Kanu should be freed immediately. Regarding this issue, I have also met with the President. The same demand has been made by other Igbo leaders, and we will not budge.
But these “sit-at-home enforcers” are nothing more than common criminals, and our people must confront them head-on.
The Governor also revealed that technology had been implemented to ensure citizen protection, claiming that criminals could no longer find safe havens anywhere in the state.
Members of the media community responded by applauding the government’s efforts to reduce crime and proposing ideas for establishing long-term stability in the state.
They promised to play an instrumental part in getting people back to work by reporting on the situation and working with the administration to implement its goals.