The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has warned members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra(MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) to stage the pro-biafra protest off Lagos and its environs.
The APC said this in a statement by its Publicity Secretary in Lagos, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, on Tuesday.
The party urged MASSOB and IPOB not to “plunge Lagos into crisis as the state would not tolerate such a nefarious plan.”
The statement read in part, “The party states that with the heightened security challenges the state is facing, it will be foolhardy of any group to hide under the guise of protest to compromise the security of the state.
“There is no way the state will sit idly and allow politically sponsored hoodlums, masquerading as Pro-Biafran protesters or any group at all, to compromise the security of the state where the state has invested hugely in recent times.”
The APC warned those behind the planned protests, saying the security agencies led by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, had vowed to deal with anybody or group found to be involved in such protests.
He reminded the pro-Biafran agitators that Lagos is a South-West state and has nothing to do with their cause.
The statement added, “As a party that governs Lagos, we will not watch a group of politically sponsored hoodlums to tamper with the tight security system that has been effortlessly put in place by the state government to combat increasing crime rates in the state.
“We cannot allow these hoodlums, sponsored by politicians that failed woefully in the last general elections, to unleash mayhem on peace-loving Lagosians so as to achieve political aims that run parallel to the interests of Lagosians.
“It is obvious that the sponsors of the planned protest want to throw the state into mayhem by their act but the state will be ready to dole out the appropriate antidotes for such folly.”
The party warned leaders of Igbo-dominated markets in the state not to be involved in the protest or allow their markets to be used for such dangerous activities as the state “will not hesitate to not only show such market leaders the exit from such markets but will take measures to ensure that such markets are not used for dangerous activities.”
It added, “We warn every market leader to desist from acts or plots meant to weaken or compromise the security of Lagos as the state will henceforth take measures to ensure that any market that allows itself to be used to compromise the security of the state will be thoroughly scrutinised to ensure bad eggs are forced out of such markets.”