Dalung: Kanu Responsible for Violence in S’East

By Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto

Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, yesterday said the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) from prison, was responsible for the agitation and chaos in the South-east.

Dalung who spoke to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa service monitored in Sokoto yesterday, said the security situation in the South has worsened as a result of the release of the IPOB leader.

He noted that the region has been peaceful since Kanu’s incarceration at the Kuje prison

The minister berated the IPOB leader for inciting his supporters to perpetrate violence, saying no government would fold its arms and allow few individuals to make the country ungovernable.

Dalung described the deployment of soldiers to the South-east as a good step in the right direction aimed at curtailing the excesses of IPOB.

He insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari took decisive measures in order to avert anarchy in the region.

“President  Buhari did the right thing by deploying troops to the south east because IPOB and its leader has become lawless.

“Kanu was in prison for over one year and there was no chaos in the region. But since his release following the intervention of some prominent Nigerians, he has been going round inciting his supporters to perpetrate violence against the state

“You see, sometimes if you are trying to be lenient, you will end up worsening the situation. This is a delicate situation that requires a cautious approach. So, the deployment of troops to the region is to avoid bloodshed,”he said.

The minister said those sponsoring IPOB and its leader would soon be fished out and prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the land

“The sponsors of IPOB have no hiding place and no matter how long it takes, they will face the wrath of the law,”he added.