Police Arrest Onitsha Printers Working for IPOB Attempting to Scuttle Anambra Poll

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Anambra State police command has arrested two printers in Onitsha who were printing fliers for members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB to sensitise the people to boycott the Anambra governorship election.

State police commissioner, Mr. Garba Umar, who briefed journalists said with the proscription of IPOB, it would not tolerate its members meeting in Anambra or even displaying their insignia publicly.

He added that :”After a discreet procedure in collating intelligence information on miscreants and members of the proscribed IPOB, the Onitsha area command raided a printing press where thousands of posters and handbills were being printed.”

The handbills which were displayed before journalists read, “Call for a referendum is not call for war, no election in Anambra State, Biafrans declare sit at home.”

The flyers also came with a strong warning, calling on the electorate in Anambra to stay away from participating in the election, but to sit at home.
It warned that anyone who insisted on participating in the Anambra election would be doing so at his or her own risk.

Recall that the IPOB had declared sit-at-home on November 18, which coincides with the Anambra governorship election, and is viewed to be a calculated attempt to scuttle the election after it had announced a boycott of the election.

CP Garba warned that he would not spare any group or individual that tries to disrupt the peace that has been achieved in Anambra State, while also calling on the residents of the state to ensure they report any attempt to cause a breach of peace in the state.

Though the arrested printers were not paraded before journalists, Garba said they would help the police in tracking down the IPOB members who brought the job to their printing press for publishing.

“We wish to encourage the people to ignore the leaflet and the fruitless effort expended in printing them, but to come out en masse and vote in the election as the plans of the group was to instill fear in everyone and cause apathy during the exercise.

“I reiterate that we have the wherewithal to combat whatever challenges criminal elements would want to do to scuttle the election.”