The Imo State Government has debunked speculations that it has allocated land to the Federal Government for the establishment of an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp for northerners in Nsu, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state.
The government made it clear that the ongoing construction in Nsu is a training facility for skills acquisition programs aimed at benefiting the people of the South East, not for Nigerians from other parts of the country.
Addressing the issue, the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation, and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, expressed regret that some individuals, whom he referred to as enemies of Nigeria, had misinterpreted a harmless statement from the National Refugees Commission to create unnecessary tension and incite conflict between the Igbos and other regions of the country.
Emelumba stated that the spreaders of such are enemies of the state, engaging in what he termed “notorious propaganda” with the aim of ridiculing the government. He described the latest rumours as an attempt by certain individuals to incite Ndigbo against northerners and destabilise the country under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The commissioner questioned why security agencies had not arrested those involved in circulating a viral social media video, which allegedly called on Ndi Imo to rise against other Nigerians.
He further warned that by feeding the public with biased information, the purveyors of the rumour were laying the groundwork for what he described as a large-scale insurrection against the Federal Government.
Emelumba emphasised that the training centre in Ehime Mbano was the South East’s allocation, with similar centres established in other geopolitical zones, and it would soon begin training Imo citizens in various skills.
He reiterated that at no time had the government contemplated bringing refugees from either the North or the West to be trained in Imo.
The commissioner called on Imo citizens, especially those in Ehime Mbano, to ignore the rumours, which he said were intended to create a rift between the state and the Federal Government.
“The act was a grand design by mischief-makers to unleash another wave of insecurity in Imo State,” he said.
Emelumba urged security agencies to address the incitement before it escalates into ethnic unrest.
