Information Minister Lai Mohammed has backed Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) on the latter’s threat of imposing state of emergency in Anambra State.
Mr Malami had on Wednesday threatened that the federal government will not hesitate to slam the emergency rule option should killings continue in the state whose governorship election comes up early next month.
Justifying the threat on Thursday, Mr Mohammed argued that the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) which has repeatedly denied issuing no guber election order in the Igbo predominant state constitutes grievous threat than bandits ravaging states in the Northern part of the country.
The minister queried critics, lambasting his colleague for invocating state of emergency as lasting solution to the killings the state governor Willie Obiano opined was politically motivated, on what would happen should the secessionist group demanding the actualization of defunct Biafra Republic succeeds in halting the governorship election.
“In the last couple of weeks, IPOB had imposed sit-at-home on the citizens, they did not allow people to go to schools, markets and there are also high profile killings,” the government propagandist said on Thursday while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). “The AGF said yesterday that the government will do whatever it takes to restore law and order in Anambra and the entire South East to ensure that symbols and pillars of democracy are not tampered with.
“The forthcoming election in the state is one of the pillars of democracy.
“Those who are criticising the AGF on this, have they thought for one minute what will happen if the election does not take place in Anambra State on Nov. 6?
“It is a disingenuous argument to say that they have killed more people in Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna than they killed in Anambra.
“What is happening in Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger is criminality and the government will not condone it,” he added.
