Obi condemns ‘misguided attack’ on Imo students, absolves IPOB

A former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, on Tuesday condemned the attack on school children writing the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Imo State as misguided aggression.

In a chat with journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the ex-governor said the attack on innocent students writing WASSCE in a bid to achieve academic excellence was out of place.

He, however, absolves the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) of complicity in the attack, saying the group had repeatedly announced the suspension of the sit-at-home directive in the South-East through press statements issued by its spokesman, Emma Powerful.

He, therefore, demanded thorough investigations to unravel those behind the attack.

The ex-governor also charged public office holders and other stakeholders in the South-East to strengthen their collective engagements with the view to charting the best path for the region.

Gunmen had on Monday disrupted the ongoing WASSCE at a secondary school in the Nkume community, Njaba local government area of Imo State.

READ ALSO: IPOB vows to deal with anyone enforcing sit-at-home order

In a video that surfaced on social media, the attackers were seen chasing students and invigilators out of examination halls before setting the roof of the hall on fire.

Obi said: “Since IPOB has announced the suspension of the sit-at-home, it is reasonable to suspect that other forces might be hiding behind IPOB to draw back the South-East through such acts as well as the needless call for stay at home on Mondays, a critical day for business/official work, which is only hurting the economy of the South-East.

“Would investors come to the zone under the present condition? Would established businesses not think of leaving the South-East under such a condition? Would traders from neighbouring countries that flock Aba and Onitsha on Mondays not seek and stick with alternatives? Would some industries not think of relocating?”

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