The Traditional Ruler and Sarkin Hausawa of Northern communities in Imo State, Alhaji Auwal Baba-Sulaiman has dismissed the alleged attack on the northerners dwelling in the state describing it as a rumour and misleading.
Baba-Sulaiman addressing newsmen in Owerri Tuesday said that the reports are misleading, unfounded, divisive and aimed at disrupting national peace and unity adding that the northern community has never been attacked by the state government or its agents.
He said: “Northerners, no matter where they dwell in the country remain committed to peaceful coexistence and remain a force for peace and national cohesion.”
The Northern leader said that the leadership stands completely against any and every effort to incite ethnic conflict in Imo and other parts of the country with the use of fake news.
He, however, warned purveyors of the report to desist from misinforming the public but to present the activities of the Hope Uzodinma-led government for what they truly are and to endeavor to verify the veracity of information before sending it out for public consumption.
While pledging the commitment of the northern communities to peaceful coexistence with residents of the state, Baba-Sulaiman said that the northerners residing in the state have continued to enjoy the peace and cooperation of their host communities
Baba-Sulaiman, however, praised the state government for its efforts at tackling criminality while clarifying that northerners in the state have never been targets of attack by the government.
Tribune Online gathered that the Imo State government in a bid to rid the state of criminals, recently raided forests and demolished shanties in various dangerous locations in Owerri and its environs suspected to be hideouts of illicit drugs traders, kidnappers and child traffickers.
