By Nwabueze Okonkwo
ONITSHA – Chairman of GUO Group of Companies Limited, Chief Godwin Ubaka Okeke, has commended Igbo youths for their restraint following the life imprisonment sentence handed down to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Speaking to journalists at his GRA residence in Onitsha at the weekend, Okeke praised the calm maintained since the November judgment of Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, but warned that such patience should not be mistaken for weakness.
He called on relevant authorities to urgently pursue a political solution to Kanu’s situation, urging Southeast governors, the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other prominent stakeholders to lobby for a presidential pardon.
“I salute Igbo youths for their patience. While they remain calm, the relevant authorities should begin to consider the quickest political solution to this matter,” he said.
Okeke appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider the appeals of prominent groups and individuals backing a political resolution, stressing that early intervention would help ease tension in the region.
He also expressed willingness to support any legitimate efforts towards a political solution, adding that stakeholders in the transport industry were ready to assist if logistics support was required.
On the issue of multiple security checkpoints in the Southeast and complaints of extortion, Okeke said the presence of police and military checkpoints was preferable to the activities of armed bandits and kidnappers.
According to him, encountering security agencies on highways, even with occasional demands for small payments, is safer than meeting criminals who abduct, kill and demand huge ransoms.
He argued that many security personnel operate under difficult conditions and poor welfare, noting that they often risk their lives to protect commuters.
However, Okeke advised security operatives to be more civil in their approach to the public to build trust and reduce tension at roadblocks, while urging the public to better appreciate the risks faced by security agents.
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