SSA to the President on Media and Publicity
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Presidency has dismissed the threat by leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu to wage war against the country and prevent the 2019 general elections from taking place in the South East, saying there was no cause for alarm.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, gave the assurance recently saying that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is strong enough to defend its territory against any threat.
Shehu stressed that the utterances of the disputed IPOB leader were a mere distraction that would not be allowed to undermine the relationship Nigeria has enjoyed with other countries.
He said the Buhari administration has the assurances of other nations that they would continue to reciprocate the respect Nigeria has for their sovereignty.
The fugitive IPOB leader who was undergoing trial for alleged treason jumped bail and disappeared from the country only to resurface in Israel recently and issued threats to Nigeria in a video clip he clandestinely released.
The statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu reads:
“The Presidency wishes to restate that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is strong enough to defend its territory against any threat, assuring all Nigerians that there is no reason to worry about the hollow outburst by Nnamdi Kanu, the disputed leader of IPOB on returning to the country “with hell’’.
“Instead, we see the re-enactment of his bizarre, episodic threat as a mere distraction which will not be allowed to detract from the existing cordial relationships between Nigeria and other countries.
“The Buhari administration is in constant touch with other friendly nations and has the best assurances that they would continue to reciprocate the respect Nigeria has for the sovereignty of their nations.
“Nigerians have nothing to fear from this”, Shehu added.