Following the complete shutdown of Major markets across major cities of Onistha. Ekwulobia, Nnewi and Awka over alleged plans by Federal Government to relocate Prison inmates in the north eastern part of Nigeria, being a Boko Haram ravaged zone of the country to Anambra state,
The secretary of the All Progressive Congress in the state, Mr. Chukwuma Agufufo has described the entire exercise as false and a disconnect between the state and federal government to know plans of government for the state.He blamed the state government of not been in-tune with the federal policy and the exclusive preserve character of the constitution on f the position of prison inmates and relocation that is preserve under the exclusive domain of the federal government through the Nigeria prison service as their caretaker
Agufugo condemned the action of the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano and based it on the premise to discredit the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration before the people of the zone as a government that does not care for the people of the zone.
He told Ashiwaju.org that APC in Anambra state will ensure that the government plan to cause disaffection between the people and the federal government would be strictly condemned as the the President Buahri administration is just settling down to effect change that will re-right the wrongs been inflected on the country by previous administration.
His words; We of the APC in Anambra state moves to condemn in strong term the action of Governor Willie Obiano to have instructed major markets in Anambra to protest against what he conceived and carried out with the aim to place president Muhammadu Buhari led administration in bad light before the people of Anambra state, we are rightly informed that the governor is instrumental to the Amalgamated Traders Association of Anambra protest\
Is it that Governor Obiano dose not attend State Executive Council meeting with the president or that he is not in-tune with his fellow Governors across the country to know what are the plans of the federal government for the country?
We understandhe is doing this to sell himself to the minds of Anambrains in 2017 Governorship election, the people are not fools and am sure they will reject him and vote for the party at the centre to get connected to the national programmes of development ''. Agufugo submitted .
In the same vein, Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) too has said there is no plan to transfer Boko Haram suspects in custody to prisons in Anambra State as being speculated.
The NPS Public Relations Officer, Francis Enebore, said most of the terror suspects in prison custody are still awaiting trial and cannot be moved out of the jurisdiction of the court where they would be prosecuted.
He dismissed speculations that the prison authorities had formalised plans to transfer terror suspects from the northern states to Anambra State, saying there is nothing like that.
Enebore said, “Most of the terror suspects are awaiting trial and so, there is no way they can be moved to another state because they must be tried in the state where they committed the crime.
“Apart from this, our duty is to move them from prison to court for trial and since they have not been convicted, how can we transfer them to other states outside the jurisdiction of the court where they would be tried? People are just saying things they know nothing about, there is no truth to the rumours that we are transferring terror suspects to other states.”
Ashiwaju.org can authoritatively report that such plan was hatched and even the Anambra state Governor , Chief Willie Obiano allegedly communicated in writing and even some statements credited to the Federal Government allegedly appeared in prints which prompted the protest by traders.