By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, on Tuesday expressed shock over the attack on school children sitting for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination in Imo State.

He said that following the suspension of the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), 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.

Obi, the 2019 vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described Monday as a critical day for business/official work, saying that blanking it out will only be hurting the economy of the South-East.

Speaking to journalists, Obi tagged the action as un-Igbo, out of place and a misguided aggression.

He said: “I do not believe any Igbo man would contemplate attacking innocent school children, more so those taking their WAEC exams, to compete with the rest of West Africans over academic excellence. Education should ideally be treated as something ‘sacred’, because it is not just about the future of the children, but also the future of the society.

“Since IPOB has announced suspension of 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.

“It is perplexing against the fact that IPOB had issued countless press releases suspending the Monday sit-at-home and therefore could not logically be responsible for the attack.”

While wondering who the attackers might be, Obi called for proper investigations to unravel those behind the attack.

He urged political leaders to further strengthen their collective engagements with the view to charting the best path for the South-East.

He asked: “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 re-locating?”

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