The claim, on Saturday, by the Headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS), Abuja, that five Hausa-Fulanis were recently abducted in Abia, murdered and buried in shallow graves in a forest has been rubbished by the Abia State Government. A statement issued this morning by Godwin Adindu, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, was emphatic that nothing of such happened in the state. The statement made it clear that no such report was at any time made by DSS Abia State Command or by any other security organ in the state. Below is the text of the statement issued Monday morning in the state capital Umuahia:

“Our attention has been drawn to a report in a section of the media claiming that the Department of State Services (DSS), has uncovered 55 Shallow graves in a forest in Abia State, where the remains of five Hausa-Fulani men were allegedly buried.

“The governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and the good people of the state feel very highly embarrassed by the report which is capable of causing ethnic/communal crisis in the country. The Governor believes that stakeholders in information management in the country should be conscious of national security and therefore be cautious and reticent in their approach to such sensitive news.

“We feel even more angry because our check with the security agencies in Abia has confirmed that the information did not emanate from any of the security units in Abia. Both the DSS in Abia, Police and Army have all denied ever issuing such information.

”If anybody or group wrote a petition to the headquarters in Abuja, the most professional approach should be for the headquarters to confer with their departments in Abia. There is a Brigade Commander here; there is Director of DSS and there is Commissioner of Police, with a PPRO attached to his office. All the units have told me they never released any such information.

We are also worried that the media organs that published this news did not consider the sensitive nature of that information to national peace and security as to have also conferred and confirmed from their correspondents in Abia. None of the reports came with the byline of a correspondent in Abia State.

“We condemn this flagrant abuse of professionalism by all the parties involved in the dissemination of this volatile and sensitive news which has not only embarrassed the government of Abia State but is also capable of raising tension and ethnic acrimony in the state.

“We re-emphasise that the government of Abia State have not received any official report in this regard and therefore warn the instigators of this bad report to rethink their mischief.

“Abia State enjoys a very peaceful and cordial inter-ethnic relations. There has been cooperation and harmony amongst all ethnic groups and all issues and pocket of breaches have also been amicably resolved and settled by the government.”

•Photo shows Governor Ikpeazu.

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