Ahead of next month?s Christmas and 2025 New Year celebrations, Nigeria?s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State have assured Igbo in Diaspora who wish to come home for the festivities to be rest assure their security will be guaranteed.

Uzodimma and Abubakar?s positions have also been corroborated by the General Officer Commanding 82 Division in Enugu, Major General Taiwo Dada.

They all gave the assurance, weekend, when the Defence Minister led the GOC 82 Division and other top military officers to pay a courtesy call on Governor Uzodimma at Government House Owerri, following a fruitful South East security stakeholders meeting in Enugu.

Abubakar noted that his team was ?on operational visit to meet their troops in the South East and decided to pay courtesy visit to Governor Hope Uzodimma who has remained a supportive friend of the military.?

?Igbos who wish to come home from different parts of the world for the yuletide, should feel free and come home, as our men are on ground, on alert, and will do their best to protect them,? the Minister said.

Abubakar disclosed that all security stakeholders in the South East held a meeting in Enugu and that they ?deliberated extensively on how to improve security in the South East, including application of non-kinetic method.?

Governor Uzodimma did not think differently on the preparedness of his administration to secure the lives and property of Diaspora Igbo coming home for the Yuletide and those residing in the country.

?As for the Yuletide, our security agents are prepared and well equipped. We will continue to support them to ensure that our people go about their businesses without fear of molestation,? said the Governor.

He was confident that the South East is close to the end of the tunnel as regards the issue of insecurity. ?We will soon see the light, as all issues of banditry, insurgency and all manners of criminalities will soon become things of the past.?

The Governor described the Minister of Defence as ?a man with tested record of performance? and appreciated him and the leadership of all the security agencies in the country for the support they have been extending to Imo State.

?What confronted us is better imagined than experienced, but I think, to the Glory of God, we have conquered,? the Governor explained.

Major General Dada?s remarks were no less reassuring.

According to him, the ?immediate task of the Armed Forces in the South East is to make sure that this year?s Yuletide is peaceful, like that of last year.?

He words: "When we came on board, we employed lots of kinetic approach, but now, based on the outcome of the meeting we had yesterday (Friday) there is no doubt that we have to also explore the non-kinetic approach, whereby we engage the youths, women, members of the civil society and all stakeholders in finding lasting solution to insecurity.?

He advised all "misled youths? wielding arms against the State to lay them down and embrace the current olive branch being extended to them.

Dada described Igboland as a ?land of peace where youths should be allowed to harness their potentials and contribute to the growth of the society.?

Deputy Governor of Imo State, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, Senator Patrick Ndubueze (representing Okigwe Zone), Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Chief Cosmas Iwu, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Barr Nnamdi Anyaehie and other top government officials joined the Governor in receiving his guests.

?PHOTO: L-R; Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, GOC 82 Division, Enugu, Major General Taiwo Dada and Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, when the latter paid a courtesy call on the Governor at Government House Owerri ? weekend

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