The South East Revival Group (SERG) has described as a hate order the marching order issued by President Muhammadu Buhari to service chiefs to crush the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Chief Willy Ezugwu, the group strongly condemned the order, saying it was part of plans for ethnic cleansing in Igbo land.

The reaction came at the weekend after an emergency meeting by the central executive of the socio-political organisation in Enugu.

The statement added: “It is worrisome that a non-violent body like the IPOB should be included in an order to crush violent groups and criminal gangs.

“For us in the SERG, this directive is clearly a hate order, targeted against the people of Southeast and part of a plot to begin ethnic cleansing in Igbo land.

“Rather than support the on-going effort of Southeast Governor's Forum to address the development challenges in the zone, the President Buhari administration has again openly displayed its hatred to the people of the zone.

“Unarmed Igbo people of the Southeast have been killed, many more injured under the president government for holding an opinion. That is war against humanity.

“We call on the federal government to urgently address the development deficit in the Southeast region, which is the reason for the renewed agitation in the region.

“The Southeast is the only zone in Nigeria with the five states and the only part of the country with little or no federal presence.

“We also urge the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to order the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to begin massive rehabilitation of federal roads across the Southeast zone.

“We believe that it’s time to end the shedding of innocent blood and sowing of seeds that fan the embers of disunity to preserve the country as one indivisible entity.”

Update news