APGA Ambassadors have described as “unfortunate” the statement credited to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the 72 Nigerian citizens dumped at Onitsha by the agents of Lagos State Government on July 24.

In a statement issued in Awka yesterday by the group’s leader, Mr. Hilary Ejesieme, APGA Ambassadors said that careful perusal of APC’s statement shows that it was a rehearsal of what those trying desperately to defend the actions of Lagos State Government had already said, betraying the fact that they merely voiced what they have been asked to voice, without seeking the truth.

“The moment these human cargoes were off-loaded at Upper Iweka, a human rights group that got wind of it alerted us. We arrived there at 6:15 am only to see over 20 of them at Upper Iweka. Upon enquiry, we corroborated the information we received, namely, that many of them had already left for their various states and some back to Lagos. It was confirmed that there were 72 of them,” APGA Ambassadors said

The group said it was wrong for APC to drag the name of Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, into the saga, remarking that Obi himself is worried over the leakage of his letter to the President on the issue and had come out to say that he had the greatest respect for Gov. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and had also called him on phone over the matter.

Fashola’s action, according to APGA Ambassadors, has raised fundamental questions of why, for whatever reason, Nigerians should be treated like common criminals in their own country; why the dumping had to be at 2am and not at a normal time; as well as why they were dumped at Onitsha and not Awka, the state capital.

The group contended that the recent dumping was not the first time such a thing would take place.

“The position of APC on the entire matter is quite perplexing and shows how the party regards and treats the Igbos. Everywhere in the world, from the USA to Europe, there are still beggars on the streets and nowhere are they treated like common criminals without rights. All that Obi did in this case was to say that it was wrong to treat Nigerians in such a cavalier manner as the authorities in Lagos did,” APGA Ambassadors said.

On the documents being flaunted by Lagos State Government, the statement observed that contrary to the claims by APC that it was the failure of Anambra State to act when notified about the development that led to the dumping of those people, investigations showed that Anambra State Liaison Office, Lagos, reacted to the letter written by the Special Adviser, Lagos State Ministry of Youth & Social Development, and requested names and identities of those to be deported and that there was no information from Lagos thereafter on the issue.

The statement said that it was a matter of grave concern that the names provided by Lagos State as people from Anambra were mostly names foreign to Anambra State such as Andy Oshornogor, Emmanuel Okon, Joseph Eto and Victoria Agboola. It equally noted that names provided as local governments of origin of those people such as Ikanu, Ogbosili and Obudu were not known to Anambra State.

Besides, contrary to the claims of Lagos that only 14 persons were dumped, the StateSecurity Service (SSS) report has over 20 names which they met at the scene after some of them had left, APGA Ambassadors noted. They said that to betray their motive, the people were brought under the cover of the night with clear intention of dumping them incognito.

On the claim that Anambra deported some beggars from the state in 2011, the statement said it was not true, but only a ploy to present Anambra as equally disdainful of Nigerians. It also said that Obi had no reason to act for political reasons as he is currently serving out his second term and would not contest the forthcoming election

Concluding, APGA Ambassadors wondered why Lagos State taxes rich Igbo people in the state to keep the state going only to treat the poor ones with utmost disdain.

It condemned in the strongest terms the antics of Igbos who, according to the statement, have clearly proved to be agents for the enslavement of their people in the APC and who are being used to justify a clearly ignoble and condemnable act.

•Photo shows two of the deportees.

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