Governors of the five south-eastern states are currently reluctant to travel abroad following the threat by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to attack them and other Igbo politicians whenever they are sighted outside the country, a report by Saturday PUNCH has said.

“Findings have also shown that the South-East governors are very unlikely to make any trip abroad at the moment until the issue with IPOB is resolved.

“Sources said the South-East governors were afraid that what happened to Ekweremadu might happen to them if they travelled abroad,” the report published this morning said.

However, Emma Uzor, Chief Press Secretary to Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, David Umahi, dismissed the claims, telling PUNCH: “Why would the governors cancel their trips? This is unnecessary because any governor in the zone who has an engagement outside the country that is geared towards the development of his state will travel to attend to such an engagement.

“The governors have freedom of movement. Remember, IPOB said they have rights by protesting; so also do the governors have their own freedom of movement and they should be allowed to exercise their rights.

“Nobody should infringe on anybody’s rights. Nobody has the right to stop the governors from travelling anywhere in the world. It is their fundamental human rights and not even IPOB has the power to deny them such freedom.”