Imo House of Assembly Speaker, Paul Emeziem, has condemned the social unrest in Orlu zone of the state, describing the situation as unacceptable and unjustifiable.
He urged citizens to join him in seeking divine intervention for the security challenges at hand.
No fewer than nine persons, including civilians and military personnel, have reportedly died in the feud involving suspected members of the Eastern Security Network and men of the Nigerian Army.
Following the unsavoury development, Governor Hope Uzodinma had, on Monday, declared a dusk to dawn curfew in the affected 10 council areas to restore normalcy.
The Speaker told The Guardian yesterday in Owerri that the legislature was in support of any move by both the state government and security agencies to arrest the perpetrators.
He said the governor had performed credibly and delivered dividends of democracy to the people.
Emeziem continued: “Our governor, as a respecter of law, would not condone acts capable of truncating the existing peace, unity and developmental strides in the state.
“Even as I have prayed to the Almighty God to expose those behind this mayhem, I also want to call on security agencies in the state, especially the Commissioner of Police, to speedily rise up to this security challenge.”
He implored the citizenry, particularly those in the epicentre, to remain calm, law-abiding and cooperate with government to bring back harmony and obtain justice for the victims.
The Speaker reiterated the commitment of the House to efforts that sustain peace, law and order in addition to protection of life and property in the state.
Also, the Coalition of South-East Professionals Network in Nigeria and Diaspora (CSEPNND) condemned the incident, saying the development must not be allowed to go unchecked.
The group said it was conventional that a sovereign nation would not allow armed security groups to operate without necessary approvals and legal backing.
Describing the security network as an illegal contraption, the professionals called on prominent Igbo sons and daughters to reject the outfit, established by leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement yesterday by its National President, Prof. Madumere Chika, CSEPNND claimed that bodies like IPOB and ESN were jeopardising the chances of the region in national affairs.
It accused Kanu of not having the interest of South East at heart, wondering why a true Igbo son would be “working at cross-purposes with a region struggling to assume national reckoning.”
The coalition therefore implored federal and state authorities to disband the team, arrest and prosecute its operatives and sponsors.
