Imo State Government, yesterday, said the timely intervention of the Thisday management, which disowned a fake publication of its digital edition, saved the state from burning.
However, the government warned the opposition and those into such creepy acts to desist from acts capable of setting the state on fire. It said it would not hesitate to unleash the law on anyone, who for selfish and political reasons, engaged in seditious acts.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba, gave the warning while reacting to the cloning of a Thisday publication, which alleged that Governor Hope Uzodinma had planned to marry off Imo daughters to Fulani herders.
Describing the act as criminal and the height of desperation by the opposition, Emelumba vowed that perpetrators of the forgery and perjury would not go unpunished. He said but for the timely intervention of the management of the newspaper, which disowned the publication, Imo State would have been on fire by now.
The commissioner said the despicable act was intended by the opposition to ignite crisis between imo people and a section of the country.
“I have never in my life witnessed this kind of rascality and desperation for power by a people ready to sacrifice innocent lives to achieve their selfish interest,” Emelumba submitted.
He expressed appreciation to the management of Thisday newspaper for handling the matter swiftly and referring it to the security agencies for proper investigation.
The commissioner said the government would support every effort aimed at unmasking the criminals with a view to ensuring that they faced the law. He regretted that the opposition was yet to heal from their loss of power and were behaving like a bull in a china’s shop.
“But this time, they have crossed the red line,” the commissioner stated. He added, “This singular act of faking a national newspaper to blackmail the governor and the government will forever stand as strong witness of your inglorious signpost as those, who were ready to destroy their state for selfish gains. History will judge you, just as you will not escape the long arm of the law.”
He also noted that whereas Uzodinma had been ignoring the insults and blackmail from the opposition, this act of cloning a newspaper to precipitate security breaches would not be tolerated.
Emelumba warned those who had been heating up the polity in the state to be prepared for the consequences as government would no longer fold its hands and watch renegades destroy the state.
