The Abia State Police Command has beefed up security in Umuahia ahead of the burial of the traditional ruler of Isiama Afara Ukwu Umuahia, Eze Israel Kanu, and his wife, Sally.

The monarch and his wife, who are the parents of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra [IPOB], Nnamdi Kanu, would be laid to rest on Friday, February 14, 2020.

WuzupNigeria reports that Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel, told the police to stop wasting resources sending its officials to the community, saying “we are mourning our parents and we are not preparing for war.”

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Ene Okon, also enjoined residents of the capital city to disregard the rumours making the rounds that he wanted to scuttle the burial process.

Okon, in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Ogbonna Geoffrey, on Tuesday, stated that the Police were inundated with series of intelligence that miscreants disguising as members of IPOB were intending to hijack the burial process.

He said the presence of security officials in and around the city should not be seen as a threat but a proactive measure to prevent the infiltration of miscreants and hoodlums into the Afara Community.

The statement read in part,

“The commissioner of Police enjoins the public to disregard the rumours making the rounds that we want to scuttle the burial process, whereas we have good intentions of providing security to lives and property of people.

“To this end, therefore, the Police in alliance with the Afara community wish to re-assure all residents, indigenes and those attending the burial of their safety, while miscreants are warned to steer clear of the environment as the security operatives will not fold their arms and watch their unlawful activities.”

But Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel, told the police to stop wasting resources sending its officials to the community.

He maintained that the Afara people are peace-loving and would not hurt any of their tents and victors.

He said,

“I understand that the CP is under pressure to satisfy the Federal Government, who employed him. But I want him to understand that we are mourning our parents and we are not preparing for war.

“The burial of our parents is being organised by the three autonomous community in Afara and we are assuring our friends and well-wishers of their safety during the burial.

“The CP himself is our tenant and he can attest to the fact that we are orderly and decent people, at least nobody has harassed him since he came to this community.”