The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase has warned members of Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to desist from threatening the peace of the public, or be punished for their acts.

Olabisi Kolawole, police spokesperson, issued a statement to this effect on Wednesday, warning against “the increasing resort to acts of brigandage by sets of misguided individuals who apparently are hiding under the cloak of MASSOB and IPOB to threaten national security and public peace in parts of South East geopolitical Zone and some other conterminous States.”

The statement added that: “the latest manifestation of this threat is the attempt to blockade the Onitsha end of Niger Bridge on 1st December, 2015, an action that caused major hardship to innocent and law abiding motorists, and citizens. The act also occasioned serious dislocation of business activities.

The Inspector-General of Police notes that the increasing resort to acts of brigandage of this nature is pointing to a clear attempt by the brains behind these protests to test the will of security agencies to restore order and guarantee internal cohesion.”

Arase has also directed the mobilisation and deployment of Police Mobile Force (PMF) across the country to reinforce security in the State Commands that MASSOB and IPOB are currently are protesting in.

The Assistant Inspectors in the South East stated have been directed to maximally exercise their statutory Mandate in relation to prevention and disruption of any gathering that threatens public order and national cohesion.

“Any person or group of persons so arrested in furtherance to the enforcement of this order will be made to face the full wrath of the law.”

Furthermore, the Inspector-General of Police urged parents and guardians to call their children and wards to order ‘as the patience of the Force is being stretched to the limit’.

Arase said the Nigeria Police Force will not watch idly and allow ‘few misguided elements to continually force hardships on fellow Nigerians either in the South East or any other part of the nation for that matter’.