Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma has disclosed the identity of those behind the wanton killings occasioned by perennial insecurity in the country.
Uzodinma, who spoke while addressing State House reporters after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, said politicians are behind the widespread killings.
He implored politicians to eschew vindictive and spiteful politics while seeking political power and put a stop to the carnage.
He refuted the assertion that the government in power was sponsoring banditry.
He said it was unrealistic for the governors of Imo, Kaduna and Ebonyi to relish the destruction of property and lives in their respective states.
He charged Nigerians to rise above personal interest and put the country first.
Uzodinma said: “I’m no longer in doubt as to who are the sponsors of banditry in Nigeria. Those who want to make Nigeria ungovernable cannot be the people governing Nigeria currently. After all, we don’t have elections this year. Elections should start by next year.
“Nigerians should be more patriotic, our national interest should be uppermost in our minds.”
He said two bandits were arrested after the killing of an officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission and were assisting the police in the ongoing investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing of the INEC staffer working on the voters registration exercise.