Nigeria, April 7 -- Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has denied allegations that he has approved the Eastern Security Network's (ESN) involvement in the fight against herders invading farmlands in the state.

ESN is the armed militant wing of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

In a statement on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Okeoma, Mr Otti described the allegation as "false, malicious and misleading."

"For the record, the government of Abia State, under the leadership of Dr Alex Otti, could not have contemplated embracing the services of non-state actors to fight criminals and insecurity of any kind in any part of the state.

"The state government's confidence in our various security agenc...