The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has canvassed for the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu in order to nip the activities of criminals who have unleashed violence and frequent sit-at-home orders in the South East region.
Again denying any link to the killings and near stoppage of all economic and social activities in the region, IPOB, through its Spokesperson, Emma Powerful, said they are “disassociating ourselves from Simon Ekpa and his criminal sit-at-home enforcers. “
The full statement reads: “IPOB worldwide condemns the statement credited to the Nigerian Army linking IPOB to the incessant and destructive sit-at-home orders and enforcement in the Southeast. The Army Chief, Gen. Lagbaja Taoreed will not claim ignorance of all the previous press releases written by IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu disassociating ourselves from Simon Ekpa and his criminal sit-at-home enforcers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, IPOB is not responsible for Mondays nor failed 7-day and purported 2-week sit-at-home orders and enforcement. The reckless and abusive seat-at-home strategy is from the autopilot group led by Simon Ekpa. We have consistently made it known that Simon Ekpa and his autopilot group are not IPOB members and does not represent Mazi Nnamdi KANU in their violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders.Recently, IPOB members rallied in Lahti City in Finland to demonstrate to the world that Simon Ekpa is not an IPOB member that is why he couldn’t come out to identify with the protesters.
“IPOB has remained peaceful, and when we the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra, DOS, initiated a sit-at-home that autopilot hijacked and abused, we never enforced it. Nevertheless, our people volunteerilly complied. Therefore, for the Nigeria Army to associate the reckless sit-at-home enforcement to IPOB is to show that the Nigerian government is using the promoters of violent enforcement of sit-at-home and criminalities in the East to blackmail IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi KANU.
Hence, the Army chief, Gen. Lagbaja Taoreed should not hide under his ethnic bias against Ndigbo and IPOB to unleash terror on our people in the guise of going after sit-at-home enforcers. The government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not toe the same line of the past janjaweed government by sponsoring crisis in the East so as to justify murderous military python and crocodile dances. We are not fools to be deceived easily. It is obvious that most of the criminalities and insecurity in the East are sponsored by the Nigeria government targeted at making people perceive the peaceful IPOB agitation as a violent group.
“It’s on record that some of the arrested so-called unknown gunmen in Imo State were imported criminals. That is why they were never investigated or prosecuted? As a preconceived agenda without investigation, Nigeria Security Agencies tag every crime on IPOB. Nevertheless, we have always surmounted all their accusations and blackmails. The current reckless and violent enforcement of ill-concieved sit-at-home is another sponsored violence to be used against Mazi Nnamdi KANU at the Supreme Court case in September.
“General Lagbaja and the government of Nigeria are aware of the man responsible for the violent enforcement of sit-at-home in the East. Why then are they shying away from accussing him? Instead, they prefer to unleash military mayhem on our people in the guise of going after sit-at-home enforcers? They know their camps , so why not visit them there and stop them and stop linking this peaceful IPOB agitation to their criminalities. If they are not behind Simon Ekpa, why haven’t they made any official complains against him as a democratic government should?
“Who are they deceiving? Is it not in public that the Nigeria military and Police usually unleash media war against IPOB anytime we call for one day sit-at-home even when we call for the annual Biafra Hero’s Day Celebration. Why are they hiding like ostriches pretending as if they don’t know that it was Simon Ekpa’s group, not IPOB, who is responsible for the violent enforcement of sit-at-home? They want to destroy IPOB from within Igbo land, but they will fail, and all of the people involved will regret their involvement. The Nigeria government and her compromised security agencies run, but they can’t hide from the reality of their atrocities.
“We in IPOB oppose every military intervention in the East because they are usually of evil motives. We support them if they arrest the criminals and enforcers of the forceful sit-at-home, but they must do so at their camps. We will not support the government’s plan to invade Igbo land because we will continue to protect our innocent fathers, mothers, and youths. The Nigeria Army uses every opportunity to extrajudicially murder Igbo people any time they are deployed to the East. That is why we object to their presence as much as we detest the malicious sit-at-home and violent enforcement from agent provocateurs. we oppose military interventions because it will be used to kill and destroy the livelihood of our people.
“The Nigeria military must not use this as a conduit to illegally arrest, detain, and kill innocent Igbo youths, mothers, fathers, and even innocent IPOB members and ESN. IPOB members have no hands in the sit-at-home. We advocate that anyone caught violentlently enforcing the oppressive sit-at-home should be arrested, investigated, and their sponsors brought to book. The Nigerian military should not allow ethnic hatred and biases to becloud their professional ethics.
“ESN and IPOB are for our people, and we can not afford to distabelize our land. The Southeast Region is our territory, and we must protect it. The promoters of insecurity are not IPOB members but sponsored agent provocateurs and infiltrators working to derail IPOB and MNK’s achievements. Their sponsores fearing that Biafra agitation is gathering global momentum sponsored them to derail the Biafra restoration project. Irrespective of all the attacks, IPOB will not retreat until Biafra is restored. As we fight to free Biafrans from damnable Republic of animal kingdom known as Nigeria, our ESN Operatives have been deployed to fight fulani rapers and kidnappers in our bushes and forests. ESN Operatives has rescued many of our people who were kidnapped without making noise or announcing it. The recent viral video of rescued kidnapped victims from Ebonyi and Enugu State was a tip of the iceburge. This work to protect our people in Biafra Land has been on- going.
“If indeed the Nigeria government and her Security Agencies are interested in the peace of the Easthern Region, they should release Mazi Nnamdi KANU unconditionally as pronounced by the Appeal Court of Nigeria in Abuja, and see their sponsored criminal agents using Mazi Nnamdi KANU’s detention to perpetrate crime go into oblivion and fade away.”
