The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Sunday announced “unequivocally” that it has “nothing to do with the so-called Biafra Liberation Army (BLA) and/or a Government in Exile which one double agent is parading himself as Prime Minister of.”
In a statement by its Spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB blamed Finland-based Simon Ekpa for recruiting criminals who adorn military uniforms and unleash kidnapping, killings, enforcement of sit-at-homes and organ harvesting in South East region in the name of fighting for Biafran independence.
According to the statement by Powerful: “IPOB is a global peaceful movement of millions of people who are fighting for the restoration of Biafra. We are *not* a government, and we *do* *not* have an Army, nor do we have a government body anywhere in the world. The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB is Mazi Nnamdi KANU. The administrative and decision-making body of IPOB is the Directorate of State (DOS) with units and offices in many countries.
“We have remained peaceful and have never turned to arm struggle. IPOB’s demand from the Nigeria government is a dialogue and agreement on a Biafra referendum date, not war.
“The international community and civil societies should take note that Biafra struggle under IPOB has no army. Our leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU and IPOB worldwide, established and inaugurated on December 12, 2020, a vigilante outfit named Eastern Security Network (ESN). ESN operatives were armed volunteers with a mandate to fight against the murderous fulani terrorists and jihadists code-named herdsmen who were killing and butchering our people and raping our women in our territory. ESN operatives do not wear military uniforms.
“These well-trained ESN operatives have remained loyal and focused to their mandate under the command of DOS. That is why the murderous activities of Fulani terrorists which were rampant before the lunch of ESN, have been drastically reduced. All the efforts of the radical Islamic government of Nigeria to destroy IPOB and ESN have failed.
“On the other hand, IPOB members are unarmed civilians who volunteer to contribute their time and resources towards the Biafra Self-Determination project. We neither bear arms nor are involved in violent activities. Irrespective of our non-violent approach, the Nigeria government has illegally abducted, imprisoned, and extrajudicially murdered many of our members. Irrespective of all State mounted provocations, we have remained peaceful. The Nigeria government have acquired aircraft bombers to bomb Biafrans, but IPOB’s nonviolent approach has frustrated their agenda. No sane nation will use military jets against unarmed freedom fighters, but Nigeria does.
“The Nigeria government realized that we have defeated them with our nonviolent approach sponsored Simon Ekpa to recruit criminals to wear military uniforms claiming to be Biafra Liberation Army. That is the covert operation the idiot in Finland is doing with the Nigeria government that gave the Nigeria Air Force opportunity to bomb locations in our territory a few days ago.
“The sponsored criminals seen parading as Biafra Liberation Army are the double agents working for Simon Ekpa against Mazi Nnamdi KANU and the IPOB struggle. The viral video of the idiots parading in military uniforms with IPOB unscripted face caps threatening IPOB leadership and members while praising Simon Ekpa is evidence of their covert operations; Who are they decieving with their double-faced calls for the release of Mazi Nnamdi KANU?
“Are their sponsors and managers so daft that they can’t write a good script instead of the amateur movies they are doing.
“These criminals in the so-called Liberation Army and the Fulani terrorists are behind most of the kidnapping, car snatching, and organ harvesting in our territory. They have kidnapped and collected organs of many Biafrans who identified themselves as not IPOB members. Realizing they have been busted by their Biafra victims, they quickly came out to parade as Biafra Liberation Army.
“These criminals are the once enforcing the infamous sit-at-homes imposed by the DSS Agent in Finland. They are not IPOB members nor ESN operatives at all and have no link to Mazi Nnamdi KANU. IPOB leadership and Mazi Nnamdi KANU have never formed nor supported a Biafra Army at this stage of the struggle.
“Any day, IPOB decides to change our peaceful approach, and we will make it categorically open to all and sundry. For now, we don’t have an army or a government anywhere in the world. Anyone dealing with or listening to the so-called Biafra Government in Exile and their Crime Minister who has put himself inside a house arrest in Finland is doing so to his or her detriment.”
