The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on Tuesday declared war on the regional security outfit by the South East Governors’ Forum, warning that anyone joining it “should be prepared to join his ancestors.”
IPOB said that the new outfit, which was obviously formed to “sabotage” its own Eastern Security Network (ESN) is “suspicious and a needless waste,” adding that it is mockery to “announce a security outfit without any personnel” on ground, unless “they under any pressure to hurriedly make the announcement after years of foot-draging and deceit.”
Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) had reported of a likely clash between the South East Governors’ backed outfit, Ebubeagu and ESN, which was formed following the failure of the Governors to secure lives and property in the region.
The IPOB security arrangement of the IPOB appears to have delighted the people especially of the South East region who were disappointed at their inactivity or lack of concern at the growing increasing insecurity especially terrorism, extra-judicial killings, kidnapping and destruction of farmlands, rape, armed robbery, illegal occupation of forests and river banks by marauding killers.
But the South East Governors opposed the formation of the ESN the moment Nnamdi Kanu announced its formation on December 12, 2020 with Governor Umahi asking Nigerians to ignore the IPOB and their pranks, stressing that the Governors had already concluded arrangements on the regional security outfit for the zone and would soon take off.
IPOB Media Director, Emma Powerful had then warned “all ‘Biafran’ fathers and mothers to caution their children against joining Umahi’s vigilante group as such an outfit is an enemy of the people. Their agenda is sinister and anti-Biafra. We are happy to state that the grand conspiracy by our oppressors to take over the South with the help of compromised leaders is dead on arrival.”
On Tuesday, the same Emma Powerful issued a statement saying “that there is no need for them to form another security outfit in our land since we have our formidable ESN. They woke up from their slumber rather too late. We have gone beyond that stage unless they are on a mission to sabotage ESN.
Calling the formation of the outfit by the Governors as shameful and belated, IPOB accused them of already allotting ancestral lands to herdsmen.
“What a mockery the puppets have made of themselves in their usual quest to please their slave-masters! How can you launch a security outfit without first assembling the personnel and equipping them? When Amotekun was formed it was not abstract, the personnel and their equipment were handy. When the gallant Eastern Security Network, ESN, was floated, the men were on ground. How then did South East traitors called Governors announce a security outfit without any personnel or were they under any pressure to hurriedly make the announcement after years of foot-draging and deceit?
“Any other security outfit formed in South East will crash because ESN is already on ground and living up to expectations. ESN was floated based on the clamour by our people, and they have since thrown their support behind the outfit. Forming another regional security outfit is suspicious, and a needless waste. The Governors failed our people when they needed their protection. It’s already late.
“We therefore warn our youths to have nothing to do with the so-called Ebubeagu security outfit which was ostensibly formed to sabotage IPOB and ESN. Anyone who neglects this warning and thinks he can hide under the cloak of EBUBEAGU to spy on ESN should be prepared to join his ancestors.”