- Claims killings in Southeast is “politically motivated and carried out by security agents recruited and nicknamed unknown gunmen”
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Friday described as “disgraceful,” the allegations by Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that its leader, Nnamdi Kanu and its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN) of perpetuating the killings in Southeast Nigeria is just media trial.
Instead, IPOB and ESN members are actually “victims of extra-judicial killings” by Nigerian security operatives, claiming that “no fewer than 20,000 of our members have been murdered in cold blood by the Nigeria security agencies.”
According to the statement by its Spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB said: “We note with great dismay the kind of incoherent and untenable allegations coming from a supposedly Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Nigeria. What a disgrace! Why not wait for us at the law court instead of resorting to media trial. That shows he has no case to prove against IPOB.
“This latest show of shame by Malami also shows the level of his ignorance and cluelessness on office he occupies. To put the records straight, IPOB remains a peaceful movement, and was never involved in such barbarities Malami was linking IPOB with.
“Instead of killing security agents, IPOB members have been the victims of the extra-judicial killings by the wicked Nigeria security operatives as no fewer than 20,000 of our members have been murdered in cold blood by the Nigeria security agencies. It is not controvertible that innocent IPOB members and Biafran youths have been wasted at different times by the Nigeria security agencies. This genocide against IPOB is still ongoing, yet they want to suddenly change the narrative.
“We have always said it that the the Unknown gunmen were a creation of the Nigeria security agencies to implicate and demonise IPOB. We have no hand in the killings in parts of Biafra land. The federal government which is sponsoring the killings is desperately looking for excuses to implicate IPOB and nail our leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU who they renditioned from Kenya. Our leader is innocent of all the concocted allegations and lies vomited by Malami against him
“It is clear to all and sundry that IPOB was not involved in the ENDSARS protests. Nigerian youths who were fed up with the evil in Nigeria vented their anger during the #EndSARS protests which took place simultaneously in different parts of the country. IPOB could not have been the ones behind the protest which was a spontaneous reaction of dissatisfied youths against the maladministration in the country.
“Since the formation of ESN operatives by our great leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU, the outfit never launched any attack against the Nigeria security operatives, rather the Nigeria security agents are the ones haunting for ESN operatives. ESN is only after murderous herdsmen, bandits and jihadists wrecking havock across Biafra land which the hypocritical security agents could not stop.
“Nigeria has incompetent Attorney General because this Attorney General does not know that extraordinary rendition is an international crime and anybody or country that flouts this law has committed international crime.
“It is very pitiable that this man who claims to be Attorney General and Minister of Justice in Nigeria cannot differentiate between crime and agitation. ESN and IPOB have come to stay and nothing will stop us. The world knows that IPOB is not a terrorist organisation and Malami cannot succed in making them change their mind.
“Malami should stop wasting his time and just fix a date for Biafra referendum where our people can decide which country they want to stay. Failure to do so is to their peril.
“All destruction in our territory was politically motivated and carried out by security agents recruited and nicknamed unknown gunmen. We know the so-called unknown gunmen are DSS personnel, army and police personnel set up to implicate IPOB and ESN. IPOB, ESN have no hands in the killings in Biafra land. Those behind the barbarity are still pointing accusing fingers at IPOB and ESN all at the same time. What a hypocrisy!”