Wilson Adekumola
The Indigenous People of Biafra, on Thursday disclosed that they are not the ones behind criminal activities in the South-East saying that people should desist from linking them to state-sponsored criminal gang issuing and enforcing sit-at-home orders in the South-East.
The pro-Biafran group also stated that it has not given any directive to the people of the South East and the entire Igbo to boycott the forthcoming general elections or observe sit-at-home on the days of elections.
The IPoB’s spokeperson, Emma Powerful, disclosed in a statement that it has never forcefully obstructed the election process in Nigeria and does not intend to do so with regard to the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria.
IPoB’s statement read, “The global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra ‘IPoB, under the command and leadership of our great and indefatigable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu, hereby warns the unknown mushroom group called Pan Nigeria President of Igbo Extraction Coalition, PANPIEC, to desist from linking our noble movement with the state-sponsored criminal gang issuing and enforcing sit-at-home orders to blackmail IPoB and ESN.
“IPoB has no plan or intention to order any sit-at-home during the election period. IPoB has never forcefully obstructed the election process in Nigeria. IPoB has no faction. Nnamdi Kanu is the worldwide leader of IPoB, and nobody is contesting the leadership of IPoB with him.
“We have maintained that we don’t have any interest in Nigeria’s shambolic political selection process called Nigeria elections scheduled for February 2023. Our interest and focus is the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and for a date to be given for the Biafra referendum to enable Biafrans to determine their political future in or outside Nigeria.
“We knew that this mushroom group called PANPIEC, is among those sponsoring this fake group claiming that they are IPoB, issuing and enforcing reckless sit-at-home in the South East and Igbo land in general. We challenge them that if they are not their sponsors with the Fulani government of Nigeria, why do they keep linking the paid agents of confusion with us, even as IPoB has publicly denounced any link with Simon Ekpa and his collaborators?
“It is on record and in the public domain that IPoB has not called for any sit-at-home during February general elections. It is also obvious that IPoB and ESN do not have any faction or splinter groups. IPoB remains peaceful and indivisible under one command of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for the liberation of the Biafra Nation from the damnable Republic called Nigeria.
“We reiterate for the records that, IPoB has not, did not, and will not issue any sit-at-.home order in February, during the general elections. We also did not call for any boycott of the upcoming elections. Nobody should blame or link IPoB with the statements or actions of government agents and agencies operating in the Eastern Region and claiming to be IPoB.
“The focus of IPoB is the release from illegal detention of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whom Nigeria’s Court of Appeal and other Courts have discharged and acquitted since the 13th of October 2022, and also for a date to be given for the Biafra Referendum.
“We, therefore, state that any group claiming to be IPoB while issuing sit-at-home orders, are criminals and state-sponsored agents who do not represent IPoB, as led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
