Biafra agitation is beyond Buhari – IPOB

ENUGU—The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has said the on-going agitation for the actualisation of Biafra as a country was beyond both President Muhammadu Buhari and others who pride themselves as fighting for the country’s unity between 1967 and 1970, adding that the indices were no longer the same.

IPOB said most people in the country no longer believe in Nigerian unity and asked those around Buhari to advise him properly since there was no longer any basis for such unity again.

In a statement signed by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful in Enugu yesterday ,they wondered why President Buhari advised Igbo youth corps members serving in Daura, his home town to ask the youths in their area to stop the struggle for Biafra because, according to him, “it will not be a reality.” Alleged plot to assassinate Kanu on Oct. 1 Also yesterday, the Indigenous People of Biafra, raised an alarm over what it termed as Federal Government’s move to assassinate its leader, Nnamdi Kanu inside the prison custody on October 1, during Nigeria’s 56th independent anniversary celebration. IPOB said government in defiant of court orders which directed that Kanu be released from the prison custody unconditionally, embarked on several assassination attempts on the life of the IPOB leader, adding that having failed to assassinate him on so many attempts, it now set October 1 date for his assassination.

In a press statement issued to newsmen and signed by their spokespersons, Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Iroanya, IPOB said they were wondering why the Federal Government is abandoning its prosecution of Kanu and going for the option of his assassination. According to the statement, Muhammadu Buhari freed a terrorist Kabiru Umar (a.k.a Kabiru Sokoto) but disobeyed court orders on unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu. Is the government not sure of the ability of its legal team to make a strong case for the conviction of Kanu? Is government impatient with the rule of law to the extent that it now wants to take the laws into its hands and resort to extra-judicial killing which has always been its second nature? “What is the rationale behind government’s preference for the freedom of a terrorist and mass murderer over compliance with the rulings of courts of competent jurisdictions? Even with his limited education and non-existent leadership training plus lack of updated skills in modern and democratic governance, Buhari should at least respect the constitution of the country he is claiming to be the president of.” Clamp down on Journalist over MASSOB, advert publication Meantime, Ebonyi State police command was yesterday reported to have allegedly arrested and detained the Ebonyi State Correspondent of New Telegraph Newspaper, Mr. Uchenna Inya over his purported attempt to send a report on the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB’ 17 years anniversary in the state. But in a quick reaction, the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP George Okafor in a telephone conversation with Vanguard denied that the correspondent was ever arrested over any report. But during his testimony at the government house Press Unit, the New Telegraph correspondent who lamented how he was detained for over 5 hours at the Command Headquarters, Abakaliki, said he was questioned on why he did the report on MASSOB.

 In a related development, the publisher of National Issue Newspaper, Mr. Emmanuel Igwe also lamented how he was arrested and detained by the state police command over an advertorial he published indicting the state Commissioner of Police. “The police broke into my house by 6:30am yesterday. My doors were broken and my wife, Mrs. Nnenna Igwe was allegedly beaten up yesterday. The matter is pending before High court on the enforcement of my Fundamental Human Right over an advertorial I published. “I was granted bail on very stringent measure of somebody on grade level 14 who will bring his last promotion paper.” In his reaction, the Chairman of the Correspondent Chapel, Mr. Ogodo Mbam who described the action of the police as inhumane and undemocratic noted that after the union’s meeting, it would decide whether it would continue to partner the police in its activities in the state.