The Indigenous People of Biafra,
IPOB, on Thursday, told the Federal
Government to halt “the incessant
harassment and arrest of its members and
their families in South-East.”
It also called on South-East and South-South
governors, particularly Ebonyi State
government, to prevail on the security
agents in their states to release IPOB and
their family members, particularly its Ebonyi
State Coordinator, Mazi Igwe Ogbonnaya,
without further delay.
The pro-Biafra group said it is particularly
upset by the alleged recent arrest of its
Coordinator in Ebonyi State; and the
intimidation of an innocent woman who
recently put to bed in Oji River Council Area
of Enugu State by security operatives in the
guise of searching for Radio Biafra Station.
In a statement by IPOB’s Media and
Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful , the
group told the government and her security
operatives to stop testing its will.
IPOB’s statement also alleged that the
“Police, Army and DSS once again have
started their normal house-to-house search
of IPOB family members and those
suspected to be IPOB supporters in
Biafraland.
“We, the global family of the Indigenous
Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, ably led by our great
leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, hereby demand
immediate stoppage of the incessant
harassment and arrest of IPOB family
members in different parts of Biafraland.
“We are particularly upset by the recent
arrest of IPOB Coordinator in Ebonyi State,
and the intimidation of an innocent woman
in Oji River council of Enugu State, by the
Nigerian security operatives under the guise
of searching for Radio Biafra station.
“This continued illegal abduction and
kidnapping of innocent people without
provocation while treating Boko Haram
terrorists with kid gloves in our land must stop.
“The Nigeria government and her security
operatives should stop testing our will.
“On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, the Nigeria
Army and Police, in their usual Gestapo
manner, akin to the Nazi era in Europe,
abducted Mazi Igwe Ogbonnaya, our Ebonyi
State IPOB Coordinator, for no crime other
than being a Biafran.
“This provocative hounding of our people
has continued amid killings, maiming and
raping of our women by rampaging
herdsmen in our communities which the
same security agencies have not only
pampered but allowed to continue their
heinous activities unabatedly.
“It very sad to note that the security
operative in Nigeria police, Army and DSS
uniforms abducted Mazi Igwe Ogbonnaya
from his home at Ugwulangwu Ohaozara
council Ebonyi, in less than a week after
burying his young wife.
“Similarly, the Nigerian security operatives
subjected an innocent woman that recently
put to bed to torture by 4.30a.m., on August
16, at her husband’s house in Oji River,
Enugu State, when the DSS, Police and Army
forcefully broke into their compound.
“The woman was beaten with her newborn
baby, while anybody suspected to be
member or supporter of IPOB was equally
beaten up by the overzealous DSS and
police personnel.
“Today many IPOB members and Biafra
agitators have continued to languish in
various police detention facilities, yet
terrorists masquerading as herdsmen are
being granted state pardon with
rehabilitation packages.
“We, therefore, call on Ebonyi State governor,
David Umahi and his counterparts in the
South-East and South-South to release
Biafra agitators arrested in their respective
states before its too late.
“We also call on the British High
Commission, Amnesty International, British
and United States Embassies in Abuja,
UNDP and other countries’ high
commissions and embassies in Nigeria to
prevail on the Federal Government and
South-East governors to release our people
abducted illegally before it becomes too
late.”
