The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) said on Tuesday that it has no camp in Enugu-Ezike, Igboeze North local government council, Enugu state.
It stated that those terrorising the area are neither IPOB volunteers nor members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) operatives, adding that ESN stopped recruiting personnel two years ago.
Following an increase in banditry, kidnapping, and killings, a development linked to the activities of the ESN, the Enugu State government last month imposed a curfew in the area and drafted more security to contain the surge.
But IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful stated that those terrorizing the area were not members of the group.
He said: “We the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to reiterate once again to the general public especially the people of Enugu Ezike that those in their community and other parts terrorizing them are not IPOB volunteers or ESN operatives.
“The Eastern Security Network (ESN) stopped recruiting personnel since two years ago. Therefore, anybody deceiving and parading himself or herself as joining ESN recently is working with infiltrators and will die in the hands of security Agencies.
“ESN does not have any operational camp at Enugu-ezike Igbo-Eze Enugu North. Those terrorizing men and women of God including traditional rulers are not ESN Operatives or IPOB volunteers.
“IPOB and ESN do not call our people to bring money to them. Anybody who wish to support ESN Operatives do that willingly and voluntarily without any form of force or threat. The youths of the affected communities must come out and identify these criminals because IPOB is coming out to deal with them.
“Those claiming to be Autopilots without aeroplane are not IPOB family members and we cannot allow them to destroy IPOB’s image. Autopilots are free to do anything in their name but not impersonating IPOB .
“We discovered that those responsible for the recent insecurity in Enugu-ezike and other communities are hoodlums that were recruited by Autopilots who were driven out of Anambra and Imo States. These hoodlums found their way to Enugu-ezike through their henchmen called Chocho and Ejiofor.
“These guys relocated to Enugu to continue their criminalities in these villages. Though they deceitfully recruited some of the bad guys of those communities who thought they were joining ESN. But what they don’t know is that IPOB is not organisation for criminals and we never recruited criminals into ESN.
“But these criminals has ended up using same youths for criminalities instead of fighting insecurity and Fulani bandits masquerading as herdsmen and terrorizing that Aguibeje bush and forests which has a border with Akpanya Community in Kogi state which IPOB-ESN is protecting.”
