By Ibe Pascal
The detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has again, asked residents of South East and all “Biafrans” to ignore the purported five-day order being circulated in a viral video.
Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, who spoke exclusively with Vanguard on Thursday after visiting the IPOB Leader at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, where he is currently detained, said that his brother told him that he never issued any such orders.
According to him, promoters of “such senseless and anti-people order are the real enemies of Biafra.”
“My brother said: ‘At no time did I order anybody or group to issue such sensitive orders.
” He directed all IPOB members to ignore anybody calling for a 5-day sit-at-home.
” My brother said that our people should know that that those who issue such orders are the real enemies of Biafra, and must be dealt with.
” He equally told me that Biafrans should know that he is in detention for their sake and not to compound their problems.”
The IPOB Leader, therefore, urged people in the Biafran region to go about their legitimate businesses without fear of molestations.
A viral video surfaced three days ago, showing a gun with a background voice ordering people in Biafra land to remain indoors from Friday December 9 to December 14.
The video which issued death threats to anyone that violates the five-day sit-at-home has been greeted with wide condemnation.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has renounced the masterminds of the video and urged Ndigbo to discountenance the evil video.
ALSO, IGBO Elders Consultative Forum, under the leadership of former Anambra governor Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has urged Southeast residents to reject the five-day sit-at-home declared by Finland-based Simon Ekpa, a protege of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. They described Ekpa’s draconian order as the height of insensitivity to the plight of the people; insisting that it must never be observed nor allowed to stand.
Ezeife, who briefed journalists in Abuja on Thursday night, said the Forum met, discussed and made critical analysis of some national issues and questions that have far reaching consequences on the peace, unity, stability and corporate existence of Nigeria in general, and Igbo land in particular including EKpa’s sit-at –home order in the South East.
According to him, “The Igbo Elders Consultative Forum has always believed that some faceless individuals in government and other unpatriotic elements who do not wish ndi Igbo well, and have been working hard with evil collaborators to truncate the scheduled 2023 General Elections in the South East are behind the purported sit-at-home order in the zone.
“The scheduled February, 2023 Presidential election will be historic in Nigeria because we are optimistic that patriotic and progressive Nigerians will elect Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party as the next President of this country in a free, fair and credible election; hence evil and wicked elements must never be allowed to use the purported sit-at-home order to truncate next year general election.”
In the same vein, Secretary of the Forum, Prof. Charles Nwekeaku, maintained that it was the firm belief of Igbo elders that the release of Nnamdi Kanu is central to peace process initiatives in the South East, as well as the conduct of a free, fair and credible election in the zone next year.
“The moment Mr Kanu is released; no person will hide under IPOB and similar organizations to impose any draconian sit-at-home order on our people. We still ask the Federal Government to obey the unanimous and laudable ruling of the Court of Appeal and release our son Mr Nnamdi Kanu. The Court of Appeal had in a unanimous and historic judgment cleared Mr Kanu of the remaining 7 of the original 15 count-terrorism charges against him. Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court, FCT, Abuja had earlier quashed 8 of the original 15 charges against Mr Kanu. The honorable thing for the Federal Government to do now is to release Mr Kanu, and stop this wide goose appeal at the Supreme Court.”
Speaking also, the Ezeigbo of Abuja, HRH Igwe (Dr.) Ibe Nwosu,said now that IPOB has publicly condemned and distanced its members from Ekpa’s sit-at-home order, the State Governors as the chief security officers of the various states in the South East must rise up to their responsibility of ensuring effective protection of lives and property of the citizenry, as well as freedom of movement of people and goods in the zone.
“The Governors should empower and sustain vigilante groups in the state to assist in the internal security maintenance in the South East. We also call on the traditional rulers, community and town union leaders, the clergy, youth organizations and other peace loving institutions and individuals to rise up to the challenge of ensuring not just free movement of people, goods and services in the South East, but also immediate casting of this draconian sit-at-home order permanently to the dustbin of history. The sit-at-home order must never be allowed to come back to the South East.”
The Igbo elders also called on the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, to take necessary measures to provide a level playing ground for all the political parties and their candidates as well as conduct a free, fair and credible election in 2023.
“The people of the South East, both at home and in Diaspora, should all collect their permanent voters’ cards, PVCs, and ensure effective participation in the electoral process of next year,” they added.
Sit-at-home order: We ‘ll no longer allow reign of terror to continue in S/East – Ohaneze youths
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has asked the people of Southeast to resist a full reign of terror in the land, saying it will no longer allow terror to continue to reign.
The organization spoke on the heels of a 5 day sit-at-home order by Simon Ekpa, a scribe of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
Reacting to the order through a statement made available to Vanguard in Abuja on Wednesday by the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the group said that said “It was now clear that Ekpa was being sponsored by enemies of Igboland.
Nnabuike in the statement further said “How can any right thinking person ask people to sit-at-home for five consecutive days at a time the country’s economic woes were biting harder.
“We are a few days away to the Christmas and New Year celebration, with a lot of bills for parents to pay, including house rent and school fees by January.
“But someone who is in far away Finland, in the comfort of his room is telling parents and breadwinners to stay at home for five days.
“It is even more curious that the said Ekpa has no regards for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers, yet he claims to be Kanu’s disciple. The IPOB leader, Kanu spoke this week through his lawyer that he did not give order for any sit-at-home. He spoke on the economic implications on the same people he is fighting for their freedom. So whose interest is Simon Ekpa serving?
“A clear analysis of his statement clearly showed that enemies of Ndigbo paid him to ensure a total destruction of the Southeast economy. Both Ekpa and his sponsors are enemies of Ndigbo and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. But we will no longer allow their reign of terror to continue. This will not be allowed to happen”.
Nnabuike urged the people of the Southeast to ignore what he called “a baseless and senseless order. This is moreso as the IPOB leadership has also come out to declare that there is no such sit-at-home.”
Ignore Simon Ekpa, there’s no sit-at-home – MASSOB
THE Movement For The Actualization Of The Sovereign State Of Biafra, MASSOB, has urged people to ignore a certain Simon Ekpa and his call for five days sit-at-home.
While condemning Ekpa and his misplaced order, MASSOB said that people should go about their businesses, stressing that there is no sit-at-home of whatever sort.
In a statement by MASSOB’s Director of Information, Samuel Edeson, MASSOB said that it was unfortunate that some people have allow themselves to be used by agent’s of Nigerian government to turn South East into a war zone .
“How can someone who claimed to be fighting for the freedom of his people will at the same time turn around and kill, destroy the economy of the same people he is fighting for.
“A lot of Biafra innocent youths have been killed by Nigerian security agents, many are still in various prisons in Nigeria, and now you are adding more pains and sufferings to our people. This is no longer agitation for the libration of Biafra people.
“MASSOB will not support anybody who lives outside Biafra land and be given order and counter order that will effect the life of Ndigbo negatively. MASSOB is urging Ndigbo to ignore the threat and go about their normal business.
“It is clear that the main aim of these people ordering for sit at home is nothing but to create crisis in south East, giving Nigeria government reasons not release mazi Nnamdi Kanu. These agents of Nigeria government must stop this evil acts against Ndigbo now.
“MASSOB and other Biafra agitators will not allow faceless people paid by Nigeria government to destroy all the pro-Biafra groups has laboured for years . This is the same act of sabotage Raph Uwazuike did, and it has relegated Ndigbo to became the list populated tribe, because we refused to participate in the last census.”
We never declared 5-day sit-at-home in Biafra land — IPOB
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has disowned the video circulating in social media which ordered a five-day sit-at-home throughout ” Biafra land beginning from December 9 to December 14, 2022″.
This is as the pro-Biafra movement has urged anybody willing to vote in the 2023 elections to collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, without fear, declaring that the movement has not ordered any boycott of the exercise.
A voice in the background of a viral video threatens to kill anybody found outside in ” Biafra territory” during the period of the lockdown.
But in a swift response, IPOB distanced itself from the video which it said was the handiwork of sponsored agents of darkness working against Biafra struggles.
IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a statement issued Tuesday, said that the authors and promoters of the video were recruited by the enemies of Biafra to create panic in the region and pitch the people against IPOB.
“IPOB under the command and leadership of our great prophet and indefatigable liberator Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wishes to state unequivocally to the people of Biafra, friends of Biafra, and lovers of Biafra freedom that IPOB leadership did not issue any sit-at-home order on 9th,10th, 11th, 12th, 13th or 14th of December 2022”, the statement said.
It urged members of the public to ignore the said order and go about their lawful businesses without fear of molestation.
It read in part: “IPOB never issued any sit-at-home order on these days mentioned above because we are not miscreants, senseless, or jobless people.
“Every Biafran and resident in Biafra Land should ignore such order from untrained and brainless individuals whose agenda is to make Biafra agitation unattractive to our people. Every Biafran must go to their normal business on those days.
“IPOB is concerned that our people cannot issue such brainless uncaring 5-day consecutive sit-at-home order to suffer our people during this critical time of the year when people are trying to make up in their businesses for the year.
“The conception of consecutive 5-day sit-at-home by a Nigerian agent and his sponsors is to show the level of wickedness and hatred they have against our people. Their agenda is to create insecurity and unnecessary hardships to make our people jettison Biafra’s freedom.”
IPOB vowed to resist anybody who attempts to enforce the purported sit-at-home order.
“Our people should be prepared and ready to confront any fool who dares to enforce such wicked sit-at-home. Moreso, ESN operatives and IPOB volunteers will be out on these dates to protect our people and the markets.
“Biafran youths should also be ready to confront anybody who comes to force them to close their businesses on these days.
“The idiots who are issuing this brazen sit-at-home order should know that IPOB leadership has never authorized anyone to issue an order of such magnitude in Biafraland, therefore, it will not work out for them.
“Our people should go to their businesses without fear. IPOB has put the propagandists and their foot soldiers in Biafra land on a check.
“Biafra restoration is moving well and we must exit this cage called Nigeria by the grace of Elohim.”
IPOB further said it had not ordered the boycott of the 2023 polls, urging anyone willing to vote during the exercise to collect their PVCs and exercise their civic responsibilities.
“Again, everyone has his or her right to go and collect his or her PVC from their polling and registration centres without molestations. IPOB has nothing to do with Nigeria’s shambolic elections.”
Credit: Vanguard Nigeria
