Sequel to the two week sit-at-home order issued by the self- acclaimed Biafra Prime Minister, Simon Ekpa, cum other security challenges bedeviling South East region of the country, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Friday advised the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, noting that Kanu’s release will ease tension in the geopolitical zone.
Disclosing this in a statement, the groups spokesperson, Emma Powerful noted that with Kanu’s release crime will go into oblivion.
“If indeed the Nigeria government and her Security Agencies are interested in the peace of the Easthern Region, they should release Mazi Nnamdi KANU unconditionally as pronounced by the Appeal Court of Nigeria in Abuja, and see their sponsored criminal agents using Mazi Nnamdi KANU’s detention to perpetrate crime go into oblivion and fade away”, he said.
However, the group equally exonerated its members from the ongoing sit-at-home enforcement, accusing the Nigerian Army of intentionally mentioning its name in any negative report from the region.
Emma noted that: “IPOB worldwide condemns the statement credited to the Nigerian Army linking IPOB to the incessant and destructive sit-at-home orders and enforcement in the Southeast. The Army chief, Gen. Lagbaja Taoreed will not claim ignorance of all the previous press releases written by IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu disassociating ourselves from Simon Ekpa and his criminal sit-at-home enforcers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, IPOB is not responsible for Mondays nor failed 7-day and purported 2-week sit-at-home orders and enforcement. The reckless and abusive sit-at-home strategy is from the autopilot group led by Simon Ekpa. We have consistently made it known that Simon Ekpa and his autopilot group are not IPOB members and does not represent Mazi Nnamdi KANU in their violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders. Recently, IPOB members rallied in Lahti City in Finland to demonstrate to the world that Simon Ekpa is not an IPOB member that is why he couldn’t come out to identify with the protesters.
“IPOB has remained peaceful, and when we the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra, DOS, initiated a sit-at-home that autopilot hijacked and abused, we never enforced it. Nevertheless, our people volunteerilly complied. Therefore, for the Nigeria Army to associate the reckless sit-at-home enforcement to IPOB is to show that the Nigerian government is using the promoters of violent enforcement of sit-at-home and criminalities in the East to blackmail IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi KANU.”
