On Wednesday, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) clarified that it had no plans to compel Igbo citizens to leave the Nigerian Army or any other security forces. The group emphasized that its stance does not involve pressuring individuals in these sectors to resign.
The separatist group further rejected claims by the Nigerian Army, which accused its members of abducting and assaulting a soldier deployed to the South-East to gather intelligence on the Biafra movement.
Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, stated in a Sunday press briefing that Simon Ekpa, who claims to lead IPOB, distributed a video that showed the torture of retired Corporal Toriola Adewale.
The Nigerian Army strongly rebuked the reported assault on the retired soldier, asserting that the act was carried out by IPOB members.
Responding on Wednesday, Emma Powerful, the spokesperson for IPOB, refuted the Army’s claims, calling them “propaganda” and accusing the Nigerian Army’s leadership of fabricating a “self-staged crime.”
Powerful argued that the video of an abducted “spying soldier,” who was reportedly forced to call for the resignation of Biafran soldiers from the Nigerian Army, was a “false flag operation” and not produced by IPOB.
According to him, the IPOB Directorate of State has long distanced itself from Simon Ekpa, but the Nigerian Army continues to link IPOB with Ekpa to tarnish the group’s reputation.
He said, “The Directorate of State of IPOB wishes to debunk the Nigerian Army’s concocted propaganda that peaceful and unarmed IPOB activists abducted a Nigerian soldier sent to Biafra land to spy on the Biafra movement and forced him to call for the resignation of Biafran soldiers in the Nigerian Army.
“The propaganda from the Nigerian Army spokesperson claiming that IPOB captured a spying Nigerian soldier and forced him to deliver a message to Biafran soldiers to resign is a self-staged crime by the Nigerian Army’s leadership. Although IPOB has called for Biafrans serving in Nigerian security agencies to resign, IPOB has never and will never force our brothers and sisters in the Nigerian security agencies to resign under duress.
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“IPOB can only appeal to the conscience of Biafrans but will never impose anything on anyone at gunpoint. The Biafra Nation IPOB is championing, which is a nation where rights are guaranteed and respected, guides our people through reasoning.”
“The so-called video of an abducted spying soldier is another false flag operation by the Nigerian Army and their provocateurs to continue their murderous onslaught against Ndigbo. The Nigerian Army has reduced itself to mere social media gossip.”
“IPOB did not abduct any Nigerian soldier. The Army spokesperson should stop linking IPOB to their criminal agents in their efforts to destabilize the South-East. IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu have no relationship with the so-called Biafra Liberation Army.”
According to Powerful, IPOB does not have an army and will not establish one until Biafra is restored.
He added that IPOB operates only the Eastern Security Network, an armed vigilante group targeting marauding Fulani terrorists.
“The call by the Nigerian Army to the ICC, UN, and Amnesty International to take action against IPOB is null and void because these institutions know the truth about IPOB activities. They operate under international laws and respect the right to self-determination. IPOB has not violated the laws governing self-determination.
“These institutions also understand that IPOB is non-violent and that IPOB members are persecuted by the corrupt Nigerian government and its murderous security agencies. There is ample evidence of the Nigerian government’s repression of peaceful IPOB members.
“The Nigerian government and its security agencies should stop blackmailing IPOB. Our non-violent approach should not be mistaken for weakness. It is our respect for international laws governing self-determination, not a sign of weakness,” he said.
