FG blackmailing us – IPOB alleges
The Indigenous People of Biafra has alleged that Federal Government of Nigeria sponsored and sustained the persecution and media blackmail against its organisation and ESN.
IPOB said it was targeted at its leader, describing it as a form of terrorism.
According the group, in a statement made available to journalists on Monday by Emma Powerful, the organisation’s Media and Publicity Secretary.
The statement partly read, “With the help of compromised media such as DailyTrust, Nigeria Government and Nigeria Security Agencies have tried to no avail to portray IPOB and ESN as the aggressors. Nevertheless, the world knows that IPOB members are the victims of oppressive government and their murderous Security Agents.
“Ever since ESN was launched in December, 2020 to tackle the menace of Fulani terrorists nicknamed herdsmen, the Fulani Government of Nigeria has sponsored sustained security and media campaign against ESN, IPOB, and Mazi Nnamdi KANU both locally and internationally. Nigeria Government went as far as arming some criminals operating as unknown gunmen to highten the insecurity situation in the South East so as to make the world believe that IPOB’s peaceful agitation is violent. They even recruited the so-called repentant Boko Haram terrorists into the Nigeria Army and deployed them to the Southeastern Region. These soldiers have been seen killing innocent people and burning their houses as is in their nature as terrorists. In all these government sponsored blackmail, some media houses were paid to pin every crime in the Southeast Region on IPOB and ESN. The Government of Nigeria is revenging, victimizing, and punishing IPOB members and our leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU for frustrating the fulanisation agenda in the Southeast.
“Prior to the lunching of ESN, Fulani terrorists called herdsmen from the Sahel laid siege on our territory. These beasts were running amok, raping, murdering, dismembering the body parts of their victims, killing our farmers. They literally took over our bushes and forests, and our people were living in fear of attack daily. Thank God that ESN Operatives have successfully dislodged the terrorists out of our forests and bushes. Now our people can go to the farm without being butchered. In their revenge for the terrorists being dislodged, the Federal Government of Nigeria has paid DailyTrust and a few brown envelope media houses to sustain media campaigns against ESN, IPOB, and Mazi Nnamdi KANU to tarnish our image. They have also militarized our region, kidnapping, torturing, raping our women, and disappearing our people as a form of revenge.”
Powerful noted that would not be deterred, adding that they have the responsibility to defend their land against State sponsored terrorists.
“Whose agenda is to take over our land like they did in Northern Nigeria. As long as IPOB exists, the agenda to conquer and fulanised our land will only remain a dream unfulfilled for the Fulani terrorist government of Nigeria.
“All these fake reports from Fulani media, DailyTrust against Ndigbo, and IPOB are all fabrication and propaganda. We are no longer moved by their blackmail tactics because the Nigeria Government have never presented verifiable evidence of any crime against IPOB. But we can provide verifiable avalanche of evidence of murder, arson, abduction, torture, and extrajudicial executions against Nigeria Security.
“We have said in several press releases that we do not know who the unknown gunmen are. We also have maintained that Nigeria Police, DSS, and Military know these unknown gunmen because they recruited them to make IPOB’s peaceful agitation seem violent and unattractive to our people. It is the nature of the Nigerian government to create factions to demonize this peaceful struggle for self-determination. They did that during ENDSARS peaceful protest, but it did not work.
“DailyTrust media have never reported the illegal abductions, slaughter, and burning of homes of Biafrans by Nigeria Security Agencies. Nigeria Government and its compromised security agencies laid seige on Biafra territory and have murdered many innocent people in cold-blood, particularly in Imo State, with the help of the Supreme Court imposed Governor, Hope Uzodinma,” the statement added.
