By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has exonerated itself from the murder of one Muslim cleric and Sheikh, Ibrahim Iyiorji of Ebonyi State.

In a statement made available to News Express by IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group insisted that it does not engage in any kind of barbaric killings and cannot be part of such heinous crime against humanity.

The statement emphasized that "IPOB does not kill flies not to talk of human beings and an Igbo man for that matter, irrespective of his religious belief."

IPOB warned Abuja-based media, Daily Trust Media outlet, to stop propagating falsehood, fabricated, fallacies, and unconfirmed news against IPOB Worldwide.

It also called on other media houses assisting them in their desperation to tarnish IPOB to beware of their evil reportage against IPOB.

"Daily Trust and other compromised media should leave IPOB alone, get focused and stop encouraging Nigeria’s compromised Security Agencies on their state-sponsored reportage against an innocent group, IPOB.

"So Nigeria Government has gone so low to the point of consulting witch doctors for fake narrative to accuse IPOB?

"It is in the public domain that Nigeria Government and its Security Agencies went to a Witch Doctor in Cross River State to ascertain who murdered the Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Iyiorji. After their visit they came back with negative reports that IPOB killed the young man.

"Important Questions to ask are: Why will IPOB kill this Igbo Islamic Cleric? Is he a threat to Biafra movement? How many of our known enemies have we killed?

"Similarly, some unscrupulous elements and petty thieves are constantly stage- managed by Security Agents to lie against IPOB members and ESN Operatives. We understood that Nigeria Government and its compromised Security Agencies sometimes arrange condemned and hardened criminals from prisons and tutor them to claim IPOB membership, ESN, or to be among the unknown gunmen that killed many Security Agents and burnt down their Police Stations in the South Eastern Region, and use them for lying against IPOB.

"For instance, a few days ago, Security Agents arranged a certain guy in a viral video who claimed to be ESN at the same time an Unknown gunmen. When he was asked who their camp leader was, he said their leader is a Coordinator (laughable). The guy couldn't even remember his rehearsal correctly. The guy is a known petty thief around his town. Some time ago he was caught when he stole a phone in Ihiala, Anambra State and was later released. Also in 2020, he was also caught in Nnewi where he stole a motorcycle .

"So the Nigerian Police keep making mockery of themselves in an effort to tarnish the image of IPOB and ESN. We won’t accept stage managing criminals to tarnish the image of IPOB/ESN, not today and not even tomorrow.

IPOB noted that neither it nor ESN ever killed any Army Officer, Police Officer, or DSS Agent, despite all provocations in the name of unknown gunmen since it started the pursuit for Biafra freedom," IPOB stated.

It further added that IPOB and ESN is not hiding its activities and cannot be called Unknown gunmen because it is not faceless nor cowards, saying, "We are fearless before our enemies.

"Anybody linking IPOB to this murderous attitude of the Nigeria government must be examined properly and investigated to the extent that his or her brain must be properly examined.

"IPOB is only interested in protecting our people in our farmlands and bushes from Fulani invading terrorists."

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