By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday stated categorically that it’s Security Network, Eastern Security Network (ESN) is not responsible for attacks on Nigerian security formations in Biafra land.

It noted that ESN was established to dislodge the Fulani terrorists masquerading as herdsmen in Biafra Land, not to confront the Nigerian Security Forces or otherwise.

The group In a statement signed by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful and made available to journalists in Awka said, “It’s a known fact that Fulani terrorists nicknamed herdsmen are a major threat to the indigenous people and communities in Nigeria.

“These marauding Fulanis are responsible for the mass murder of defenceless communities in Nigeria. They are responsible for the mass abductions and rape of women in Nigeria. They are behind the kidnapping for ransom and human organ trafficking in Biafra Land and in Nigeria with murderous Fulani security agents in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government and her Security Forces tacitly supported the atrocities of the Fulani terrorists by refusing to arrest and prosecute these Fulani mass murderers, rapists and kidnappers.

“In order to defend the defenseless Biafrans, the IPOB Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in collaboration with IPOB family worldwide established the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in December 2020 as a child of necessity to checkmate the activities of Fulani terrorists nicknamed herdsmen in Biafraland.

“The mandate given to ESN Operatives was to curtail, dislodge, and remove terrorists maiming and destroying Biafran farms and farmers. The ESN Operatives have never deviated from their mandate of protecting Biafra bushes, forests, and people. On the other hand, IPOB as a movement remains non-violent and peaceful in all our activities since the formation of IPOB. Any day, IPOB decides to move into armed struggle, the world will know, and the Nigerian government will know as well.

“ESN Operatives are not after the Nigerian Security Forces. We know that the Nigerian government sponsor and use criminal elements and members of their security agencies to commit criminal actions in Biafraland for the purposes of blackmailing IPOB in the global arena just like they did in the Owerri jail break and the most recent being the killing of mainly Igbo military personnel in Aba claiming that IPOB was responsible but we know that the objective of the murder of those soldiers on the most revered day in Biafran calendar was to present IPOB in bad light in eyes of our people and the world as well as to destabilise the developmental work being carried out in Abia state by the governor of the state.

“The Nigerian government knows those who take responsibility for crimes committed in Biafraland, and those people are neither IPOB nor ESN, why does the Nigerian government ignore them and accuse ESN and IPOB of what they had no knowledge about? The answer is very simple because it accentuates their strategy which is to attribute every criminal act in Biafraland to the only genuine movement standing between them and their evil agenda to conquer our people and dispossess us of our ancestral land and heritage.”

IPOB noted that those criminal groups and cells are State created and sponsored, adding that they have no relationship whatsoever with either IPOB or ESN.

While saying that “the strategy of linking IPOB with criminals in Biafraland is outdated and should be ignored by every reasonable and right-thinking individuals worldwide,” IPOB noted that it has consistently disassociated itself from all and any criminal group operating in BiafraLand.

It added: “This sponsored violent group has repeatedly taken responsibility for the attacks on the Nigerian Security Agencies, yet the Nigerian Government maliciously refuses to call out the perpetrators by their names, instead they tag their violent activities on IPOB.

“The Nigeria media working in tandem with the Nigerian government establishment will often maliciously label the violent crimes and group as a faction of IPOB, but IPOB never had and will never have any faction. If we recall very well, from 2016 it was this same Nigerian government that created faceless names and called them factional leaders of IPOB. This is why you hear a section of the Nigerian media still reading the script about IPOB having a faction.

“Again, IPOB does not have an Army. We are simply a Freedom fighting movement, therefore, when a bunch of criminals address themselves as an Army, how does that relate to IPOB? It goes to show the real intent of Nigeria and any other entity associating IPOB with people who call themselves Biafra Liberation Army.

“Any Biafran group that is not under the command and control of IPOB’s leadership, the Directorate of States (DOS) of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is not part of IPOB’s global family. Therefore, the Nigerian Government, the Nigerian Security Agencies. The Nigeria media should equally continue in their deliberate act of feigning ignorance of not knowing the difference between IPOB/ESN and the violent groups they set up for the purposes of tarnishing the image of IPOB in the global arena.

“No amount of misinformation and blackmail will make IPOB retreat from pursuing the Divine mandate aimed at restoring our values and heritage as well as setting our people from the cursed entity.”

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