The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has faulted a statement credited to the Department of State Services (DSS), describing it as a spurious attempt at criminalising Biafrans and branding IPOB a terrorist organisation.

In a statement issued on Friday by IPOB Spokespersons, Barrister Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya, the group said that the DSS had sent out to the media, a statement in which it claimed that “sequel to increasing threat posed to public peace by the activities of the Independent [sic] People of Biafra (IPOB), this Service arrested one Chidiebere Onwudiwe, a graduate of mechanical and chemical Engineering and known member of IPOB, on 22nd June, 2016,” a statement it described as incoherent and error-filled.

The group also quoted the DSS as having claimed in their statement that “Onwudiwe and his associates within and outside the country, were planning to carry out coordinated attacks against religious bodies/edifices, police check points and the Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos State, with Improvised Explosive devices (IEDS)” and that “The suspect was apprehended while making logistics supplies for their nefarious plan.” Again, IPOB dismissed the writers of the statement as lacking in knowledge.

“First of all, let us just point out only two out of the several errors in this pack of lies from the DSS’ statement; (1) We are Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and NOT “Independent People of Biafra”. Even in the records of all the court cases concerning the illegal kidnapping and unconstitutional prosecution of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to which the DSS have been part of, there was no place where the word “INDEPENDENT” was used and (2) At which University in Nigeria can someone graduate in both Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering at the same time? Even in the more advanced countries it is very difficult to achieve such a feat not to talk of the Buhari’s run-down universities in Nigeria.”

The group described as laughable, that the DSS is accusing IPOB of posing increasing threat to public peace while they have not made a single official statement concerning the mayhem and havoc being exhibited everyday by Boko Haram and the so-called Fulani herdsmen.

“Up till today, the DSS has maintained stoic silence on the killings at Agatu and Nimbo.

Perhaps those killings do not pose threats to public peace because the people killed were ‘infidels’ that deserve to die as they are not of the Hausa-Fulani Islamic blood. It is very interesting to know from the DSS that IPOB can now manufacture IEDS and Chidiebere was probably manufacturing them in his sleep when DSS broke into his house and kidnapped him at about 2am on June 22nd, 2016. We want to tell the DSS that we know their objectives and every discerning mind knows them too.”

The group also alleged that the DSS is trying as much as possible to tag IPOB a violent group. “The questions we want to ask the DSS are: Do we cover our faces when we march on the streets around the world? We are registered at the UN. If we are a violent group won't the UN know? Kidnapping people in the middle of the night, denying them access to food and water, legal and medical help in the hope of getting IPOB members to testify against the leader of IPOB will not work. The fact that this DSS even contemplated insinuating that Computer Village, mostly owned by Biafrans of Igbo extraction, is a target for such an attack exposes those that run Buhari’s Secret Police. If the DSS likes, let them kidnap, kill, torture and threaten as many Biafrans as they like but one thing they can never succeed in doing is to weaken our resolve to leave the Lugardian contraption called Nigeria.

“We are prepared for imprisonment, torture and death at the hands of the dictatorial and extremist regime of Buhari but in the end Biafra shall come. There is nothing the Arewa-dominated DSS and Igbo traitors like Ikedife, Enwo-Igariwey, Joe-Judas Igbokwe, Monday Ubani, Peter Obi, Willie Obiano, Rochas Okorocha and Okezie Ikpeazu with a few other Lagos/Abuja based political jobbers can do about it.

“The DSS can continue to use Ikedife and the likes of Enwo-Igariwe within Ohanaeze as sources of information on how to arrest Biafrans and tag IPOB a violent group. It is on record that no prominent Yoruba or Hausa-Fulani person has ever labelled IPOB violent but Ohanaeze President (Enwo-Igariwey) and Dr. Dozie Ikedife in their slavish desire to please their Arewa masters have variously granted interviews where they explicitly implied that IPOB under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu is violent. They have been doing their master’s bidding out of envy, greed and jealousy because the steadfastness of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu has exposed the charade and sell-out that these men have become. Dr. Dozie Ikedife, working at the instructions of DSS, gave an interview to an anti-Biafra newspaper where he shamefully called IPOB violent and a propagator of ethnic hatred.

“This paved the way for DSS to come out yesterday to laughably label IPOB a terrorist group trying to bomb Biafran businesses in Ikeja-Lagos. The world must be placed on notice that should anything untoward happen in and around Ikeja area, the DSS should be held responsible.

“Irrespective of the shenanigans of Buhari and his DSS and the subterfuge of the Igbo-slaves in the molds of Ikedife, Enwo-Igariwey and co, the nation of Biafra must be restored,” IPOB wrote in the statement.

•Photo shows DSS DG Lawal Daura.

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