The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reiterated its commitment to a strong tie with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), describing the two dissident groups as inseparable in their quest for the realisation of the Biafra dream. The group also affirmed that they will remain on the warpath until its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, regains his freedom from government detention.

“Just as NDA stated in its demands, which the Nigerian Government is very much aware of but has chosen to ignore, there will be no negotiation if there is no freedom for the leader of IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Nigeria will avert imminent doom only if Buhari is compelled by civilized nations to obey existing court orders and release Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally,” IPOB said in a statement issued by its Spokespersons, Barrister Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya.

The group declared that “trying the discredited divide and rule tactics of using the media to claim Nnamdi Kanu denied NDA in order to engineer acrimony and hatred between him and NDA has failed woefully. South-South and South-East are united in this noble quest for freedom and no amount of media manipulation can alter this fact. Only if (President Muhammadu) Buhari knows who Nnamdi Kanu truly is or the amount of influence he commands among the people of South-East and South-South he won't listen to the lies Lawal Daura of DSS and Ohanaeze Ndigbo have been feeding him.

“Although we acknowledge that our lawyers spoke out of turn in a recent press conference, we are also aware that Mr. Rochas Okorocha who parades himself to the contrary as an Igbo man has been working as a front man for Muhammadu Buhari to penetrate and compromise IPOB governing structure and our lawyers. We are aware of the grand conspiracy orchestrated by Rochas Okorocha to penetrate IPOB by all and any means necessary. We know that one of our lawyers has been meeting with Okorocha clandestinely in the past few weeks just like Buhari through Lawal Daura of DSS has been doing through inducements and threats. Some of our lawyers are currently being investigated by the EFCC at the behest of Daura of DSS over a land case settled years ago, in order to unsettle them sufficiently to turn to DSS informants and ultimately undermine the legal defence of our leader as was the case with Vincent Obetta.

“In spite of all these shenanigans by Buhari through Daura of DSS and his co-jesters in the media peddling falsehood about negotiations that our leader never consented to, IPOB worldwide is unwavering, determined and resolute under the supreme command of Nnamdi Kanu. No other person dead or alive has the right to command or can command IPOB whether that person is residing in Government house in Owerri or from a private hospital in Nnewi. Only Nnamdi Kanu can tell us in IPOB what to do and we obey. Anybody else attempting to do so will be comprehensively disgraced. IPOB rank and file is with their leader Nnamdi Kanu and we speak with one voice. Our decision remains that there will be NO negotiations with Nigeria until Buhari obeys court orders for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu.

“We would like to remind everyone that whatever statement or information is provided by IPOB either through our spokespersons or live on Radio Biafra broadcast by our Deputy Director is exactly the mind of our leader Nnamdi Kanu because he trained us to always put the needs of Biafra restoration first and never to retreat nor surrender. From the time of the arrest of our leader till date he has never at any time disputed publicly or in private, through his wife or family members any press statement issued by IPOB official spokespersons.

“Furthermore, IPOB is aware that Buhari is planning to kill our leader Nnamdi Kanu and is doing so with active connivance of some Igbo politicians with certain executive members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. We warn Buhari and his cohorts that the murder of Nnamdi Kanu will spell doom not just for Nigeria but the entire sub-region because the fall out will be too disastrous for a sane mind to contemplate. Anybody from the government of Nigeria or Ohanaeze Ndigbo that thinks that Nnamdi Kanu can be another Ken Saro-Wiwa or M.K.O. Abiola is digging their own grave.”

•Photo shows IPOB Leader Nnamdi Kanu.

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