By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has distanced itself from the recent murder of four Nigerian soldiers in Enugu and Anambra State.

The group was reacting to what it described as the most reckless and senseless accusations against it as being the architect of the attacks.

A statement issued on Sunday by IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said that it has become very imperative to caution the Nigerian Army and government to desist from such unfounded and false accusations against IPOB.

The statement partly reads: “One of such irresponsible and false accusation is contained in a viral video from Nigerian Army personnel who was heard openly mentioning IPOB by name in the said video trending online.

“It is a common phenomenon that Nigeria Government and their Security Agencies are quick to point accusing fingers at IPOB within minutes of any attack in the East without investigation.

“It is surprising that they haven’t linked IPOB to the insecurity ravaging Northern Nigeria. We understand that these are part of their cheap blackmail against the movement even when the State mastermind most of these attacks. If the Government is not behind the attacks how come they know the attackers within minutes without investigation. How come they cannot predict the many unresolved murder cases in Nigeria?”

IPOB however condemned the reckless murder of Nigeria soldiers but at the same time cautioned the Nigeria Army to stop accusing IPOB members falsely, saying: “We are not responsible for the attacks and killings.

“Nigeria Army and their Government are only carrying out media propaganda and blackmail against IPOB in an effort to stop the Biafra agitation, but they will fail. Nigeria Government and their Court know that IPOB is not involved in the killings and attacks on Security Agents and its Institutions.

“That is why no Court in Nigeria have been able to convict any of the prosecuted IPOB members. Yet the Nigeria Government has continued arresting, persecuting, and extrajudicially executing IPOB members while unconditionally releasing and compensating Northern terrorists and bandits.

“We have remained a peaceful movement seeking for freedom and Independence of Biafra people inspite of all the persecutions and provocations at the hand of the Nigeria State. But we shall not take any blackmail from the Government just because they hate our resolve to get Biafra at all cost but most importantly through peaceful agitation.

“The Nigerian Army must stop linking IPOB with the killing of their men because of their evil agenda and hatred against Ndigbo and Biafra agitation championed by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB members.

“By tagging every Igbo man and woman as IPOB and ESN members, the Nigerian govt and its security apparatus have created the enabling ground to justify their ongoing extrajudicial executions of Igbo people which simply amount to ethnic cleansing.

“Moreso, their decision to make some of their soldiers on duty in Biafra land expendables to achieve their evil plan and justify their military siege and assault to the unarmed people is a State sponsored terrorism. The more the Nigeria terrorist sponsoring Government and their compromised Army try hard to blackmail IPOB, the more they rub their integrity in the mud.”

IPOB described the viral video of the Nigeria Army personnel openly accusing IPOB of being responsible for the death of four of their men in Enugu State recently as nothing but a cheap blackmail, even as it called for an International and independent investigation on all the killings going on in Biafraland so as to unmask the killers and their sponsors.

It added: “As for us in IPOB and ESN, our hands are clean from all the Government accusations. We take responsibility for our actions. Our focus is to get rid of terrorists in our forest and our bushes who are raping our women, killing our farmers, and destroying our farms.

“On killing of Security Men and burning of Institutions, in Biafra Land, the Nigeria Government, and her foot soldiers should be held responsible.”