On Thursday, gunmen attacked INEC officials who were carrying out registration in the Ihite Uboma Local Government Area of Imo State, resulting in the death of one person while two others have been declared missing.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has disassociated itself from the attack by unknown gunmen on officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State.
On Thursday, gunmen attacked INEC officials who were carrying out registration in the Ihite Uboma Local Government Area of Imo State, resulting in the death of one person while two others have been declared missing.
Subsequently, the commission suspended the Continuous Voter Registration Exercise (CVR) in the area.
A video was released by the gunmen who were in black attire and screaming, ‘We don't want elections’. Many had attributed the attack to the secessionist group, IPOB.
Reacting in a statement on Friday obtained by SaharaReporters, the spokesperson for the group, Emma Powerful, says it is not responsible for the attack.
The group, therefore, promises to fish out the perpetrators of the attacks in the South-East region.
The group alleged that the criminals who carried out the attacks were sponsored by politicians and the Nigerian government so as to dent the image of IPOB.
The statement reads, “We the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of our great leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU, strongly condemn the attack on INEC staff at Ihite Uboma LGA of Imo State.
“We are also warning these traitors and enemies of Biafra behind these barbaric attacks to stop or be ready to reap the reward of their atrocities.
“IPOB cannot afford to allow them to continue to terrorise our people or demonise our peaceful organisation as some uninformed people appoint accusing fingers at us.
“IPOB is not happy with these criminal activities going on in our region because we don't want this to continue and we are going to expose those behind this evil in the region.
“Anybody involved in this act will regret it. We totally disassociate from this act of criminality. IPOB volunteers and ESN have no hand in this criminal act that criminals randomly carry out against our people.
“We have made it clear to the public several times that IPOB members are not unknown gunmen and we cannot be because we have an objective which is to restore Biafra as a free, Independent and Sovereign Nation.
“Anybody who is involved in this evil act on INEC officers at Ihite Uboma LGA will pay dearly. The masterminds are being sponsored by unfortunate politicians thinking they can jeopardise our decision to make Biafra freedom a reality.
“We want to make it publicly known that IPOB and its security units did not attack INEC officers in Imo State. We are aware that Nigeria Government and their collaborators are sponsoring these criminal groups to attack our people in the name of IPOB to instigate a crisis so people can disassociate themselves from IPOB activities and the entire world will see IPOB as a terror group but they will fail and will not raise their ugly heads again. We promise them so.
“IPOB will not relent in discovering those behind these devilish activities and expose them.”