The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has again denied involvement in the attacks and burning of offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other crimes going on in the South-East region.
IPOB made the denial in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, noting that the allegations by the government were meant to blackmail the group.
The group noted that some elements were plotting to rig the elections in the South-East against Peter Obi and blame it on IPOB and ESN, adding that no amount of blackmail would make the group lose focus on its agitation.
IPOB further dissociated itself from the allegation about the purported bomb factory owned by its armed unit, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and the allegation of attacking and killing of politicians in the South East.
The Biafran group in the statement claimed that the allegations were political moves targeted at destroying the chances of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, in the 2023 general elections.
IPOB said, “We know that they want to rig the elections in the South-East against Peter Obi and blame it on IPOB and ESN. They burn markets and different properties of our people and blame it on IPOB. They declared a five-day ignored sit-at-home and killed our people and even killed a pregnant mother using IPOB and ESN identity.
“All these activities were sponsored by Fulani terrorists and that’s why there hasn’t been any arrest or prosecution of the perpetrators. They target to blackmail IPOB locally and internationally. These criminals were groomed to ensure they demonise IPOB and ESN.
He said its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, established ESN to protect people of the South-East after countless number of communities were invaded and many people murdered without mercy by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
“As they could not defeat IPOB with imported terrorists, they recruited internal criminals and cultists to infiltrate IPOB and ESN, yet the IPOB leadership decoded and exposed their agents. They thought that kidnapping Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and sponsoring internal enemies would weaken the struggle, but they forgot that the foundation of IPOB was built on solid rock not on sand.
“Today, our people and the foreign intelligence community know the truth that IPOB is a non-violent movement and also that ESN are volunteer vigilantes protecting our people from both sponsored internal enemies as well as imported ones.”
Reiterating that IPOB has no interest in the 2023 general elections, IPOB said, “We are also not responsible for any attacks on their political rallies or destruction of political paraphernalia. These criminals and cultists recruited by the Federal Government and its compromised security agencies have caused a lot of harm to our people and our land. We promise that they will regret their actions in due time.
“As the 2023 election is fast approaching, anybody or group attacking political campaigns or destroying political materials in Biafraland should not be associated with IPOB. Those persons should be treated as common criminals.”