The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has berated the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, saying he linked its members and members of its armed unit - the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to criminal activities in the state and other parts of Southeast Nigeria.
IPOB in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, alleged that the Nigeria Police Force has a habit of forcing criminals to confess to being members of IPOB or ESN.
The separatist group described the alleged action by the police as “absurd and unprofessional.”
The secessionist group under the leadership of the detained Nnamdi Kanu, said, “We wonder how Nigeria police keep ridiculing themselves by linking the innocent members of IPOB to criminal activities because of their hatred and blackmail agenda against IPOB.
“The Nigeria police use of the media to blackmail IPOB for crimes they themselves mastermind is crazy. They make their assertions without investigation, a mark of cowardice.
“How come those criminals whom Nigeria Police arranged to confess as belonging to IPOB or ESN are never arraigned in court in public? This makes a mockery of the professionalism of the Nigeria Police Force.
“For public information, neither IPOB members nor ESN Operatives indulge in criminality.”
The group insisted that none of the criminals arrested belongs to IPOB, “but the Nigeria Police makes up their own news to blackmail our peaceful movement”.
“It is public knowledge that some of the criminal gangs arrested so far had some serving as police officers or sacked police officers as their members.
“Nigeria Police is fully aware of the innocence of IPOB, but because of an agenda to blackmail, demonize, and get IPOB internationally proscribed, they run to the media and link us with any criminal activities in Biafra Land,” IPOB said.
IPOB said the people behind kidnapping in Anambra and other parts of the Southeast are not its members or ESN operatives.
“The Nigeria Police knew those who were the real criminals,” it said.
It accused the government of hunting its members down “for protecting our lands against the invading Fulani terrorists nicknamed herdsmen”.
“We cannot at the same time be kidnapping and committing crimes against the same Biafrans who we are protecting.
“For Anambra State Police Commissioner, to name IPOB and ESN members as responsible for the kidnapping at Neni even when the criminals have been arrested, shows the evil agenda of the Nigerian Police Force.
“Again, IPOB and ESN are focused on defending our lands from terrorists and on the restoration of Biafra as an independent state, not on terrorising our own people,” it added.