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Tag: IPOB

Southeast senators, Reps to Fed Govt: don’t brand IPOB terrorist group

The Southeast National Assembly Caucus yesterday urged the Federal Government to reconsider its classification of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation.

It also asked IPOB to suspend its activities to allow members of the caucus to engage their colleagues at the National Assembly in addressing issues of concern to members of the group and people of the zone.

The caucus said that it rejected the branding of any organisation as a terrorist group without cause or following due process.

It insisted that its position became necessary because of how such branding might be interpreted by innocent citizens.

The caucus noted that such branding would foreclose any dialogue that would lead to a peaceful resolution of issues between the Federal Government and the pro-Biafran group.

In a communiqué issues after its meeting in Abuja at the Apo Legislative Quarters of a principal officer of the National Assembly, the caucus also reviewed happenings in the Southeast, especially since the deployment of soldiers to the area.

The meeting, a source said, became necessary “so that we can review issues, take position and articulate the way forward”.

The communiqué by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Chairman of Southeast Senate Caucus and Chukwuka Onyema, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Southeast Caucus, reads: “Rising from a meeting of National Assembly Caucus of the Southeast, the following resolutions were reached.

“We call on IPOB to suspend its activities as we engage our colleagues in the National Assembly and work with them in addressing all issues of concern to IPOB in particular and the entire people of the Southeast in general.

“We appreciate the efforts of the Southeast governors and the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo in the handling of the agitations in the Southeast with regards to the confrontation of the military with IPOB, especially in Abia State.

“We condemn all acts of terrorism. In the case of IPOB, we reject the branding of any organisation in Nigeria as a terrorist group without cause or following due process where such cause exists. We take this position because of the implication of such branding to innocent citizens from the area who may be affected by the consequences.

“The branding, we believe, will foreclose any possible dialogue that will bring

September 21, 2017
‘I Go Dye’ commends army’s handling of IPOB agitation

Following recent agitation for the creation of an independent state by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), celebrated stand-up comedian, Francis Agoda, aka ‘I Go Dye’, has commended the Nigerian Army for the role it played in dousing the tension in the South Eastern part of the country.

In the chat with the Nation, the UN ambassador also said that politicians who have failed to address the issue should be blamed.

“The recent agitations in the country, especially the South East led Kanu’s (Indigenous People of Biafra) IPOB is a failure on the part of the legislators and governors who were elected to protect their people. Why should all of us who have taken a pledge to defend the unity of this country through the national anthem, actively watched a civil situation expand into a monster, now been curtailed by the military? What a failure on our democracy,” he observed.

Continuing, he said: “Let me remind us that almost all democratic institutions failed to mediate on the issues prior to this time, until the military stepped in to control further damage. I keeping wondering what were the honourable legislative members of both the State and Federal Houses of Assembly were doing all along, to redeem the situation or proffer as an alternative, to peacefully resolve the issues before the military got involved?”

Speaking further, ‘I Go Dye’ observed that until the military came into the southeast, majority of well-meaning business people were afraid and were losing money every day for fear of the unknown.

“This is not a time to trade blames, but a time to sit back as patriots and awaken our loyalty to Nigeria. We all have a responsibility to preserve this nation for our children, but from my point of view the military has been more outstanding in this regards, we all need to appreciate, thank the soldier and its affiliate institutions for their service to the nation,” he added.

September 21, 2017
Court okays IPOB’s proscription

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday granted an order proscribing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The court also declared illegal all activities of the group in the country, particularly in the South East and South-South regions of the country.

In addition, it restrained “any person or group of persons from participating in any of the group’s activities.”

The Acting Chief Judge of the court, Justice Adamu Kafarati, granted the orders after hearing an ex-parte application filed and argued by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Justice Kafarati directed the AGF to ensure the publication of the IPOB proscription order in the official gazette and two national dailies.

Malami was accompanied to court by the Solicitor General of the Federation (SGF), Tayo Apata; Acting Director, Civil Litigation, Mrs. Maimuna Shiru and other lawyers in the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Specifically, the judge said:

“That an order, declaring the activities of the respondent – Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) – in any part of Nigeria especially in the South East and South-South regions of Nigeria amount to acts of terrorism and illegallity, is granted.

“That an order, proscribing the existence of the respondent (IPOB) in any part of Nigeria, especially in the South East and South-South regions of Nigeria either in groups or as individuals by whatever names they are called and publishing same in the official gazette and two national dailies, is granted.

“That an order, restraining any person or group of persons from participating in any manner whatsoever in any form of activities involving or concerning the prosecution of the collective intention or otherwise of the respondent (IPOB) under any other name or platform however called or described, is granted.”

September 20, 2017
Buhari begins process of IPOB proscription-Lai Mohammed

Information Minister Lai Mohammed on Wednesday said that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group had written to western nations alleging genocide in Igbo land but that President Muhammadu Buhari had commenced the process of proscribing the group.

The minister said this while addressing the state House Press corps on the current situation in the country.

“For those who are fixated with legality, I have good news for them.

“The President has approved the process of proscribing IPOB and before he left he did approve the proscription and the procedure is on.

“And I ask, if the President had been overly concerned with the legalese where will Nigeria be today.’’

The minister noted that he had to deal with the issue of IPOB in many radio and television programmes in the past few days.

He acknowledged that it was the rights of individuals or groups to seek self-determination but the pursuit should be within the confines of the law and non-violent.

He stated that where any group crossed the line by engaging in violence it then became out of tune.

He avoided the semantics of whether the group ought to have been proscribed by the South East Governors or on the labeling of IPOB as a terrorist group by the military.

But in the other hand he noted that the group had engaged in terrorist activities.

“All I know is that IPOB has engaged in terrorist activities such as setting up prior military and para military, clashing with the national army and attempting to seize rifle from soldiers.

“It used weapons such as machetes and Molotov cocktails and mounting road blocks to extort money among others.

“The leader has openly solicited for arms,’’ he said.

Mohammed said that no national army in the world would tolerate the IPOB activities or any army that would look away when attacked by band of thugs.

The minister noted that but for the swift response of the South East governors the crisis would have turned to something else.

“For the quick action of the governors in the South East and their counterparts in the North and the traditional rulers there would have been conflagration of immense proportion.

“Permit me to especially commend the governors from the South East for making it clear to IPOB that it has no support for its violent campaign.

“By this action, the governors have cut off the oxygen that IPOB needs to survive.

“If the elected governors in the South East have banned the activities of IPOB who then is the organization fighting for,’’ he asked.

He remarked that IPOB was a political contraption against the Buhari administration and being sponsored by the coalition of the politically disgruntled and treasury looters.

The minister remarked that IPOB had decided to externalize its campaign by writing western governments and parliaments alleging genocide as well as using fake videos of killings to deceive the public.

The minister said the challenge for the country was to ensure that “we counter this narrative’’.

He noted that IPOB had opened diplomatic moves by setting up its financial headquarters in France and a radio station in London adding that government would stop the funding of the group from the diaspora.(NAN)

September 20, 2017
Why FG declared IPOB a terror group – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday explained why the Federal Government declared the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a terrorist group.

Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, Mohammed said the group led by Nnamdi Kanu had been using cutlasses and other weapons to terrorize Nigerians.

According to him, the group has also been getting financial support from some quarters to destabilize the country.

He said: “I think anybody who has watched Nnamdi Kanu’s videos anywhere he goes, he openly solicits for arms and funds. I have a lot of quotations from him as to the violence intention of IPOB. In one of his videos, he said if he is arrested his boys should burn down the country. The same Kanu went on television a few days ago saying he was sleeping at about 4:30 p.m. in his house in Umuahia and then some solders were making noises and disturbing his sleep. Therefore, his boys stopped them.

“Which country in the world would tolerate this? Unfortunately Nigerians have short memories at times, or we tend to be very mischievous because this thing is being turned into oh the North is persecuting the South East or Muslims persecuting Christians and we have forgotten that in 1983 there was a group called Maitatsine in Kano. They were crushed by Shagari’s government and they were Muslims and northerners.

“When they relocated to Burukutu they were again crushed by Shagari. When Buhari became Head of State, the same Maitatsine raised their head, he chased them far into the Chad Republic and I remember that time he was accused by America of trying to expand Gaddafi’s agenda.

“Abacha in his own time dealt also with Maitatsine and he was a Muslim. President Yar ‘Adua in 2010 was on his way to the airport when he got a report about Boko Haram, he sent army to go and destroy them. These were Muslims from the north dealing with essentially Islamic insurgencies.

“Anything about insurgence or terrorists act you don’t think about religion, you don’t think about ethnicity, you think about the unity of the country.”

September 20, 2017
South East legislators to FG: Don’t brand IPOB a terrorist organization

The South East National Assembly caucus has asked the Federal Government to reconsider its classification of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organization.

The caucus also asked IPOB to suspend its activities to allow members of the caucus to engage their colleagues at the National Assembly to address issues of concern to members of the group and people of the zone.

The caucus said that it resolved to reject the branding of any organization terrorist without cause or following due process.

It insisted that their position became necessary because of the implication of such branding to innocent citizens who might be affected by such branding.

Besides, it said that such branding would foreclose any dialogue that would lead to a peaceful resolutions of issues at stake.

This is contained in a communiqués issues after a meeting of the caucus in Abuja.

The meeting held in the Apo Legislative quarters of a principal officer of the National Assembly was said to have last till the wee hours of yesterday.

A source said that members of the caucus used the opportunity of the meeting to review happenings in the South East especially since the deployment of soldiers to the area.

The meeting, the source said, became necessary “so that we can review issues, take position and articulate the way forward.”

The communiqué signed by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Chairman Senate South East Caucus and Hon. Chukwuka Onyema, Chairman, House of Representatives South East Caucus, read in part:

“Rising from a meeting of National Assembly Caucus of the South East geo political zone of the country, the following resolutions were reached.

“We call on IPOB to suspend all its activities as we engage our colleagues in the National Assembly and work with them in addressing all issues of concern to IPOB in particular, and the entire people of the South East in general.

“We appreciate the efforts of the South East governors and the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo in the handling of the agitations in the South East with regards to the confrontation of the military with IPOB, especially in Abia State.

“We condemn all acts of terrorism. In the case of IPOB, we reject the branding of any organization in Nigeria as terrorist without cause or following due process where such cause exists. We take this position because of the implication of such branding to innocent citizens from the area who may be affected by the consequences.

“The branding, we believe, will foreclose any possible dialogue that will bring about a peaceful end to the activities of such group.

“We call on the leadership of Nigeria to look into the problems that feeds the never ending agitation by the youths of the South East and other geo-political zones in the country.

“We condemn the use of hate speeches and remarks by any body as the dignity of person must be respected at all times, even while dissenting on any issue.

“We affirm our support for unity of Nigeria anchored on justice, equity and fair treatment to all parts of the country.”

September 20, 2017
Biafra: Group urges South-Eastern Govs, rulers to pacify agitators

A Non-government Organisation, Project Nigeria First has asked Governors and traditional rulers from the South Eastern part of the country to find ways of pacifying youths of the region, especially sympathisers of the Indigenous People of Biafra in the overall interest of the nation and the region.

National Coordinator of the group, Uche Nwabukwu told a news conference in Abuja that leaders of the region should work hard to give the youths a sense of belonging while asking parents and guardians to caution their children and wards against engaging in acts that may be inimical to the unity and peace of the country.

Nwabukwu said while they respect the right of any group of people to engage in self-determination, such rights must not include the license to engage in violent activities, stressing that the government should work through the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with civil society groups on the reorientation of citizens on the values of patriotism.

He urged foreign governments and commentators to exercise restraint in their comments and actions over IPOB, adding that no matter their love for Nigeria, they cannot have more at stake than Nigerians.

He commends the federal and state governments for taking proactive measures to prevent what would have been a conflagration across Nigeria, adding that the deployment of troops to the south-east was very timely as it went a long way to checkmate the activities of IPOB and prevent a breakdown of law and order.

He said further that the proscription of IPOB by the south-east governors quenched the oxygen needed by the group to survive and sent a clear message to the secessionist group that the governors, who were elected by the people support a United, strong and peaceful Nigeria.

He said further that “the proactive measures to prevent reprisals undertaken by governors of the north, as well as the visit in solidarity to the south-east and south-south states, did so much to mitigate the tense situation.”

He condemns, in strong terms, “those who directly or indirectly support IPOB by stirring controversy over the legality of deploying troops to the south-east and the proscription of IPOB. We commend President Buhari for being proactive and pragmatic.

“We appeal to politicians, religious leaders and opinion formers including commentators and public affair analysts to exhibit responsibility and patriotism rather than play to the gallery at this critical time. Comments made by certain individuals strengthen the hand of IPOB and this is not good for the country. Let us remind everyone that if by acts of omission or commission. We allow a conflagration, none of us will be spared.

“We condemn those no have been circulating incendiary and divisive text messages and videos relating to IPOB crisis. Since the authenticity of some of these videos cannot be ascertained, we appealed to Nigerians to desist from spreading them because they can escalate the situation.”

September 20, 2017
Biafra: Groups fault US lawyer’s calls to investigate Buhari, Buratai

The National Committee of Yoruba Youth (NCYY), the Southeast Professionals in Diaspora and the Coalition of Civil Society Groups against Terrorism in Nigeria, has berated a United States constitutional lawyer, Bruce Fein, over his calls that the United Nations should refer President Muhamadu Buhari and Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-General Tukur Buratai, to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation in the on-going military operation against the Indegenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in the South East.

In an article published in HuffPost on Sunday, and other various insidious videos, Fein accused the military of carrying out a genocide against the Igbo people, He also made an unfounded and highly preposterous allegations of persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

The groups, at a Press Conference in Lagos on Wednesday, described Fein’s call, as an attempt to blackmail President Buhari, and prevent the Nigerian Army, from carrying out its constitutionally guaranteed responsibility, of protecting Nigeria and Nigerians, against any form of Internal and external aggression, many of which Nigerians have been subjected to, as a result of the terrorist activities, of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB.

Speaking on behalf of the groups, Comrade Oladimeji Odeyemi, wondered “why Mr. Fein and some foreign collaborators like the Amnesty International, who have clearly shown bias towards the Nigerian Nation, most especially the Nigerian Army should been seen as encouraging the secessionist agitations of the IPOB.

“They have even pretended not to understand the basic responsibilities of President Buhari and Nigerian Army, towards defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria, as a sovereign nation, that we are.

“We believe every society would do what it needs to do to prevent individuals or a small group of people from creating scenarios that would endanger the rights of the majority. If the government finds it necessary to declare a group actively seeking and practising violence and terrorism while threatening the existence of the Country a ‘a Terrorist Group’ and proscribe it’s activities, it is ingenious for some characters and their foreign collaborators to see a way to arm twist the government with legalese not to act when the security of the Country is what is at stake,” the group said, adding that every government must act in a manner that protects the majority.

“We wonder if Fein and his collaborators wanted the Nigerian government to fold it’s arm and allow IPOB and other terrorist organisational just to take over Nigeria. If that happens, God Forbid, this same characters would be the ones saying the Nigerian government has lost control,” it noted.

September 20, 2017
Why FG declared IPOB terrorists group – Minister

The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Wednesday gave reasons why the Federal Government declared the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group.

Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, Mohammed said that the group led by Nnamdi Kanu had been using cutlasses and other weapons to terrorize Nigerians.

According to him, the group has also been getting financial sponsorship from some quarters to destabilise the country.

September 20, 2017
Ex-Senate president Ebute urges UN to endorse IPOB barring

Former Senate President, Senator Ameh Ebute has reached out to the United Nations over the proscription of the Indegenous People of Biafra (IPOB) seeking the endorsement of the intergovernmental organization.

In the letter addressed to the UN Security Council’s (UNSC), Ebute acknowledged IPOB as a militant terrorist organization demanding prompt action against the group to avert crisis of genocidal dimension in Nigeria.

Recall that in the wake of the recent crisis that shut commercial activities in Abia State, activities of IPOB, led by British-Nigerian activist, Nnamdi Kanu, has been proscribed by Southeast Governors’ Forum

The letter written by the former Senate President on behalf of the league of Patriotic Elder Statesmen in Nigeria, reads: “The League of elder statesmen in Nigeria sends you special compliments as well as extends same to the entire staff of the UN Secretariat Headquarters, New York.

“We are sure the UN is aware and indeed monitoring the precarious insecurity situation in Nigeria, heightened by terrorists sects and other violent insurrectional groups. These crises escalated in the last few years beginning from the year 2009, when Boko Haram Terrorists invaded Nigeria terrifyingly.

“The extremists Boko Haram Islamic sect members mindlessly and gruesomely murdered people; abducted hundreds of Nigerians; perpetrated acts of arson and violently seized swathes of land under Nigerian territorial sovereignty and committed other heinous atrocities already recorded by history. It has deposited on the land Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) the UN has estimated at over 2.4 million people in Northeast Nigeria, where terrorism hibernated for years before its defeat by the Nigerian Military.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) under President Muhammadu Buhari has been battling the scourge of terrorism and allied insurgencies in parts of Nigeria in the last two years. But as the insecurity situation in Nigeria is gradually being normalized, the country is again woken up by sounds of unpleasant drums of war chanted by emerging terrorists sects, garbed in ethnic separatist movements which have perfected plots to unleash more heinous atrocities on Nigeria.

“We wish to notify your office that investigations by the appropriate security authorities in Nigeria have identified the latest and budding terrorists sect in the country as the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), whose leader is Nnamdi Kanu. The activities of IPOB members which are mainly confined to Southeast Nigeria presently is an organization, which operates in the guise of agitations for secession or actualization of a “republic of Biafra”.

“While it is clear IPOB is opposed to conventional tools for its campaigns for secession, its members have wittingly engaged in unwholesome acts, which bear bold imprints of terrorism. IPOB sect members, led by Nnamdi Kanu have embarked on bile and hate campaigns against other ethnicities in Nigeria, adopting inciting or indecorous language, and laced in distasteful violent acts, intent on provoking another civil war in Nigeria. They consistently nourish the platform for the planned civil strife it intends to illegally foist on Nigeria, which would lead to mass genocide against innocent Nigerians.

“We are concerned at the exposure of traits of terrorism in IPOB as revealed by an intensive, painstaking security investigation and analysis of the activities of IPOB’s Leader Nnamdi Kanu and his band of followers. The conclusions have been sourced and established from its relentlessly violent siege on Nigeria and promotion of hate campaigns as well as physical enforcement of compliance with illegal sit-at-home order through its militant wings.

“In accordance with the above acts which bear semblance of terrorism, the Nigerian military on Friday, September 15, 2017 declared IPOB’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu and the organization as manifesting in “intent, plan and purposes as analyzed, is a militant terrorist organization.”

“The Nigerian Defence headquarters which issued the proclamation cited IPOB’s perpetration of acts like the formation of a Biafra Secret Service (BSS); advanced stages in the formation of Biafra National Guard (BNG); militants possession/use of weapons; physical confrontations and attempts to snatch military weapons from the military troops on patrol and unauthorized blockage of public access roads and extortion of money from hapless members of the general public. These act built an unfathomable tension in the Southeast and Nigeria.

“It is also instructive that almost simultaneously after Nigerian military authorities declared IPOB a terrorists organization, the Governors of the five states in the Southeast, under the aegies of Southeast Governors Forum (SGF) held an emergency meeting. After intensive deliberations on the actions of the IPOB leader and activities of the organization, the SGF in a communiqué issued on same day, September 15, 2017 unanimously resolved and proscribed the activities of IPOB.

“Furthermore, it is a matter of serious concern that the Southeast States Governors, who are the Chief Security Officers of their respective states, reviewed the prevailing preposterous insecurity situation in the Southeast hatched through the violent operations of IPOB members and the concomitant consequences to outrightly proscribe its activities. It is express confirmation of the deep-rooted threats of terrorism IPOB constituted to the Southeast region and corporate existence of Nigeria; public peace and order as well as national security.

“Only the prompt intervention of the Nigerian military that saved a nationally ominous, violent implosion, which would have snowballed into a terrible and devastating crisis, leading to mass genocide of Nigerian people.

“We are scared for the future of Nigeria and posterity with the continued existence of the Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB. Its leader has vowed repeatedly through utterances and actions to unstoppably trigger crisis of genocidal proportions in Nigeria come rain, come sun shine. (Please, Find attached, video clips of Nnamdi Kanu’s threats to cause genocide in Nigeria)

“It is therefore imperative for the UN through its organ of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to invoke the suitable laws to intervene in an apparently smoldering crisis in Nigeria. Permitting the progression of this crisis to the level of explosion would be devastating and definitely affect peace and security on the African continent as a whole and create humanitarian crisis of international dimension.

“The UN is pleaded to immediately commence the process of investigating the activities of IPOB’s leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and members of the organization which have radiated in flames of a terrorists sect. It has led to its tagging as a terrorists organization by Nigeria and UN is prodded to act in order to identity and do the needful to these pregnable threats to Nigeria and trans-regional security in Africa.

“The UN is implored to further initiate actions that would save Nigeria from this pending catastrophe arranged by IPOB in order to safeguard international peace and security. Our experiences indicate that some terrorists groups tormenting Nigeria today have confessed to been foreign-backed and funded. It underscores the need to give more attention to IPOB’s fierce aggression on Nigeria.

“Please, accept our profound appreciation as we anxiously await an immediate response to this plea for intervention to halt the imminent disruption of peace and the obvious plunging of Nigeria into avertable crisis.”

September 20, 2017