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Tag: Kanu

  • Why we clamped down on IPOB, Kanu, by Fed Govt

    Why we clamped down on IPOB, Kanu, by Fed Govt

    ‘Looters, opposition behind group’

    IYC urges talks      

    IPOB chief ‘in Southeast’

    The  Federal Government yesterday alleged that the opposition was fuelling the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) rebellion to distract the Buhari administration and destabilise the country.

    Urging Nigerians to be vigilant and resolute, Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said the evil machination of the group and its plan to incite Nigerians against one another had failed.

    Besides, he stated why the government moved against IPOB.

    Mohammed hailed Southeast governors’ decision to proscribe IPOB, stressing that the organisation, which has been labelled a terrorist group by the military, should cease to exist.

    He told reporters in Lagos that IPOB’s activities had reached a crescendo, threatening national unity.

    Mohammed said: “IPOB is nothing but a contraption by those who believe they have lost political power as well as the right to loot our treasury. It is a tool in the hands of the corrupt and disgruntled elements to sabotage the Buhari administration. It fights for no one, but the corrupt and the disgruntled. It seeks to set us apart as a people, exploiting our fault lines. Its modus operandi is to trigger conflagration nationwide through attacks and reprisals.”

    The minister lamented that IPOB had violated Nigeria’s sovereignty by setting up parallel military and para-military organisations, mounting road blocks, confronting the military, openly soliciting for weapons and inciting hatred and violence.

    He noted that the group’s atrocities had been documented by the

    military, including the formation of a Biafra Secret Service, the formation of

    Biafra National Guard, extortion of money from innocent civilians at illegal road blocks, and

    illegal patrol.

    Mohammed applauded the military for its decisiveness in checking the organisation, adding that Nigeria would have been on fire, if the soldiers have not risen to the occasion.

    The minister stressed: “There is no doubt that the wounds inflicted on the nation’s psyche by

    the activities of IPOB will take some time to heal. But,  while that happens, Nigerians must understand that IPOB was not set up to fight for the right of anyone or group, but as a tool to destabilise the nation, divert attention from the efforts of the Buhari administration and obliterate the laudable achievements of the Administration.

    “IPOB is being sponsored by those I will call the Coalition of the Politically Disgruntled and the Treasury Looters. They believe that by sponsoring this group to destabilise the country and trigger chaos, they will realise their ambition of escaping justice and then be free to dip their hands into the nation’s treasury again.”

    Mohammed wondered why the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who led a protest at the

    Nigeria House in London against Boko Haram insurgency and in support

    of Nigeria’s unity under the Jonathan Administration, suddenly metamorphosed into a monster with an agenda to set the nation ablaze.

    He said IPOB had intensified its nefarious activities to distract the government when it should consolidate on its monumental achievement of taking the country out of recession.

    The minister chided the IPOB agitators for their hate speech, fake news and disinformation, pointing out that these tactics were employed to shift attention from the feat.

    He added: “The self-imposed IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is the master of hate speech. No one, including the same people whose rights he claims to be championing, escaped his vitriolic and

    primitive attacks.

    “We challenge all his sympathisers to scrutinise his incendiary, divisive and inciting speeches, the name calling and the derogatory remarks about the nation’s leaders, and then, tell the

    nation if such do not constitute hate speech. Leaders of thought and commentators who have shown the inclination to accommodate Kanu and his excesses should say if this is what they expect from someone who wants to lead.”

    Mohammed alerted the country to IPOB’s plot to attract sympathy for its propaganda from the Western world by giving the impression that its members are victims of ethno-sectarian violence orchestrated by the government.

    He urged the international community not to jump into any conclusion on the basis of fake videos and other false portrayers in the social media.

    Mohammed appealed to the media to show restraint by objectively reporting the motive behind the deployment of troops to the Southeast for “Operation Python Dance II” to check the group.

    He added: “The military has labelled IPOB a terrorist organisation and the Southeast Governors have proscribed it. It’s time to let IPOB go to where it belongs, the dustbin of history. The tense situation triggered across the country by IPOB’s activities must be brought down. The media has a big role to play in that, and I believe we will all do the needful.”

  • Dialogue with Kanu, IYC tells govt

    The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has urged the Federal Government to dialogue with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

    It also said last week’s proscription of IPOB by governors in the Southeast states was unjustifiable.

    This was contained in a statement signed by President of IYC, Mr. Roland Pereotubo.

    The IYC President urged the governors to prevail on the Federal Government to address the issues of the lopsided appointments and the political marginalisation of the region.

  • Troops launch manhunt for Kanu as probe of foreign links begins

    Troops launch manhunt for Kanu as probe of foreign links begins

    TROOPS yesterday launched a manhunt for Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu , barely 24 hours after the group’s proscription.

    Nothing has been heard about Kanu since the proscription.

    Some sources yesterday said he had gone underground.

    Kanu is on bail for the alleged treason charges preferred against him.

    The Nation learnt  yesterday that  his bail sureties might be asked by the security agencies to account for him.

    Besides,  security agencies are  probing  IPOB leader’s alleged foreign links.

    Investigators are said to be analysing a  video clip of Kanu and a Turkish citizen  as part of the probe.

    A source, while confirming the search for Kanu, said: “Troops have been given a firm order to fish out and arrest the IPOB leader. As a prelude to it, the Defence Headquarters on Friday  declared IPOB as a terrorist organisation.

    “Intelligence has, however, revealed that Kanu might have gone underground. As I speak with you, troops have actually searched his house and he was not found there.Troops have a mandate to arrest him wherever he might be.”

    Asked what if he is not found the source said: “ We might follow legal process by holding his sureties responsible. These sureties will have to produce him.”

    On the probe of Kanu’s alleged foreign links , another source said:”We are looking into the allegations of foreign support for Kanu. We are doing a profiling of his foreign contacts. We have some clues but we need to dig deeper.”

    The Nation can also confirm that  government insisted on non-withdrawal of soldiers from Abia State to avoid a situation whereby the  IPOB will “take advantage and unleash mayhem” on innocent citizens.

    Sources said the   presidency overruled Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu on the withdrawal of troops because the police alone could not  cope with the “grave security” situation.

    “The governor wanted a political solution to a military matter. But the federal government cannot watch and allow the situation to degenerate,” one of the sources said.

    “Before Kanu was released on bail, these same governors in the Southeast, political leaders from the zone and others prevailed on the federal government to allow him home.

    “Some of these governors and Igbo leaders made a commitment that they would  ensure that Kanu did  not abuse his bail conditions.

    “The government bent backwards and ensured that Kanu was released on bail. But you can see what has happened. All those who gave the guarantee that Kanu would  respect his bail bond have been made to look foolish.

    “Intelligence on IPOB revealed that without troops on the streets, the situation would have been worse.”

    The  Embassy of the United States has asked Americans in Abia and Plateau states to review their security and maintain a high level of vigilance.

    The Embassy’s cautionary note was contained in its travel alert.

    It said: “Curfews have been declared in Abia and Plateau states because of violent attacks accompanied by threats of reprisals.

    “Exercise caution in these areas; review your personal security plans; remain aware of your surroundings, including local events; and monitor local news stations for updates.

    “Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security.”

    The  National Leader (Southsouth) of Action Democratic Party (ADP), Senator Roland Owie,  yesterday  faulted the declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organisation.

    In a statement in Abuja, Owie said the declaration smacked of double standards.

    He said: “Now that IPOB has been declared ‘Terrorist group, the government should immediately declare Fulani herdsmen, Terrorist group.”

    Owie added: “I urge President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to walk the way of justice and equity in handling the affairs of Nigeria and stop pretending that all is well.

    “The gravest mistake of non-equitable administrations all over the world is the denial of wrongdoings on their part.  Unfortunately for such administrations, they forget that God cannot be mocked.”

    “Gravitation will help a person if he builds the side of his house straight and plumb; but gravitation will oppose him and make his house fall down if he builds it out of plumb.”

  • Biafra: Centre charges South- East governors to probe Kanu, IPOB atrocities

    A civil society group, Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has hailed the declaration of the proscription and designation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terror group.

    The centre said step taken by the Nigerian military authorities as well as the south eastern governors on the activities of the pro-Biafra agitators were quite commendable and a welcome development.

    Recall that the Defence headquarters had thjough its spokesperson, Majo Gen John Enenche had during the weekened labeled the Nnamdi Kanu-led IPOB group as a terror squad.

    Consequently, governors from south eastern part of the country also proscribed the activities of the separatist group.

    Speaking on the development, Isaack Ikpa, the National Cordinator of CESJET, implored the governors to further back the proscription order up with actions.

    Ikpa added that they must immediately audit their cabinets to identify IPOB supporters and sympathizers in their folds since such people can sabotage them from inside

    He said, “CESJET lauds the Nigerian Military for taking the bold step and doing the needful by declaring IPOB as what it is as only an institution that has the interest of the country at heart could have marshaled such political will. We commend the Army for its decision to launch Operation Python Dance II, which we believe would flush out the criminal elements that usually make life unbearable for Nigerians in this part of the country.

    CESJET commend the South-East Governors for daring to proscribe IPOB even when they are daily blackmailed politically with threats of being labeled as traitors of their ethnicity. We implore the governors to back the proscription order up with actions. They must immediately audit their cabinets to identify IPOB supporters and sympathizers in their folds since such people can sabotage them from inside. The governors should charge traditional and religious leaders within their states to walk back the inflammatory support they had given the terror group in the past.

    “We however note that the Governors did not prescribe any punishment for these terrorists for the evil they had brought upon the land in the last few years. There was neither any indication as to what would happen to anyone that continues to carry out activities under the name of IPOB.

    “Furthermore, nothing was said of the other franchises that the terrorists use to operate, like the Biafra Zionists Movement. They did not talk about their sponsors and sources of funding. There was no mention of justice for the innocent Nigerians killed by these miscreants in the last few days. These are questions still begging for answers.

    Speaking futher, the CESJET boss added that the South-East Governors must therefore be categorical in the terms of reference that security agencies will act upon to enforce the proscription of the group.

    His words, “We also observed that there was no call for the immediate arrest of Nnamdi Kanu as the leader of IPOB terrorist group or any other person who goes out in the name of the group or its violent agitation. All these people, including the lawyer to Kanu, are accomplices that must be treated as such.

    “We make these points because the serpent of terrorism has only been struck as far as the IPOB monster is concerned. The head of the snake has not been cut off so the country cannot afford to be complacent at this point. Since the designation of IPOB as a terror organization is merely a first step in restoring sanity to that part of Nigeria, other steps necessary for peace and confidence building must be immediately activated.”

    The centre further called on the Attorney General of the Federation to in line with the Terrorism Prevention (Amended) Act 2013 take the necessary steps to nationalize and gazette the decision of the South-East Governors, stressing that such move would ensure that the terrorists no longer torment the peace of anyone in the name of IPOB anymore.

    He added, “The National Assembly, the Presidency (Executive) and the Judiciary should adopt a common front in dealing with the menace of IPOB as a terror group by taking all the steps expected of them. No room should be left for these terrorists to maneuver or manipulate the system to continue intimidating and threatening citizens. Since IPOB reportedly enjoyed massive financial, intellectual and political support from highly placed persons from the South-East, we proposed that the Federal Government delivers an amnesty package for those who funded or supported IPOB up until Friday September 15, 2017 to offer them the chance of distancing themselves from the terror group. Anyone subsequently found to be aiding and abetting the group should be treated in accordance with the Terrorism Prevention (Amended) Act 2013.

    “The international dimension must not be neglected. The designation of IPOB as a terrorist group should be strongly communicated to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The world must be urged to designate IPOB as an International Terror Group since it has presence in Germany, United Kingdom, United States and other countries. This is important to ensure that fleeing IPOB members do not regroup in any of these countries to plot attacks against Nigeria.”

  • Kanu: Avoiding the Doomsday in Igboland

    It has started. Save a miracle another self-inflicted destruction is upon Igboland only that this time it would be far worse than the mindless slaughter from the foolhardiness that began in 1967. The catalyst for this disaster this time around is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who is exploiting people of limited thinking.

    As of the week of writing, baying mobs that identify as IPOB members attacked soldiers in Kanu’s hometown in Abia state while the Hausa Community bore the brunt of the group’s misdirected anger in Rivers state. In another part of Abia state a pickup truck of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, was vandalized and the occupants brutalized even though they are of Igbo extraction and even called themselves Biafrans to save their skin, the unruly mob nonetheless attacked.
    The ethnically charged belligerence of hate speech has peaked with IPOB members now openly calling for full blown war. The hate speech is only rivaled by the kind of hate motivated actions on the streets like the attack on the NHIS truck and the attacks on Hausa in Rivers. There have been other incidents of IPOB aggression against other Nigerian ethnic nationalities with some unfortunate Igbos also caught in the crossfire of what is meant to harm other Nigerians.
    Had the other ethnic groups been of the mind to overlook the unenlightened attitude and behaviour of IPOB members as the product of collective ignorance worsened by brainwashing, the position so far taken by those we call our elites in Igboland have been nothing short of a catastrophe. Their positions, expressed as individuals, organisations, groups and even elected politicians, only reinforced the belief that Kanu with his IPOB speak and acts for the Igbo bloc in an accepted official capacity and that the south-east geo-political zone hate other Nigerians to an extent where they will soon poison the consumable that they sell to the other citizens simply to kill them off and take over their country.
    Irrespective of whatever other lies the elites of Igboland are telling other Nigerians and the federal government, their collective hatred of Nigerian and duplicity in representing the issues are well documented. Instead of calling Kanu and his IPOB mob to order the governors of the south-east states rather hosted him to a meeting that rather boosted his demented profile. Someone who lived his life and benefitted from the Nigerian state as a former Minister of Education, in the person of Professor Ben Nwabueze brokered the puerile meeting. Osita Chidoka, a former minister and one-time Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, threatened legal action against the army for holding its exercise in the region even though he cannot swear on what is left of his honour that the money he is using to run for governorship election in Anambra state did not come from the sweat of “Nigerians”.
    More disgusting is the Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural Igbo group, which is now behaving like the House of Lords for the defunct Biafra Republic – it is curious that Ohaneze never found the kind of voice it has now for the 16 years the People’s Democratic Party held power at the centre. Of course, the whole Biafra business was the preserve of riff raffs for the duration of Jonathan presidency.
    On the disgraceful side are the those currently serving in the government who appear to clandestinely in touch with IPOB out of public scrutiny. They remained mute, making feeble defence of Nigeria’s unity at best, without making efforts to call their kinsmen to order.
    Also of note is the interventions of notable Igbo politicians on their various social media handles or walls. They talk (write) as trashy as the primary school dropouts that root for IPOB at Ariara market. Two things however stand this category out: One, they are beneficiary of the corruption that ruined this country; their children live abroad and often hold dual citizenship so they would not get to partake in the impending doom.
    The Igbo intelligentsia is no less dismal as those that should not have been added to this list fought their way unto it by divorcing the concept of universality while embracing the base agitation for the defunct Biafra. It is ridiculous that those who should by virtue of their education and enlightenment should be leading the way have submitted their natural position on the pecking order to IPOB touts. It is sadder still that such failures draw salaries from the federal government only to turn around and deploy the same resource to hurt the integrity of Nigeria.
    The worst category of people is the most innocuous. It is the group of the Igbos who think they are insulated from the disaster being prepared by Kanu on account that they live in Lagos, Kano, Abuja or any of the other large Nigerian cities. Unfortunately, with the kind of ethnic strife Kanu and IPOB are brooking, this class of Igbos is going to be the hardest hit if anything goes pear-shaped. Their silence would be their indictment for in the coming days, sitting on the wall would not form part of the equation.
    Finally, is the category of those that weep more than the bereaved. But their tears are not for nothing because in supporting evil they see an opportunity for escaping their demons. This pack has the likes of one-time Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, who remains under the illusion that the breakup of Nigeria automatically frees him from the corruption charges hanging over him or the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, who expects the break-up to free him from answering charges for the crimes he has committed against the Nigerian state for which he will answer once he ends his tenure and loses hi immunity.
    The whole assemblage of these groups is united by their ill intent for Nigeria without thoughts for the consequences. They fail to see that it is ridiculous for anyone to say he has declared war on the Federal Government of Nigeria. They are possibly seeing the short term of what they are supporting or tolerating in the southeast. They castigate the Nigerian Army for holding a military operation that can potentially halt the spate of crime in Igboland without censuring IPOB members for pelting the military convoy first. Not that any of the aforementioned groups had ever seen anything wrong in the barrage of hate speech from IPOB and other separatists.
    Until such a time that the arrangement becomes otherwise, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states remain part of Nigeria to which the army can deploy should the need arises. The growing criminality in the area justifies the launch of Operation Python Dance II. But it seems this deployment is being exploited to start off another civil war. This something the federal government must avoid at all costs.
    The imperative at this stage is to immediately explore the alternatives to bring the recalcitrant elements to heel. The rejection of the army deployment should be treated as rejection of the federal government by the all those mentioned. They, possibly, should be given a foretaste of what they are asking for – all federal presence, police, MDAs, health facilities, should be shuttered in the southeast. The portion of the allocation to state that represent security vote to state governors should be withheld since the governors are proving to be anti-Nigeria.
    On a personal level, Nigerians have to start sending a strong message to IPOB and IPOB sympathizers that they are not ‘animals’ living in the ‘zoo’ by boycotting Igbo businesses, products and services. Even the seemingly peaceful and neutral Igbo in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and other places are guilty of a conspiratorial silence and proxy financing. The profits they make from the patronage of other Nigerians is what they reptrate to Igboland, which in turn fund the jobless youths that make up the fighting mob of IPOB.
    This blockade of Igboland and boycott of Igbo businesses and products would be the most merciful thing to do as it will likely bring them to their senses without the need for bloodshed. It is the only way left for avoiding the doomsday that is impending in Igboland courtesy Kanu and IPOB.

    Mbani is National Co-ordinator, South East Restoration Group and writes from Nsukka Road, Opin, Enugu

  • Kanu: Between Malami and Ohaneze

    SIR: Nnamdi Kanu, the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is on trial for the offence of treason and treasonable felony among other offences. He was granted bail with conditions attached which he has since flouted and continues to do on daily basis. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami being the Chief Law Officer of the federation is responsible for the prosecution of Nnamdi Kanu. The AGF is within his constitutional duties to request the court to revoke the bail earlier given to Kanu, and this action will in no way be categorized as an attempt to violate Kanu’s fundamental rights as posited by the Ohaneze leader, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, when he granted a press interview recently.

    Fundamental human rights guarantees as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the constitution are not without qualifications. Section 45 is a derogatory provision which qualified all the rights as subject to the overall interest of public peace and order, security and health. In addition to that, where a person is facing a criminal trial, he cannot claim the guarantee of his personal liberty. The relevant security agencies can apprehend a person on suspicion of committing an offence as well as under the orders of a court of law whether for a fresh offence or in pursuit of a bench warrant for flouting bail conditions; all these will not be in violation of a person’s right.

    In fact, the office of the AGF as the prosecutor will be failing in its responsibilities if it were to leave Nnamdi Kanu to continue flouting his bail conditions without drawing the attention of the court through a request for revocation of the bail. This will also set a bad precedence for any person on conditional bail, for there are no two sets of different laws for persons standing trial in Nigeria, and nobody should be above the law no matter how highly placed a person is or how much support he enjoys from the rest of the country. To allow that will be tantamount to an invitation of anarchy.

    There is also the allegation of bias and double standard on the part of the AGF by the Ohaneze leader, Chief Nwodo for the inability of the federal government to arrest the “Coalition of Arewa Youth” that issued a quit notice for Igbos residing in the North to vacate the region before October 1.

    First, it must be noted that the two cases are not the same either in magnitude or in procedural handling. Nnamdi Kanu was already on trial and the AGF was prosecuting him. The Arewa Youth on the other hand were not on trial. They also were smart in their action from the get go, treading a careful thin line between an overt action that can be termed as a crime to that of an advisory position to the federal government, I suspect this may not be unconnected to the reason why they were not arrested and prosecuted in the first place.

    For any person to be prosecuted for his actions or omission, the action must be clearly defined as an “offence” written as a law and its punishment prescribed thereto, hence the latin maxim “Nulla Poena Sina Lege”. This is not in any way an excuse for their actions, but some actions can be morally reprehensible yet not criminal. Perhaps, they could have been arrested and prosecuted for conduct likely to breach public peace or for an offence of incitement to cause violent and intimidation acts, all of which are charges that any defence lawyer could easily debunk. Definitely, a civil action for claim under the enforcement of Fundamental Human Rights could have been brought against them, and what relief could have been sought? An Order of Mandamus compelling them to rescind the quit notice.

    So, to posit that the AGF was biased and has exhibited double standards for not prosecuting the Arewa Youth Group as a reason why the AGF should not pursue the revocation of Kanu Nnamdi’s bail for flouting the attached conditions is to whip up sentiments and almost tantamount to obstruction of justice by the Ohaneze leader.

     

    • Aliyu Abdullahi,

    Abuja.

  • Plot to disrupt Anambra poll: Court orders service of processes on Kanu, IPOB

    Plot to disrupt Anambra poll: Court orders service of processes on Kanu, IPOB

    •October 9 for hearing of suit

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed that court processes (documents) be served on Nnamdi Kanu and his group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on a suit seeking to restrain them from disrupting the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State.

    Justice Babatunde Quadri gave the order for service of court processes on the respondents after listening to the arguments by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Smart Iheazor, for leave to serve the processes on Kanu and IPOB outside Abuja.

    Other respondents in the suit are: the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

    The plaintiff, Dr Richard Ndubuaku, who described himself as businessman in Awka, AnambrA State capital, with property in Onitsha and other parts of the state, prayed the court to restrain Kanu, IPOB, their agents and members from making utterances or taking actions that are inimical to the conduct of the November 18 poll.

    He also prayed the court to restrain Kanu and IPOB from further harassing or intimidating eligible voters in Anambra State or mobilising their members to scuttle the planned election.

    Ndubuaku argued that there was need for the court to grant the orders he sought because Kanu and members of his group could carry out their threat to disrupt the election, if not restrained.

    The businessman noted that if allowed to proceed with their threat, Kanu and IPOB members could cause irreparable damage to him and other innocent residents of Anambra State.

    The plaintiff, in a supporting affidavit, averred that Kanu and other IPOB members “have serially made utterances and threats to disrupt the conduct of the governorship election in Anambra State this November”.

    He added: “The respondents (first and second) are capable of carrying out their threat. And if this happens, many lives will be lost. And properties (will be) destroyed, which will include that of the plaintiff.

    “If the defendants are not restrained, their actions may lead to confrontation. With other law-abiding citizens, who insist on electing their governor and a clash with the defendants will occasion a blood bath as there would be a breakdown of law and order.”

     

  • What I told Southeast governors at our meeting, by Kanu

    •IPOB leader meets ADF in Owerri

    Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has said his discussion with Southeast governors in Enugu centred on the need to get his organisation’s demands to the Federal Government.

    He said he believed his message would reach appropriate authority on Biafran agitation.

    Addressing reporters in Umuahia, Abia State capital, on his return from Owerri, Imo State capital, after a meeting with Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Kanu pledged not to compromise his stance on the independence of Biafra.

    The IPOB leader said the independence of Biafra and its people was not negotiable, adding that anything to the contrary would amount to betraying the trust his people and others had for IPOB leadership about their future.

    He said: “I laid before the governors of Southeast what we want from the Federal Government. That is, the restoration of the Republic of Biafra. Nothing else; we are not going to achieve it through violence.

    “Nothing has changed; our position is still the same. What we want is a referendum on Biafra. We have told them what we want and we cannot compromise that position. So, let them convey same to the Federal Government. No more, no less.”

    Kanu noted that though he had respect for elders, but “no amount of pressure or persuasion would make me drop the agitation for Biafra because that is what I was born to achieve”.

    He advised Biafrans all over the world to remain resolute, determined and focused on the struggle.

    The IPOB leader expressed the confidence that Biafra would soon be realised.

     

  • Biafra: Why we won’t back down—Kanu

    Biafra: Why we won’t back down—Kanu

    •IPOB leader: agitation not synonymous with declaration of war

    The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu,has blamed Northern leaders for the continued agitation for a republic of Biafra.

    Kanu, The Nation gathered, told South East state governors and other leaders at a meeting in Enugu on Wednesday that  for as long as the North was not ready to make any concession,his group would not also back down on its demands.

    Sources close to the meeting said the IPOB leader accused Northern leaders of arrogance “whenever it comes to the issue of how to make every part of the country has a sense of belonging and ensure equal right and justice.”

    He also reportedly told the Soth East leaders  that IPOB’s  agitation for a republic of Biafra does not mean a declaration of war, and wondered why some people keep talking about  war whenever Biafra is mentioned.

    “We want to achieve Biafra through a peaceful path and not war,” one of the sources quoted him as saying.

    The over five-hour meeting failed  to convince him from shelving his agitation.

    The meeting, which had in attendance elder statesman, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, and secretary of the Eastern Consultative Assembly and leader of the Igbo Youth Movement, Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu Uko, was primarily to persuade Nnamdi Kanu to drop the Biafra agitation and accept restructuring as the plank of his group’s agitation.

  • ‘Plan to re-arrest Kanu, a mistake’

    The Secretary of Eastern Consultative Assembly and Deputy Secretary of Igbo Leaders of thought, Evang. Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, has described alleged plan by the Federal Government of Nigeria to re-arrest the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as “a big mistake.”

    In a statement yesterday, Ugochukwu-Uko warned that “the agenda to re-arrest Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, agreed by the political class, sponsored by those fiercely opposed to the restructuring of Nigeria and endorsed by those who hate our people with passion, will permanently alter the Nigeria political firmament. This is probably ordained by God.

    “For close to two years, the world has been regaled by series of childish mistakes by the Nigeria Government; as regards the manner the FG has handled agitation for self-determination.

    “The decision to re-arrest Kanu in the belief that nothing will happen, is a very costly mistake. Arresting him in October, 2015 was a big mistake. Denying him bail was another mistake; executing his followers in cold blood in Aba, Onitsha, Asaba and Nkpor, a much bigger mistake. And now re-arresting a man who commands the fanatical following of millions of angry young men will definitely spur grave surprises for us all, head or tail,” he said.

    Ugochukwu-Uko also alleged that “the political leaders, who are hands and glove with the plotters of this decision, desperately want Kanu out of circulation; they claim he is a threat to their re-election. The enemies of restructuring see him as a big threat to the sustenance of the current unitary structure, they believe Kanu has singularly created so much awareness on the need to restructure, that the whole world has come to agree that restructuring Nigeria is inevitable. They blame Kanu for this and swore never to forgive him.”