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Tag: Nnamdi Kanu

  • Minister denies issuing ultimatum to Israel over Kanu

    The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday denied the report that he gave Israel ultimatum over the return of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to Nigeria.
    Kanu, who resurfaced in Israel at the weekend, threatened to unleash hell on Nigerians.
    Briefing State House correspondents, Lai Mohammed said “I was in London when I heard the story about Nnamdi Kanu surfacing in Israel. I was not in a position to make any statement.
    “But before I knew it, within a few hours, I saw my picture with a story saying that I had actually given Israel ultimatum to return Nnamdi Kanu otherwise, we will send them missiles.
    “I just laughed. It speaks to what we are talking about fake news because it is probably the biggest threat in the run-up to the elections.
    “Having said that I have nothing more to add, to the issue of Nnamdi Kanu.”
    He said that the appropriate authorities in the country will speak on the issue at the appropriate time.
    He said “At the appropriate time, the various authorities will make a statement about the issue of Kanu.
    “But this has proven that all along when Kanu disappeared and the mob was asking the Nigerian army to account for the whereabouts of Kanu; I kept saying that Kanu knows where he is.
    “He was not in the custody of the Federal Government. We have been vindicated today. Any other statement will be made in due course.” he said

  • IPOB: U.K updates Nigeria on issuance of travel document to Kanu

    British authorities have briefed the Nigerian government about the temporary travel document they are about to issue to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who holds a Nigeria-U.K dual citizenship.

    A senior Federal Government official with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed this development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, on Tuesday.

    He explained that the British authorities had further reassured that they had the best intention towards Nigeria and its citizens.

    The IPOB leader, who was sighted in Israel last week, had pledged to return to Nigeria soon, after his unceremonious disappearance from the country for about 13 months.

    Kanu, who made his first public statement on a live broadcast on Radio Biafra on Sunday, was quoted as saying: “I have returned full-time and I am coming home and I will bring hell with me.’’

    However, the Presidency had on Oct. 23 dismissed the Kanu’s outburst and assured all Nigerians that there was no reason to worry about the hollow outburst by the IPOB leader.

    Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, who gave the assurance in a statement in Abuja, restated that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari was strong enough to defend its territory against any threat.

    He said: “Instead, we see the re-enactment of his bizarre, episodic threat as a mere distraction which will not be allowed to detract from the existing cordial relationships between Nigeria and other countries.’’

    According to him, the Buhari administration is in constant touch with other friendly nations and has the best assurances that they would continue to reciprocate the respect Nigeria has for the sovereignty of their nations.

    “Nigerians have nothing to fear from this,’’ he added.(NAN)

  • No cause for worry over Kanu’s outburst, Says Presidency

    The Presidency on Monday declared that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is strong enough to defend its territory against any threat.
    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also assured all Nigerians that there is no reason to worry about the hollow outburst by Nnamdi Kanu, the disputed leader of IPOB on returning to the country “with hell’’.
    The statement added “Instead, we see the re-enactment of his bizarre, episodic threat as a mere distraction which will not be allowed to detract from the existing cordial relations between Nigeria and other countries.
    ‘The Buhari administration is in constant touch with other friendly nations and has the best assurances that they would continue to reciprocate the respect Nigeria has for the sovereignty of their nations.
    “Nigerians have nothing to fear from this.” it stated
    Reliable  sources disclosed that the British authorities have briefed the Nigerian government about the temporary travel documents they were about to issue to Namdi Kanu, who holds a Nigeria-U.K dual citizenship that they have the best intentions towards the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • Leave my family out of your re-election campaign, Kanu warns Ikpeazu

    When the community where the Abia State Government House is presently located paid a curtesy visit to Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, the governor reportedly promised the people that their monarch, the father of the Leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, would soon be reunited with them. Since then, the statement credited to Ikpeazu has generated a lot of mixed reactions among the Abia populace. In this interview with newsmen, Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, speaks on why the family isn’t moved by the governor’s statement and other issues, reports Sunny Nwankwo

    YOUR people went to see the governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and he reportedly promised them that your father, His Royal Highness, will be back before the end of the year. Can we say that statement is a good development?

    It is kind of shocking, in fact let me make this clear, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu should leave the Kanu’s family out of his second term project and that’s as simple as that. The governor’s comment; I consider it as an afterthought. No amount of hypocrisy would exonerate Ikpeazu and his Southeast counterparts from culpability, to be honest with you, over the invitation of the military for the Python Dance.

    We are surprised you are saying this because the governor said he was not in the country when your father’s palace was invaded by the military last year and that he was not consulted by the FG before the action was taken

    The governor was present in Umuahia when the operation took place and soon after the invasion, there was something he said that was all over the place. He said that he sacrificed the family of Kanu to save Biafra land; that he averted war in Biafra land by sacrificing Nnamdi Kanu; that was what he said. He wants to identify with Nnamdi Kanu now, but funny enough, when Nnamdi Kanu was incarcerated, he never visited him in prison; nor after, so, it’s shocking, what he is saying.

    Are you saying the promise the governor made about bringing your father back is not going to happen?

    That is a political statement; you know the way some politicians behave. He shouldn’t think that we can easily be deceived by hiring his supporters from our community to visit him in Government House and by making all sorts of flowery comments about our family; you know, it’s just about politics. If you look at the list of those that went to see him, no elite from my community was there. The President-General never attended, the traditional Prime Minister never attended too.

    It’s like you are suggesting the visit has some political undertone?

    Of course, of course, yes of course because this is all about election; it’s all about campaign. How come you’ve not done anything, you’ve not said anything, you’ve not visited the community since after the invasion, all of a sudden you started talking of bringing my father back, from where?

    If that visit could eventually facilitate the return of your father, won’t you be happy?

    So, all along we’ve been talking about the whereabouts of my father, he never said anything my brother, he never said anything. How come suddenly nearing election period Ikpeazu is summoning people and telling them about the return of my father. So, all along, he’s been in custody of my parents and my brother as well, so, he should tell the world where they are. The thing is this, you invaded a community, you destroyed them, you never visited again and all of a sudden, you went and mobilized handful of people to come to Government House where you issued a statement; what I may call political talk to them, trying to entice them, trying to get them along to vote for you.

    The governor said he was not consulted by the federal government before your father’s palace was invaded, why lay the blame on him?

    He is not saying the truth, of course everybody knows that he is lying; I keep saying this. If you look at the record of those who went to see Ikpeazu, they were a handful of people that were picked. Of course you know because of the level of hunger in the land, people can do the unthinkable; it is well understood. They never went to see Ikpeazu because they wanted to see Ikpeazu, they went to see him probably because of what they could get from him, but that is the simple truth. I’m not against anybody who wants to visit Ikpeazu, but they should remove my family’s name from it; they should not play politics with Nnamdi Kanu or my father’s name.

    Are you optimistic of your father coming back and are there plans of visiting the governor so as to finalize arrangement for his return?

    I do not know his whereabouts and I cannot be so sure, but since Ikpeazu has said that, I think IPOB is in a better position now to ask Ikpeazu to tell them about the whereabouts of my parents. As to whether I want to visit the governor, I can’t visit the governor, a governor who came to my house and killed my people and never visited my community again, why would I go and visit him? I’m mourning. So, if the governor wants, the community is there, why can’t he come and visit the community and explain to them what really happened? Why would a handful of people go to meet the governor in the first place? I will find it difficult to go and see the governor. If anybody wants to discuss about my parents, the person should come to our house and meet me and not me going to meet the person because that was where the operation took place; that was where my people were killed, so, the person should also come to the house and meet me, I won’t go and see anyone.

  • Mixed reactions trail Nnamdi Kanu’s picture/video emergence

    …Orji Kalu, army vindicated, says security analysts

    Mixed reactions have trailed the sudden emergence of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Israel who was spotted praying in a video and photographs that went viral on the internet on Friday.

    Our reporter who monitored events in major cities of Umuahia, the state capital and Aba, the commercial hub of the state where Kanu has strong and overwhelming support base in the state and even in the southeast reports that Kanu supporters at Powerline, Ariaria, Cemetery, Shopping Center, St Michael’s road, Pound road and other parts of the state went into jubilation with the emergence of the pictures and video.

    It was gathered that Kanu supporters whose brand of drink is Hero took to drinking spree at various drinking joints to celebrate his being alive.

    According to some of Kanu’s supporters who spoke to our reporter on Saturday, there was no better way to celebrate a man who was declared dead than to thank God for preserving the life of their leader.

    According to the IPOB members including Chukwuemeka Okoroafor, seeing the video and pictures of Kanu praying in Israel is a reassurance that the match to freedom is not yet dead, stressing that it has rejuvenated their faith in the actualization of the Sovereign of Biafra.

    Read Also: Ikpeazu: Nnamdi Kanu’s father’ll return soon

    However, a section of Abia residents have expressed reservations over the sudden emergence of Kanu.

    According to a security analyst who would not want to be named, it was obvious that Kanu was still alive.

    “We know that Kanu is still alive. We know that he escaped during the army raid in his father’s home. We probed and from inside sources in the military, we were reliably told that Kanu indeed escaped. That was why Justice Binta insisted that Abaribe knew where Kanu was and that he must produce him.

    “This video and pictures, has vindicated statement made by former Governor of Abia State; Orji Uzor Kalu who had earlier stated that Kanu as at then was in the United Kingdom.

    “But to show his level of inexperience, the lawyer to Kanu went and deceived the court to invite Kalu to provide Kanu and it has backfired. It is now obvious Kanu’s lawyer; Aloy Ejimofor knows that his client is alive but has been trying all that he could with Kanu’s supporters to accuse the military of killing Kanu and being in custody of Kanu’s father.

    “I pity Abaribe whom I am sure that the court is going to mandate bring Kanu to continue facing his trial. And I am sure that with all the drama that has played out since September 27, 2017, the court may not grant Kanu bail until his trial is concluded. For me, I have since yesterday been asking reasons why IPOB would order members to stay away from business in honour of a man that they said was missing when they know that he is still alive? I pity those that died and those that are still going to die for a man that feed fat while they die of ignorance.

    “While I think that the recent attempt to insult the personality of Kanu by IPOB lawyer has come to nothing, the military is also vindicated of the accusation that they killed Kanu. I am waiting to know what becomes of the court case at the International Court against President Buhari and Nigerian Army. For me, Kanu and IPOB didn’t act intelligently and they will soon know why I said so.”

  • IPOB: Kanu alive, spotted in Israel, says younger brother

    Emmanuel Kanu, the younger brother to the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ), Nnamdi Kanu, said on Friday that his brother was alive.

    Emmanuel said that Kanu was spotted at a worship place in Israel.

    He made the disclosure in a telephone conversation with newsmen in Umuahia, saying that he received the information through an online video broadcast on Friday.

    “I can boldly confirm to you that the person in the video is my brother, Kanu. He was praying in the video that we saw.

    “We are happy that he is still alive and we will try to establish communication with him,” Emmanuel said.

    He said that the news was received with wild jubilation in their family and Isiama Afaraukwu community in general.

    “Everybody in my family and the entire community is celebrating and thanking God since we received the news,” he said.

    He said that the Deputy Director of the organisation, Uche Ejiofor, also confirmed the online video report, when the family spoke with him on cellphone.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the community declared Kanu and his parents missing in the aftermath of the Sept. 14, 2017 alleged invasion of their country home by members of the “Operation Pyton Dance II.”

    Read Also: Group seeks presidential pardon for Kanu, IPOB

    The operation was deployed to dislodge the group in Umuahia, its operational headquarters.

    The Federal Government described IPOB as a terrorist organisation and proscribed its activities in the country.

    At a joint news briefing in Umuahia on Wednesday, leaders of the three component villages of Afaraukwu said that the whereabouts of Kanu’s father, Eze Israel Kanu, was still unknown.

    They claimed that Kanu’s father, who was the traditional ruler of Isiama Afaraukwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia, got missing after the alleged attack on his palace.

  • Sit-at-home: Total Failure in Ebonyi

    The sit-at-home exercise called by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, failed in Ebonyi state

    The group called for the sit-at-home to commemorate and protest the invasion of the country home of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, exactly one year on Friday.

    Since that invasion by the Military during the Operation Python Dance 2, Mr Kanu and his parents have not been seen.

    The new Commissioner of Police, CP Musa Kimo had urged residents to go about their normal business. He also held series of meetings with business owners where he assured them of adequate security.

    It was business as usual in the state capital Abakaliki, on Friday as residents went about their normal daily business activities.

    Read Also: 378 bags of ‘poisonous rice’ impounded in Ebonyi

    Shops, motor parks, banks and other major businesses remained open in the city from 8 am in disobedience of the order by the pro- biafran group.

    The Abakpa main market in the city, the mechanic village and other markets in the city were open as traders began making brisk business.

    However, Transporters had no buses going to Onitsha or Aba in Anambra and Abia states respectively.

    Joint security patrol teams patrolled the streets of the city with some others on standby at strategic points in the city.

    A resident, who spoke to our reporter, Geoffrey Igboke said he did not observe the exercise because he did not see the need for it.

  • IPOB Sit-at-home: Aba residents shun security directives

    Despite assurances of safety of lives and property of residents and visitors to the state by heads of various security agencies in Abia State, residents, traders, private and government workers in Aba, the commercial nerve of the State on Friday stayed away from their shops and offices as the Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ) hold sit-at-home across the southeast states.

    A release by the spokesman of the secessionist group, Emma Powerful had urged the people to stay away from their offices and shops in honour of their late colleagues who were murdered in Afaraukwu, the country home of their leader and Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu by soldiers.

    Our correspondent who monitored compliance to the sit-at-home order by the IPOB, reports that while there was compliance to the order in Aba, it was business as usual in Umuahia, the state capital as the people were seen going about their businesses without any harassment by anybody.

    According to our reporter, while the gates of major markets in Aba including Ariaria International market, Cemetery, Shopping Plaza, Ahia Ohuru, Bakassi among others were open, traders however stayed away from their shops.

    While some commercial banks at the time of this report were running skeletal services, some of the staff interviewed disclosed that they were open for business because they didn’t get official memo from their headquarters directing them to stay away from work today. Offices, shops along Okigwe, Azikiwe, kent, Market, Aba-Owerri roads respectively were however devoid of their usual hustling and bubbling.

    Police patrol vans were spotted stationed at Sameck by Faulks, Market road by Shopping Center and other strategic places in the commercial city.

    Read Also: IPOB: Sit-at-home fails in Enugu

    In a chat with a senior police officer in Abia State Police Command who pleaded not to be mentioned said that they were stationed at various flash points in Aba and other parts of the state in order to forestall any breakdown of law and order by any group of person who would want to capitalized on the IPOB sit-at-home to foment troubles or stop citizens of the state from going to their normal duties.

    Some members of the pro-Biafra group members who spoke to our reporter thanked the people and residents of Aba for complying with the orders of the group.

    The respondents, including Ifeanyi Okafor described the day as a day of sober reflection and also used the opportunity to call on world bodies including the United Nations to investigate the killings in Afaraukwu in 2017 by soldiers.

    Okafor said that no amount of intimidation from the federal government and security agencies would deter them from continuing with the peaceful agitation for the sovereign State of Biafra.

  • IPOB accuses Swiss Embassy of frustrating Kanu’s family quest to justice

    The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused Switzerland’s Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria of being used to frustrate moves by Kanu’s family to get justice.

    Recall that IPOB  accused the federal government of being behind the sudden disappearance of its leader and director of Radio Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu after the invasion of his father’s palace in Afaraukwu Community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state on September 14, 2017 and has since gone to the International Court of Justice in Hague, Netherland to seek justice despite being outlawed by the Nigerian government.

    In a release by the group through its spokesman, Emma Powerful, the pro-biafra group described the denial of younger Kanu visa by Switzerland as laughable stated that Prince Emmanuel Kanu was officially invited by the United Nations to Switzerland as part of their investigation of the September 14, 2017 incident in Umuahia and wondered why he was denied visa.

    According to Powerful, “The conduct of the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria is unbecoming of a civilized country, who by this action, appear to be collaborating with the Buhari regime in their persecution of Biafrans. IPOB will have no option than to regard it as an accessory to mass murder and promoter of human rights abuses in Africa.”

    “This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy between a member of staff of the Swiss embassy in Abuja and the Nigerian Government to deny United Nations investigators access to vital information and facts surrounding the murderous invasion of Nnamdi Kanu’s compound by the Nigerian military

    “Instead of commending the UN for their intervention, the Swiss embassy instead chose to act out of character by appearing to support impunity and gross violations of the rights of the Kanu family to seek justice.

    “It should be pointed out to the Swiss embassy in Abuja that Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the younger brother of our leader visited the United States of America recently on a two year multiple entry visa and returned to Nigeria.

    Read Also: Police warn IPOB against sit-at-home order

    “With all due respect, it is given that most people seeking to overstay their visa would rather prefer to do so in the US than Switzerland. Therefore the reasons given by the Kogi born employee at the Swiss embassy for refusing visa to the Kanu family is laughable.

    “We must also remind the Swiss embassy that IPOB women also in the past months attended a conference in Baltimore, Maryland USA and duly returned to their respective countries of abode after the event.

    “We are at a loss to understand why Swiss embassy chose this line of action when the lives of human beings are at stake. Is the Swiss government through their embassy in Abuja giving tacit support to abuse of human rights in Nigeria? Is Switzerland seeking to influence or impede the work of the United Nations? We the indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) and it’s leadership worldwide note with grave sadness the role Swiss embassy in Abuja have elected to play in aiding and abating the unlawful disappearance of people in Nigeria by denying entry visa to Switzerland to members of Kanu family and other firsthand witness to the Nigerian army massacre of unarmed civilians at Nnamdi Kanu’s compound in Isiama Afaraukwu on 14 September 2017.

    “Should the Swiss government allow this travesty to subsist, IPOB will have no option than to regard it as an accessory to mass murder and promoter of human rights abuses in Africa,” the release read in part.

  • Ohanaeze, Youth Group reacts to IPOB’s sit-at-home order

    Igbo Socio-cultutal group, Ohaneze on Wednesday said it was not against IPOB’s call for a sit at home in the South East and other Ogbo speaking areas in the South South.

    It however called on the pro-biafran group to carry out the exercise in a peaceful manner.

    Spokesman of Ohaneze, Uche Achi-Okpaga states this in a reastikn he gave to Premium Times on IPOB’S sit-at-home exercise planned by the group for September 14.

    IPOB in a statement said it was carrying out the exercise to protest the invasion of the country home of its Leader, Nnamdi Kanu same date last year.

    Since the invasion by the Army, Mr Kanu’s whereabout have remained unknown with the Millitary and the group trading blames over his whereabouts.

    Mr Okpaga in his reaction said IPOB is not a terrorist organisation.

    “Any action of IPOB that is peaceful is welcome. Sit at home is a welcome idea. That is what we have been saying that IPOB is not a terrorist organisation, they are a peaceful organisation”, he said.

    “It is the Nigerian Army and Government that is deploying all these ploys to make them look violent but all their actions are always peaceful and cordial”.

    Mr Achi-Okpaga warned the Millitary not to capitalize on the sit-at-home to attack IPOB supporters in the region

    “There is nothing wrong with asking you to sit at home. If you want to sit at home you sit at home, if you dont want to sit at home you go about your normal business”.

    “Ohaneze will not be against that move what we don’t want is whereby they(the army) will capitalise on that to be killing our people”, he added.

    Also, the National leadership of All Nigeria Ethnic Nationalities Youth Organizations has stated that it would interface with Governors of the South East zone to forestall break down of law and order during the September 14 sit-at-home order declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

    Read Also: Anxiety as IPOB resumes call for election boycott

    The group further advocated an exercise devoid of violence arguing that the action is capable of leading to loss of lives and properties within the region.

    It insisted that IPOB must change its strategy and ensure people’s lives are not lost in their struggle for self-determination.

    In a statement issued in Abakaliki, the Deputy National Chairman, All Nigeria Ethnic Nationalities Youth Organization, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro sued for peace as IPOB marks one Year Anniversary of the invasion in Nnamdi Kanu’s home in Abia State.

    “Ethnic Nationalities Youth Organization will interface with South East Governors on the need to save Igbo land from any act that will bring down law and order in the face of IPOB/MASSOB struggle for self determination and Biafra agitation. It is necessary yhat such meeting will bring back the stakeholders in Biafra agitation to ensure peace in quest for self determination.

    “Irrespective that any group is entitled to self-determination and freedom to observe any day as a means of expressing their anger or protest over perceived injustice and seek better ways to ensure redress through legal and constitutional channels, Ethnic Nationalities Youth Organizations caution for peaceful means devoid of violence and action capable breaking down law and order”, the group said.

    The group while acknowledging the injustices metted out to the zone on Sept 14 last year, the group urged security agencies to ensure that there was no confrontation with IPOB on the day of the sit-at-home exercise.

    “We Urge IPOB to consider the Economic loss of the people of South East and ensure that the sit at home on September 14th should not expose Igbo Youths to untimely death.

    “We know that injustice recorded on September 14th will always be indelible in the minds of South Easterners but IPOB should put up measures in place to ensure re occurrence of such injustice never happen again, IPOB must change strategy and ensure people’s lives are not lost in their struggle for self-determination”

    “We call on Security agents to overlook the sit at home order and ensure that South East didn’t witness any act of confrontation between them and Biafra agitators, and maintain peace during and after September 14th, 2018.”