The outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said the Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government knows those responsible for the killing of security operatives in Imo State.
OsunDailyNG recalls that eight police and military personnel were gunned down in cold blood at Umualumaku community Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State on Tuesday.
IPOB said the government shouldn’t feign ignorance about the attack because they are working with the perpetrators in order to blackmail the group and its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement on Thursday issued by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, the pro-Biafran agitation group said it was not behind the bloody attack, adding that such shedding of blood was not needed in the South-East region to achieve freedom.
It said, “We, the global family and movement of IPOB ably led by the leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, condemn the bloody attack that led to the death of eight police and military officers at Ehime Mbano LGA of Imo State.
“Such reckless attacks and shedding of blood are not needed to achieve Biafra freedom in our territory. The Biafra agitation championed by IPOB since 2012 had been totally peaceful until the Federal Government started sponsoring splinter groups in order to blackmail IPOB and Kanu.
“Today, the monsters they have spoon-fed are consuming them. We in IPOB for years have been shouting about the evil plan of the Federal Government towards IPOB’s peaceful agitation, which is simply demanding a referendum date for the Biafran people to determine their own fate as indigenous people.
“The Federal Government knows those behind this latest attack on the security personnel. They shouldn’t feign ignorance or claim to be surprised because they are working with the perpetrators of that unnecessary attack in order to blackmail IPOB and Kanu.”
Powerful stated that security agencies know exactly what to do and where to focus their attention if, indeed, they were interested in fishing out the killers of their colleagues.
The IPOB spokesman, therefore, cautioned the police to go after the criminals who murdered their colleagues and not after innocent villagers in the Ehime Mbano community.
He also claimed the DSS and other security agencies are devising a strategy to blackmail IPOB and implicate Kanu for the violence and terrorism charges levelled against him.
The statement added: “No villagers will attack policemen within their village. Therefore, the Ehime Mbano community should not be invaded as a result of the killing of the security officers.
“The DSS and all the security machinery are putting their heads together to devise a strategy to blackmail IPOB and implicate Mazi Kanu for the violence and terrorism charges they have levelled against him. They should not deceive the public by blaming anybody when they are aware of the assailants.
“Sacrificing some Nigeria Police and military officers’ lives to achieve blackmail against IPOB has been their old strategy and dirty game.
“We, therefore, ask the Nigeria Police to go after the criminals who murdered their colleagues and not after innocent villagers. More often than not, Nigerian security agencies carry out revenge on ordinary citizens anytime armed criminals attack them.
“Nigeria security forces must know that the villagers are innocent. IPOB doesn’t encourage people to murder or waste innocent people’s lives because lives are sacred and must be preserved and protected. We encourage Nigerian security to use their intelligence prowess to fish out the perpetrators.”
