The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on residents of South-East to be prepared to defend themselves and land against further slaughter.
It decried the alleged involvement of bandits in what it described as “endless cycle of slaughter and mayhem especially in Biafraland,” particularly with recent killings in Delta State.
IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful noted that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s brave condemnation of Nigerian Army’s involvement in the orgy of violence unleashed by five different terror groups against innocent populations was an indication that the killings were “premeditated slaughter of the defenceless.”
According to him: “IPOB’s message of freedom is the only way out of the present impasse in the fight against state-sponsored Fulani terrorism in Nigeria.”
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He recalled: “In 2014, before the murderous tendencies of Miyetti Allah was unleashed on hapless Nigerians, way before Fulani herdsmen, bandits, foreign fighters, ISWAP, Ansaru, Al-Qaeda in the Mahgreb descended on innocent citizens, our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu said it live on air during his prophetic message of 6th February 2014 on Radio Biafra that: “Fulani herdsmen will be armed and encouraged to slaughter us with impunity and their masters will protect them.”
He said: “The US government and her lawmakers will now pay more attention to all IPOB submissions following this confirmation by Gov. Okowa.”
He vowed that IPOB would resist every attempt by the herdsmen to unleash terror on Biafraland.
“Therefore, we are calling on our people to be prepared because we are going to take on Fulani terrorists in our land.”
Also, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) decried the alleged recent release of 1,400 Boko Haram insurgents by the military, describing it as a total aberration and a travesty of the law.
Speaking in a joint statement, the organisation’s President General, Goodluck Ibem and Secretary-General, Comrade Kanice Igwe condemned the action by the military authorities.
‘The release of these insurgents who have killed so many civilians, military officers and soldiers, Air Force personnel and other security agents is totally unacceptable.
“This goes a long way to show that the military authorities have no value for the lives of those soldiers, police officers and civilians who were killed by these Boko Haram insurgents.
“How can the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukru Yusuf Buratai recruit people who are enemies to the state back to the mist of the same people they are killing?
“It means that the military authorities are not sincere in his fight to end the havoc caused by these insurgents.
“It is disheartening to see that the military showed all his Force against armless Biafra agitators but when they saw Boko Haram terrorists with dangerous arms and ammunitions they arrested them pampered them and release them to go and cause more havoc.”
They called on Federal Government to re-arrest all the released terrorists.