From
Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has
debunked insinuations that it has set up a standing army, stressing that what
it established is a vigilance group, Biafra Security Service, (BSS)
They stated that the
intention is to gather intelligence and ensure that criminal elements do not
compromise the safety and welfare of people residing in Biafraland.
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| (BSS) |
Powerful said that
members of the group were naturally peace loving people. He also dismissed as
untrue the story that made the rounds that the leader of the group, Mazi Nnamdi
Kanu, made uniforms for members of the vigilance group.
He noted that IPOB was
interested in the well being of the people and ready to ensure the safety of
its people returning from the North over the October 1 quit notice served on
Igbo people in the North by a coalition of Arewa youths.
His words: “Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB, did not sew any uniform for these volunteers
erroneously called Biafra soldiers. There is no standing Biafra Army and we
emphasize the word NO. We have security volunteers just like you have vigilance
groups. IPOB is legitimately concerned about the well being and safety of
Biafrans all over the world.
“With October 1, 2017
looming, it has fallen on IPOB to ensure the welfare, safety and well being of
Biafrans returning home to prevent what happened in 1966 from happening again.
IPOB will not fold its arms and watch Hausa Fulani Janjaweed embark on another
orgy of bloodbath directed at southerners living in the North. That’s why BSS
was inaugurated to gather intelligence and to safeguard those returning home to
Biafraland from the North.
“IPOB is against all
forms of lawlessness, from the menace of Fulani herdsmen to kidnapping, armed
robbery and cattle rustling. All these vices will be stamped out in the coming
months without recourse to armed confrontation.”
On what the
development portends, Powerful said: “It means that Biafraland will be the
safest part of Africa where inward investments will drive the new
industrialization policy championed by IPOB. We are concerned about the high level
of hopelessness brought about as a direct result of decimation of the
socio-economic landscape in Biafraland. High level of both youth and adult
unemployment, galloping inflation indices, unbearable hardship leading to
premature deaths everywhere. Biafrans can no longer tolerate this unacceptable
level of human degradation.”
Asked if the world was
seeing the initial stage of the militarization of IPOB, against the background
of the establishment of BSS, Powerful retorted: “IPOB can never be militarized
because we are naturally peace loving people. More importantly, we consider
peaceful agitation to be far more potent than armed struggle, so IPOB will
never resort to armed struggle.”
He observed that IPOB
was not unmindful that some hawks who have been responsible for the hard line
stance of the Federal Government towards Kanu prior to his release on bail were
ever ready to cause trouble for the group by denigrating its name.
He said: “There are
those who are naturally incompetent at running government that litter the
corridors of power in Abuja, who see jumping on the anti-Kanu bandwagon to hide
their incompetence and wickedness towards the masses. They are the same people
that arranged for Almajiri children to attack Charly Boy who was merely
expressing his opinion.
“These evil men at Aso
Rock will go out of their way to foment trouble for IPOB. These are the evil
men plunging Nigeria into crisis not IPOB.”
On whether Kanu was on
a headlong quest for martyrdom, Powerful said: “Our leader has made it abundantly
clear of his preparedness to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the
restoration of Biafra. Therefore, threatening him with arrest, detention or
anything else makes no impression on him. There is nobody like our leader and
by the end of this epic battle mankind will testify that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a
special breed. History will define and remember this generation because of
Nnamdi Kanu and nobody else.read more
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