The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has called on Igbo politicians in the Southeast to put all hands on deck to reduce crime and insecurity in the region and desist from “political witch-hunt.
According to IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, “Recently, the South East Region has become restive due to the activities of federal government-sponsored criminals.
“The violent criminals and kidnappers are sponsored by some foreign interest and their collaborators through their government agents whose interest is to exploit the natural resources in our land.
“South East is known internationally and locally as the most peaceful and safest region in Nigeria. For four consecutive years, South East was recognized by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), as the most secure place in Nigeria.
“However, the Nigerian government and her western allies started sponsoring politicians to recruit criminals to cause insecurity in the South East region for two purposes.
“First, to blackmail IPOB’s peaceful and non-violent movement for Biafra self-determination for a referendum. Secondly, to create insecurity and have a reason to militarize the region for easy exploitation of the natural resources.
“The undemocratic and illegality of the Supreme Court ruling that imposed fourth position to become first as the governor in Imo State was part of the plot to destabilize the South East region. Ever since the governor and some political appointees from Abuja were imposed on Ndigbo and the South East region, the region has not known peace.
“However, IPOB wishes to remind the Nigerian government and the western politicians that Alaigbo is a sacred land. We can not afford to condone the shedding of the blood of the sons and daughters of the Indigenous People of Biafra. We call it aru, which means abomination.”
Shedding the innocent blood of Biafrans to maintain political and economic relevance shall not be condoned. No blood of innocent Biafran should be sacrificed to maintain political and/or economic relevance.
“The Southeast politicians should stop sponsoring political thugs in our region. Similarly, the drug cartels operating along the Orlu axis of Imo State are advised to find legitimate businesses to do in the South East Region and not to destroy Igbo youths.
“All the political and drug-related crimes sponsored by some notorious individuals in the region are helping to fuel the Nigerian government and Western-sponsored insecurity in the East. We are demanding that the political bickering among Ndigbo should stop so that we can be able to separate the common criminals from the foreign-backed criminals who are here to annihilate our people.
“IPOB has already set some watchdogs up to identify individual politicians and drug cartels fueling insecurity in the East. Anyone claiming ignorance of this order from IPOB will regret it.
“IPOB is a global peaceful movement and will take it upon ourselves to ensure that peace reigns in the peaceful region of the South East, especially this upcoming Xmas season. The Southeast region was recognized as the most peaceful and secure region in Nigeria, according to the United Nations Development Program of 2012 to 2016 by their rating.
“IPOB wants to return the region to her former glorious status irrespective of the federal government-sponsored insecurity in the region. That is why we are calling on the Igbo politicians and business people to avoid being agents of destabilization in the region. However, those who fail to heed this clarion call from IPOB to give peace a chance will be treated as enemies. Those paid to destroy Biafran Land will have themselves destroyed. IPOB stands for safe and secure Biafran Land, but the enemies of peace of our land will be visited with vengeance.”