IPOB’s Q&A June 03, 2024. EASTERN PILOT Reporter: Biafra FirstSon IPOB PRESS RELEASE 1. The military has confirmed the killing of 5 so...
IPOB’s Q&A
June 03, 2024.
EASTERN PILOT Reporter: Biafra FirstSon
IPOB PRESS RELEASE
1. The military has confirmed the killing of 5 soldiers and 6 other civilians by IPOB, your thoughts on this, sir.
Response.
We condemn the attack on the military at Aba, Abia State on 30th May 2024. However, the Nigerian Army erroneously accused IPOB of the attack and killing of their colleagues. I can authoritatively confirm with you that IPOB is not responsible for the said attack. We are innocent of the accusations from the Nigerian Army. However, we are not perturbed because the Nigerian Army is at the forefront of blackmailing IPOB. It may not be out of place for the Nigerian Army to collude with criminals to attack their soldiers at Aba just to blackmail IPOB and desecrate the Biafra Heroes Day. We have seen it happen in Imo State and Anambra States. By the way, how come the Nigerian Army concluded an investigation within 15 hours of the attack and concluded that it was IPOB that carried out the attack? We challenge them to make the results of their investigation public.
The Nigerian military, Nigerians, and the International Community must understand that the Biafra agitation anchored by IPOB has been peaceful irrespective of the provocative actions of the Nigerian Security Forces. Globally, the IPOB movement has been peaceful without any criminal or violent records. But in Nigeria, we are being blackmailed continually by the oppressive government and her security forces. On 30th May, 2024, IPOB family members and Biafrans sat at home mourning their fallen heroes, hence had no business attacking soldiers who were not in any way a threat to our civil disobedience (sit-at-home). IPOB is not violent and has no hands in the attack and murder of Nigerian soldiers and civilians at Aba, Abia State on Biafra Heroes Day.
2. The Nigerian Army has also promised to retaliate against the attack on its troops. What are your views?
Response :
It is the hubby of the Nigerian Army to kill innocent people. They never go after armed criminals, particularly those who were sponsored to impersonate IPOB and ESN. The Nigerian Security Forces will allow the assailants to attack successfully, after which they return to the communities and launch counter-offenses on innocent civilians. Nigerian Army is notorious for the illegal abduction and massacre of civilians in retaliation after they lost the battle to armed criminals, particularly in Biafra Land. Instead of using intelligence gathering to go after armed criminals, they will bounce on the innocent unarmed civilians they were meant to protect. Sadly, the Nigerian Army never massacres civilians and destroys the homes of civilians in the Northern region where terrorists and bandits murder them constantly. IPOB calls on the Nigerian Army to be professional. They should go after the assailants and leave innocent IPOB members and Biafran civilians alone. Blackmailing IPOB with sponsored murder will not stop
Biafra agitation. Moreso, the Nigerian government should shun the agenda of using sponsored attacks to scuttle the development going on in Abia State. IPOB calls on Abia State Governor to be on guard.
3. On whose order is IPOB acting? President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has stated that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was not in support of the sit-at-home order.
Response:
The 30th of May is a BIAFRA HEROES REMEMBERANCE DAY. It was initiated by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB worldwide as an annual event to honor fallen Biafra heroes and heroines. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not against the sit-at-home of
May 30th in respect of BIAFRA HEROES REMEMBERANCE DAY. Recall that before the bloody massacre of IPOB Members by murderous Nigeria Security Agencies in Aba, Anambra, and other cities on May 30th, 2016, IPOB conducted an open rally in commemoration of the Biafra Fallen heroes Remembrance across Biafran Land. But, due to the brutal military massacre during IPOB's, peaceful rallies, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and IPOB leadership decided to adopt sit-at-home as a civil disobedience strategy to remember our fallen heroes and heroines. Since then, May 30th of every year has been known by the Nigerian government and all Biafrans, including Chief Iwuanyawu, as a BIAFRA HEROES Day. Perhaps Chief Iwuanyawu is confusing Monday sit-at-homes with May 30th sit-at-home. As for Monday's sit-at-home, it was initiated by IPOB's DOS to pressure the Nigerian Government to produce Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to court after he was kidnapped and kept incommunicado by the Fulani rogue Government of Mohammed Buhari However, after the first and second successful Monday sit-at-homes, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu sent a message to IPOB'S leadership to suspend the Monday sit-at-home because of the economic and security implications. IPOB suspended the Monday sit-at-home order. Unfortunately, the double agent in Finland hijacked it and turned it into a criminal venture. Simon Ekpa tacitly supported by some of the government and other enemies of IPOB recruited criminals who claimed to be IPOB and ESN and used our name to commit heinous crimes in the name of enforcing Monday's sit-at-home every Monday. If Chief Iwuanyawu is saying that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is against Monday's sit-at-home, he is right, but if he is referring to the 30th May sit-at-home, he is completely misrepresenting our Leader.
3. IPOB declared a sit-at-home to remember the Biafran heroes, who the country doesn't recognize, nor did the State Governors in the Southeast support it. Why go ahead with it?
Response.
IPOB are Indigenous people. We do not need permission from anyone or the government to remember our fallen heroes. You don't need anyone to tell you how to mourn your dead ones. To us, the Biafra living and fallen heroes and heroines are the reason why the Nigerian and British governments didn't annihilate us during the Biafra Genocidal War. We do not expect the Nigerian government to support the remembrance and honor of Biafran heroes. It was to avoid remembering Biafra heroes that the Nigerian government banned history as a subject in Nigerian schools. What do you expect from such a government? Moreso, you said that the Eastern Governors do not support the Biafran Heroes Day celebration. Well, you can never be sure. What we know is that almost every Biafran supports the celebration of Biafra Heroes Day. However, out of fear of repression from the Nigerian government and her murderous security forces or out of political expediency, many Biafrans seem to be neutral. But be sure that 98% of Biafrans home and abroad have the spirit of Biafra in them.
5. Why is it that on May 30th IPOB wants to be recognized as a Biafran day, knowing it was the same day that Biafrans declared secession from Nigeria? Is there any other day that would be preferable, like the Armed Forces Day on Jan 15, which was the day the Biafrans surrendered?
Response:
Biafrans did not declare secession. Biafra was a separate nation before Britain amalgamated us and other Indigenous nations into an unworkable and bloody union called Nigeria. Biafrans declared Independence from Nigeria for self-preservation and self-dignity. Moreover, the declaration of Biafra Independence on May 30, 1967, became expedient after the Nigerian and British governments reneged on the Aburi Agreement. Aburi Agreement was negotiated to allow Biafrans and other regions to have some autonomy, which is the same as the restructuring some political jobbers are canvassing today. After the Biafra Independence was declared, the Nigerian and British Governments launched the genocidal war of annihilation against Biafrans for daring to be on their own. For us in IPOB, we chose May 30th as a Biafra Day because that day marked the birth of the Biafra Nation. May 30th of every year must be remembered and honored even after Biafra Nation has been restored.
6. We understand that IPOB is asking for Biafra, and you say that a separate Biafra is a just cause, declaring sit-at-home which denies people their fundamental rights of liberty. Should the journey for that then be unjust, restricting their freedom and lives being endangered?
Response:
Biafra Independence is a just cause because of the unabated injustice and persecution of Ndigbo in Nigeria. Mind you, IPOB did not restrict people's freedom and movement on 30th May. Biafrans voluntarily heeded IPOB's appeal for a day sit-at-home to honor Biafran Heroes and heroines. There was no enforcement of any kind. It is a fact that if Biafrans go on the street to honor their heroes in their own way, the overzealous and ethnic bigotry triggers happy Nigerian Security Forces will gun them down at any slightest provocations. IPOB, being the only reliable and trusted State Actor in Biafra Land, understands how barbaric Nigerian Security Forces can decide to advise Biafrans to sit at home and honor our heroes. For instance, the sponsored attack on Soldiers at Aba last 30th May would have been an opportunity for the Nigeria murderous Army to massacre our people and blame it on IPOB and ESN if that day was not a sit-at-home. The mention of Biafra alone can provoke the murderous Nigeria Security Forces to kidnap or shoot Biafrans.
IPOB understands that we are dealing with a brutal and repressive Government, therefore, the safety and security of our people were considered before asking our people to sit at home on Biafra Heroes Day.
7. Are all the South-Easterners in support of the IPOB agitation for a separate Biafra?
Response:
What happened at the just concluded May 30th Biafra Heroes Day celebration in all the Eastern regions will tell you that our people support IPOB-led Biafra agitation. If the Nigerian government thinks otherwise, they should organize a referendum or plebiscite to confirm.
8. The call for self-determination has no place in the constitution. Shouldn't this then be channeled to the NASS, which the law states is the right platform for such discussions, why the streets?
Response:
Self-determination is enshrined in the international law of the United Nations, domesticated and ratified by the African Charter. Many nations, including Nigeria, are signatories to the UN and African Charter. Nigeria must abide by the international laws they signed. Therefore, self-determination is part of the Nigerian Constitution. Since the Nigerian government has refused to obey international laws and their laws, IPOB chose the use of civil disobedience as one of the measures to pursue this self-determination project by the Indigenous People of Biafra worldwide.
COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL, MEDIA, AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB.
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