The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB on Thursday gave assurances that it has no plans whatsoever to attack Northerners or all non-Igbos resident in the Southeast.
The IPOB gave the assurances in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, in reaction to an internal memo its intelligence unit allegedly intercepted from the Nigeria military.
It alleged the reference numbder of the memo from the Nigeria military headquarters, Gariki Abuja is AHQ DAOPS/G3/240/197/1 dated 5th of May 2022 and dispatched to 82 division Enugu.
Also, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN in the Southeast had also raised the alarm on unwarranted attacks on their members in the region.
But in the statement by Powerful, the IPOB noted that it is only Igbos that will defend or take the side of a visitor or sojourner in their land against his own brother/sister because their culture and the land of ‘Biafra’ forbids injustice.
It described the memo as a figment of the imagination of the purveyors, claiming it is aware of the plan of the Nigerian army together with other security agencies to instigate violence in Biafra land as well as other parts of Nigeria, and point their fingers at IPOB, a peaceful freedom movement.
“We saw them play this out during the Ghana- Nigerian match at the MKO Stadium in Abuja even though they had credible intel that Fulani terrorist were planning to attack the stadium.
“Their intention then was to create distrust between Biafrans and Yoruba nation. Now they want to try same game by this attempt to create distrust and confusion between Biafrans and Northerners living in Biafraland with the singular aim of jeopardizing and endangering the lives of Biafrans resident in Northern Nigeria,” it said.
The pro-group alleged that the Nigerian Army working in collaboration with the Nigerian DSS must know that their gimmicks and antics are dead on arrival “because IPOB has continued to protect non-indigenes resident in Biafraland against any form of intimidation or attack from Fulani terrorist Herdsmen.”
The IPOB leadership called on all residents in Biafraland both Biafrans and non Biafrans to ignore the information from the Nigerian Army Headquarters and assured them of their safety, urging them to go about their businesses anywhere in Biafraland without fear of molestation.
“The only people that are not and will not be welcomed in Biafraland are Fulani terrorists masquerading as herdsmen who are destroying our farmlands with their unclean cows, molesting and raping our mothers, sisters and wives farming in our bushes and forests and murdering our people doing their legitimate farm work.
“It is now imperative for the Nigeria military whose highest echelons as well as new recruits are dominated by Fulani terrorists masquerading as Nigeria army, to recall their kinsmen occupying any space in our bushes and forests to vacate those places forthwith.
“IPOB is a peaceful freedom movement that is a given.
“However, we have a duty as a people to protect our land and our people against Fulani terrorist Herdsmen.
“We are not begging fulani terrorists to vacate our farmlands and forest, but we will chase them out of our bushes and forests where they stay to kidnap, kill and rape our mothers, wives and sisters in the farms.
“Nigeria military should be appreciative that we are helping them to stop fulani terrorist.
“Now ask yourself, why can’t the Nigerian army also cooperate with us against the common enemy the Fulani terrorist hiding in our forests?
“Instead of appreciating us for helping to checkmate the activities of these mass murderers, the Nigeria army are after us.
“Northerners and other non Biafrans living in Biafraland, so long as you are not committing any crime in our land should not entertain fears especially the Hausa people living with us here.
“Biafrans have absolutely nothing against Hausa people and the Hausa community in Biafraland because they are also victims of Fulani terror and manipulation.
“What we are after are fulani terrorist masquerading as herdsmen who are raping our mothers, sisters and wives in the bushes and forests.
“The land of Biafra forbids that this generation will fold their arms and allow our land to be overrun by Fulani terrorist Herdsmen from the foothills of Futa Jailon.
“We are calling on the international community, Amnesty International, reputable human rights organisations across the globe, all diplomatic missions in Abuja, America government, British government, Russia government, Israeli government, Australia government, Canada government, German government, UNITED NATIONS (EU), European Union, African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and other relevant bodies under UNITED Nations to understand that we are not chasing non indigenes Iiving in our territory.
“We are only defending our innocent and hapless people abandoned to their fate by the security forces,” Powerful said.
