From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has emphasised that its vigilante outfit, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) is not formed to attack Nigerian security agents but herdsmen destroying farmlands in the Southeast.
Spokesman of the group, Emma Powerful who disclosed this in a statement he released to newsmen also noted that it’s a misconception linking ESN to a Biafra army.
Similarly, the group has distanced itself from the recent killings of security agents in the zone especially Abia and Imo State.
His statement reads in part “The Nigerian government knows those who take responsibility for crimes committed in Biafraland, and those people are neither IPOB nor ESN, why does the Nigerian government ignore them and accuse ESN and IPOB of what they had no knowledge about?
“IPOB has consistently disassociated ourselves from all and any criminal group operating in BiafraLand. This sponsored violent group has repeatedly taken responsibility for the attacks on the Nigerian Security Agencies, yet the Nigerian Government maliciously refuses to call out the perpetrators by their names, instead they tag their violent activities on IPOB.
“The Nigeria media working in tandem with the Nigerian government establishment will often maliciously label the violent crimes and group as a faction of IPOB, but IPOB never had and will never have any faction.
“Again, IPOB does not have an Army. We are simply a freedom fighting movement . Therefore, when a bunch of criminals address themselves as an Army, how does that relate to IPOB?
“It goes to show the real intent of the Nigerian government and any other entity associating IPOB with people who call themselves Biafra Liberation Army.” Powerful stated.
However differentiating its group from other Biafra agitators he said “Any Biafran group that is not under the command and control of IPOB’s leadership, the Directorate of States (DOS) of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is not part of IPOB’s global family.
” Therefore, the Nigerian Government, the Nigerian Security Agencies and the Nigeria media should continue in their deliberate act of faighning ignorance of not knowing the difference between IPOB/ESN and the violent groups they set up for the purposes of tarnishing the image of IPOB in the global arena.” Powerful said.