By Oluwayanmife Ayobami
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has recently made shocking allegations against the Nigerian federal government, claiming that over 20,000 Igbo people have either been killed or declared missing since 2013.
IPOB, a pro-Biafra group, accused the government of pursuing ethnic hatred against the Igbo through arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, and illegal detentions carried out by the police, military, and Department of State Services.
According to IPOB, the federal government has perpetuated a long-standing policy of ethnic hatred against Biafrans both before and after the Nigeria-Biafra war.
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DSS detainees are innocent IPOB Biafran citizens
The group explained that this ongoing animosity is what prompted its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to spearhead the Biafra self-determination movement, aiming to protect the Igbo people from further profiling and discrimination.
IPOB drew the attention of President Bola Tinubu to what they perceive as the humiliation and victimization of Igbo individuals by the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies.
They alleged that the South East zone, predominantly Igbo territory, has been heavily militarized with security agents who exhibit bias, resulting in the abduction and execution of Igbo youths.
95% of the inmates are innocent Biafrans
Comrade Emma Powerful, the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, further claimed that Boko Haram insurgents held in military detention facilities in the North have been released without facing trial, while innocent Biafrans, particularly Igbo people, are unlawfully incarcerated.
Powerful stated that these innocent individuals are often extorted for large sums of money, falsely branded as IPOB or Eastern Security Network (ESN) members, and subsequently executed.
Moreover, many abducted victims are held incommunicado, leaving their families unaware of their whereabouts.
This genocide is going on a daily basis
IPOB also criticized the prevailing state of “genocide” that occurs on a daily basis in Nigeria, a country that prides itself on being a democracy.
They emphasized that numerous Igbo youths are unjustly killed or abducted without facing any charges throughout the nation.
The group also criticized the government for allegedly supporting violent criminals in the South East region to justify the military siege in the area.
The pro-Biafra group highlighted the irregular process through which IPOB was proscribed in 2017, accusing the Nigerian government of denying them legal representation and disregarding due process.
IPOB’s legal team has been challenging this proscription at the Court of Appeal since 2018, but the scheduled hearings have been consistently suppressed by the Nigerian government.
IPOB is not violent
They concluded by asserting that their movement is peaceful and has never engaged in any act of terrorism.
They criticized the government’s clampdown on IPOB while allegedly maintaining close ties with terrorists in the North, branding it a clear case of ethnic profiling, hatred, and dehumanization.
The Nigerian government is yet to officially respond to these allegations made by IPOB.
READ ALSO: Imam of Peace sets Twitter agog with support for Biafra
The pursuit of the Biafra Republic is non-negotiable: Warlord Nnamdi Kanu reveals
In another news, the spokesperson and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has pledged and reassured his followers that he is ready to pursue the actualisation of the Biafra Republic to the logical conclusion.
Nnamdi Kanu made these vows while in detention of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja due to being accused of treason.
Kanu, who is being tried in court and still held down for further investigation, delivered his statement through his personal lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, on his Twitter account.
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