By Uche Amunike
The secessionist group known as Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has assured Nigerians that it has banned all forms of protests concerning the current hardship in the zone, stating that there will not be any protest in the South East carried out to that effect, adding that anybody that dares organize any of such protests will regret it .
Speaking through a statement issued by the Spokesman of the pro-Biafran group, Emma Powerful, he maintained that the present hardship in Nigeria should be the concern of Nigerians and not Biafrans, reiterating that organizing a protest in southeast against the economic hardship in the country will only end up putting the south-easterners in danger.
The statement partly read: ‘Following the unprecedented hardship in Nigeria, IPOB ably led by the leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, hereby cautions the people of Biafra not to join any protest against hunger in Nigeria in any South-East territory.’
‘The current hardship in Nigeria should be the concern of Nigerians, not Biafrans. Biafrans are no longer interested in the affairs of Nigeria. Biafrans were abused, intimidated, beaten, and killed and denied voting rights during the election of this present government. Ndigbo were told to wait and that it was their turn to rule, not the turn of Ndigbo.’
‘Anyone who organise any protest against economic hardship in Biafraland will put Biafrans in danger. During the #EndSARS protest, the Federal Government accused Ndigbo of attempting to destroy Nigeria with violence. We don’t want such profiling and targeting to repeat because Ndigbo participated in any Nigerian mass protest.’
‘Ndigbo should leave the current economic hardship in the contraption called Nigeria for Nigerians to deal with because this hardship is what God Almighty has in store for Nigeria for the crimes they have committed against Biafrans between 1967 to 1970 and up to date.’
The statement further explained that even though the South easterners are equally affected by the economic hardship brought about by the reckless and economic policies of the Tinubu-led government, God has been seeing them through.
In the statement, the group worried about the suffering also being experienced by other tribes in the country, but reiterated that there was nothing they could do about it, stating that the current situation in the country is one of the reasons why Biafrans are fighting for their freedom, albeit with wisdom.
They maintained that anybody or group in the southeast that is interested in organizing a protest for the hardship in Nigeria should go to northern or western Nigeria to stage such a protest.
The statement further read: ‘Our region is battling the state-sponsored insecurity, kidnappings, and killings by the Federal Government’s agencies and agents, including terrorists. We have much on our hands to do. We will not allow anyone or any group to use the arrangement of protests to import more agents of destabilization into our territory.’
‘ESN is ready to take on the government’s agents who will want to organise hunger protests in Biafraland. Therefore, the IPOB intelligence unit must be on high alert to identify those planning to destabilise Biafraland with senseless Nigeria hunger protests. But Biafrans will come out of this one too unscathed. We will see how serious Nigerians are and how well they are handling the protest.’
‘Biafrans should call IPOB’s inquiry lines if any person or group are found planning to stage a Nigerian hunger protest in our territory. If we catch anyone organizing hunger protests in Biafra land, they will have ESN Operatives and IPOB volunteers to contend with, and the person will ‘smell pepper.’
