The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has once again dissociated itself from the violent enforcement of sit-at-home exercise across the South-East.
The separatist group pointed out that if the Federal Government really wanted insecurity to end in the South-East, it should release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, unconditionally from detention as pronounced by the courts.
In a statement by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Friday, IPOB condemned the statement credited to the Nigerian Army linking it to the incessant sit-at-home orders and enforcement in the region.
Powerful said, “The Army Chief, Taoreed Lagbaja, will not claim ignorance of all the previous press releases written by IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu disassociating ourselves from Simon Ekpa and his criminal sit-at-home enforcers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, IPOB is not responsible for Mondays nor failed seven-day and purported two-week sit-at-home orders and enforcement. The reckless and abusive sit-at-home strategy is from the autopilot group led by Simon Ekpa. We have consistently made it known that Simon Ekpa and his autopilot group are not IPOB members and do not represent Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in their violent enforcement of sit-at-home orders.
“If indeed the Federal Government and her security agencies are interested in the peace of the South-East, they should release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally as pronounced by the Appeal Court of Nigeria in Abuja, and see their sponsored criminal agents using Kanu’s detention to perpetrate crime go into oblivion and fade away.”
The group cautioned the army chief against unleashing terror on the South-East people in the guise of going after sit-at-home enforcers, adding that “the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not toe the same line of the past government.”