Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Tuesday held a peaceful rally at the commercial city of Aba, declaring that “our freedom is unstoppable”. It was in response to President Muhammadu Buhari’s vow that an independent Biafra would never become a reality.
Buhari had in a speech in Katsina yesterday reportedly vowed that an independent Biafra would not be allowed to materialise under his watch even if it would lead to Nigeria committing suicide to stop Biafra and any other separatist agitations to disintegrate the nation.
But in a prompt response, IPOB organised the rally, saying that it wanted to send a strong message to Nigeria’s President by quietly rolling out one of its 48 zones on the streets of Aba, barely 24 hours after Mr. President made the disparaging comments about the Biafra independence movement.
IPOB said that its members were thoroughly “provoked” by the President’s statement hence the impromptu decision to show him that “IPOB is fully on ground and totally dedicated to freedom.
Giving reasons for the unplanned peaceful protest, IPOB in a statement issued by its spokesmen, Emma Mmezu and Clifford Iroanya said:
“We are pained by the statement General Buhari made yesterday (Monday) in Kastina, that the whole of Nigerian would rather perish, than our people to be free from bondage. We view that position as the mindset of a deluded man. It is a pity that the man cannot see that this unitary and hostile prison called Nigeria, cannot survive much longer.
“He is clearly not in touch with reality. His belief that killing us in cold blood (as he has been doing) will force us to fall in love with his dream of unitary empire, where injustice, nepotism and hate reign is laughable. Our message to him is short and precise: Our freedom is unstoppable.”
The pro-Biafra organisation further stated that it embarked on the peaceful protest in order “to pay to our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for his tenacity and commitment to truth and to inform him, that political comedians on the payroll of our enemies are busy entertaining the public in their wild claim to IPOB leadership”
Describing those instigating leadership crisis as “despicable clowns” IPOB pointed out that they “have only succeeded in letting the world know that the enemy is scared of (Kanu’s) leadership, even from undeserved incarceration, hence their resort to sponsoring these jesters, in the false hope, that they could instigate fake leadership crises in IPOB”
While declaring that its members “are totally committed body, soul and spirit to Nnamdi Kanu’s leadership, for better for worse (because) on Kanu we stand” IPOB said that those being used to oppose his leadership would all end up in shame as they would never succeed in their efforts to distract the movement.
The group also said that the unplanned peaceful march at Aba was “in solidarity and in honour of over 200 of our members killed in cold blood by this blood thirsty regime and the over 100 others who are still missing and to state to the whole world that (their) death will not be in vain.”
“As the adversaries stagger in confusion, we assure them that no amount of extra judicial killings, false accusation and brutal intimidation will stop our march to freedom. We are about to cross the red sea, we are confident of what will soon happen to pharaoh and his chariots, we can sight the promised land, victory is assured,” IPOB asserted with confidence.
