The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has stated its condition to bring the current state of insecurity in the Southeast to a complete end.
The proscribed group explained that the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, would end sponsored insecurity in the Southeast with immediate effect.
IPOB issued the call in response to Chief of Army Staff Taoreed Lagbaja’s warning about Simon Ekpa’s sit-at-home order.
Lagbaja has previously stated that the Nigerian Army will no longer tolerate the Southeast’s sit-at-home order.
A statement by IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, reads: “IPOB worldwide condemns the statement credited to the Nigerian Army linking IPOB to the incessant and destructive sit-at-home orders and enforcement in the Southeast.
“The Army chief, Gen Lagbaja Taoreed, 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.
“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 Nigeria government and her security agencies are interested in the peace of the Eastern Region, they should release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally, as pronounced by the Appeal Court of Nigeria in Abuja, and see their sponsored criminal agents using Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s detention to perpetrate crime go into oblivion and fade away.”
Recall that Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff, directed troops to seize control of locations where the Indigenous People of Biafra are enforcing their sit-at-home order across the South-East states.
The decision came after a pro-Biafra agitator living in Finland, Simon Ekpa, organized a two-week sit-in in the South-East region beginning July 31.