By Seun Opejobi
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, would end sponsored criminality in the Southeast.
IPOB made the call in reaction to the warning by the Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, over the sit-at-home order by Simon Ekpa.
Lagbaja had warned that the Nigerian Army would no longer condone the sit-at-home order in the Southeast.
The group said it’s not responsible for Mondays or failed seven-day and purported two-week sit-at-home orders and enforcement.
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.”
