The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has dissociated itself from the purported declaration of the Biafra Republic by some members of the Finland-based group, describing it as a scam.
The pro-Biafran group urged people to disregard the declaration, claiming that individuals who participated in the event in Finland were among the sponsors of insecurity in Nigeria’s southeast region.
Emma Powerful, the IPOB’s spokesman, delivered this statement on Sunday.
Powerful went on to say that those who issued the declaration in Finland intended to destabilise the South-East, divide the people, induce fear, and divert the attention of Biafrans and those sympathetic to the Biafran struggle.
According to him, there is no room for another Biafra declaration other than the one issued by its late leader, Dim Ojukwu, in 1967, and he claims that all those involved in the declaration in Finland are criminals and phoney agents.
The statement read in parts, “The noble family of IPOB led by the leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wishes to disassociate itself from the purported Biafra second declaration by an infamous no-name group.
“The so-called declaration is a scam. There is no room for another Biafra declaration besides the one our eternal leader, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, declared in 1967.
“IPOB wishes to commend responsible media organisations and social media bloggers in Nigeria and in the diaspora that didn’t give attention to the mockery of the Biafra struggle by infiltrators in Finland and elsewhere.
“However, it is imperative to inform the international community, Biafrans, friends of Biafra, and lovers of Biafran freedom that Biafra had been declared by our eternal leader, late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, in 1967.
“What IPOB is doing is to restore the sovereignty of the declared Biafra independence that was forced to surrender through genocide by the Nigerian and British governments. IPOB is calling for a United Nations-supervised referendum for Biafrans so that the declared sovereignty can be restored.
“Biafra cannot be declared for the second time by anyone. It is sad that some unscrupulous elements who failed in the mission to infiltrate and destroy IPOB went into the jamboree they claimed was Biafra’s second declaration outside the Biafra territory. Biafrans and IPOB, in particular, are happy that the fun fare the infiltrators had in Finland this weekend was ignored by all responsible media organisations.”
The group mentioned that persons involved in the purported second declaration in Finland “were among the sponsors of insecurity in the southeast region. Their agenda is to destabilise the South-East, divide the people, and divert the attention of Biafrans and those sympathetic to the Biafra struggle by making the genuine Biafra struggle unattractive to our people. They failed woefully.”
Powerful said IPOB is an informed movement championing the restoration of Biafra sovereignty and freedom and cannot involve itself in self-deception and scamming people with the Biafra project.
“The ‘Autopilot criminals’ making money from some of their ignorant followers to make an international mockery of the Biafra struggle will all pay a price. IPOB will not come after them, but the blood of the fallen heroes of Biafra will chase and hunt them down.
“Those who have funded infiltrators that gathered for a picnic in Finland have been scammed. Now that the infiltrators and agents of provocateurs have declared their independence in Finland, we hope they will enjoy their freedom, stop interfering with IPOB’s peaceful struggle, and end engagement for the restoration of the Biafra Nation.
“This press release is to keep the record straight and to disassociate IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the idiocy exhibited in Finland called Biafra Second Declaration. The Finland Biafra declaration is a pure scam by some agent provocateurs,” added the statement.
