The Apex Socio-cultural Youth organization of Igbo youths worldwide, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), led by Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, reaffirms that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a non-violent self-determination group advocating for a referendum in Nigeria.
Comrade Igboayaka O Igboayaka National President General Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC) and Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Cedric Nweke, Secretary General jointly signed this release and made it available to News men.
The group stated that in the wake of the burning incident at the National Open University Nsu Center and Senator Frank Ibezim’s residence, the immediate past representative of Imo North Senatorial district at the National Assembly in Abuja, several political opportunists have disseminated baseless rumors attempting to implicate the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the egregious act.
Accordingly, “We’re aware in several video clips the Leader of Indigenous People Of Biafra(IPOB). Nnamdi Kanu who is standing an illegal trial by Federal Government has warned against Criminal elements using Ipob name to perpetuate crime in Southeast. Kanu has maintained that he is interested in liberation of Biafra, and stressed that he want Southeast to remain calm and peaceful
“Obviously, since its inception, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has consistently advocated for a non-violent restoration of Biafra. However, the 2021 Owerri Prison break marked a critical turning point.
“It is imperative that Ndigbo retain a vivid recollection of the events that precipitated the current insecurity situation in the SouthEast.
“The Nigerian government has been confronted with the reality of widespread discontent among Ndigbo since 2012, when the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) stepped up its referendum campaign under Nnamdi Kanu’s leadership, revealing the entrenched marginalization, victimization, and animosity towards Ndigbo in Nigeria’s politics.
“In 2015, Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest and subsequent release in 2017 sparked concerns about the suppression of political and economic freedom for Ndigbo. The Operation Python Dance and military action at Afaraukwu Ibeku, Nnamdi Kanu’s hometown, which culminated in killing of over 180 Igbo youths. These incidents have been linked to executive order of President Mohammadu Buhari, supervised by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, and Chief Nnia Nwodo of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
“Nigeria’s SouthEast Geopolitical Zone has traditionally enjoyed peace, but following the 2021 Owerri Prison break, then Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu promptly pointed to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as culpable, mere hours after the event, just to give a dog a bad name.
“The circumstances surrounding the Owerri jailbreak have raised concerns that former President Mohammed Buhari’s administration may have had a role in the incident, possibly in an effort to persuade the international community to designate IPOB as a terrorist organization.
“Owerri Prison, strategically located near Imo State’s Government House, state police headquarters, and 34 Artillery Brigade Obinze, witnessed an unprecedented jailbreak, with over 1800 inmates freed during the four-hours incident. Remarkably, no swift response was mounted by security agencies, including nearby State police command, armed prison personnel, or Government House security, despite the proximity of high-ranking military officers living five poles away from Owerri Prison. The federal government’s attribution of the attack to IPOB has sparked controversy and skepticism.
“Concerns have been raised regarding former President Muhammadu Buhari’s purported involvement with unknown gunmen in the Southeast aimed at discrediting IPOB and categorizing the Indigenous People of Biafra as a terrorist organization.
“We urge the current administration to initiate an investigation into the tenure of former President Mohammadu Buhari, specifically to address the incidents of violence, arson, and destruction that occurred in the Southeast from the Owerri Prison break in 2021 to date.
“We advocate for an exhaustive probe, leveraging forensic expertise, scientific methodologies, pictorial documentation, demonstrative evidence, video footage, and multifaceted investigative approaches, to scrutinize the catastrophic incidents plaguing the SouthEast, Nigeria’s erstwhile peaceful haven, under President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration, especially the Owerri Prison break incident.
“In a genuinely democratic nation, President Mohammadu Buhari and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami would typically be summoned for inquiry regarding the incidents of violence involving the Unknown Gunmen in the Southeast during their tenure.
“It is essential to critically evaluate the factors driving insecurity in the Southeast and resist attributing culpability to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for regional incidents. IPOB upholds its peaceful ideology, striving for the unconditional independence of Igbos and other Old Eastern Nigerian ethnic groups.
“There’s a strong possibility that remnants of the Owerri Prison break in 2021 are being backed by desperate political elements, masquerading as IPOB affiliates and perpetrating crimes in the Southeast.
“Considering the foregoing, those implicating the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the burning of the National Open University Nsu Center and Sen. Frank Ibezim’s residence, especially the recent video clip where they attached the picture of Nnamdi Kanu making claims of burning National Open University Nsu Center and Sen. Frank Ibezim house should reconsider and acknowledge the reality of Security situation in SouthEast.
“We take this opportunity to refute speculation that the Open University Nsu Center’s was intended to use as an IDP camp for Fulani’s, repentant Boko Haram etc. To clarify, the center will cater exclusively, strictly to internally displaced Igbo youth affected by Southeastern insecurity. We’re aware that the recent crisis has displaced a significant number of individuals from Orlu, Oguta, Ohaji Egbema, and,Okigwe Zone, caused by military operations/invasion and violent crimes perpetrated by fake IPOB elements.
“We recommend that His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, Executive Governor of Imo State, consider the National Open University Nsu site and location for the Skill Acquisitions training Center, given its superior facilities and strategic proximity to accommodate youths from Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, and Anambra.
“Strategically positioned, the National Open University Nsu Center in Ehime Mbano facilitates easy accessibility for trainees from Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia, and Anambra, making it a central location for the four SouthEast states.
“Governor Hope Uzodinma should not succumb to politically motivated violence and conspiracies orchestrated by self-serving individuals claiming affinity with IPOB in Ehime Mbano regarding the Skill Acquisitions training Center’s relocation, but rather utilize his executive prerogative to establish a community-led supervisory committee from Nsu clan, tasked with ensuring the center’s exclusive benefit to Southeastern youths through monitored recruitment and establishment processes and work in hand with Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, and Special Adviser to the President on Humanitarian Affairs.
“Governor Hope Uzodinma must prevent criminal non-state actors from exploiting blackmail to derail the human face project, lest this tactic be replicated to impede other socially beneficial projects in Imo state, fueled by political competition, Ohaneze Youth council declared.
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