Streets and roads in Enugu metropolis were, yesterday, completely deserted as economic and social activities were grounded to mark the Biafra heroes and heroines’ day in the South East. The report is the same in Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi states.
The celebration is marked by pro-groups on May 30 every year, to pray for those who died during the 1960s Biafra-Nigeria civil war.
This year, it coincided with the Monday sit-at-home, which the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) declared in the fourth quarter of 2021, to put pressure on the Nigerian government to release their detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Our correspondent, who monitored the situation in Enugu, especially around T-Junction Flyover, Timber shed Market, National Open University, Trans Ekulu, Enugu, Roman Store Road, Nowas-Trans Ekulu Road, Abakpa Flyover, and T-Junction Road, among others, reported that those roads were completely deserted.
Kanunta, a brother of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has revealed why Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State failed to win Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential ticket.
According to him, the IPOB and those killed during the massacre of Obigbo were responsible for Wike’s loss at the PDP primaries.
In a tweet, Kanunta dismissed claims that Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto betrayed Wike.
According to Kanunta: “Neither the North, nor Tambuwal betrayed #Wike. Nor was it any Southern disunity.
“It was KARMA that nailed him. The Karma of #Obigbo. The #IPOB was also a factor.
“Clue: Late Buhari won despite his open support for BokoHaram.”
The Indigenous People of Biafra has denied any involvement in the killing of a pregnant woman and her four children in Anambra State.
The group said it strongly condemned the ‘abominable” act, saying that “in Igboland, it is an abomination to kill a pregnant woman. The perpetrators of the heinous crime are certainly not IPOB and could never have been”.
The pregnant woman from Adamawa State, Harira Jubril, with her four kids, was killed when unknown gunmen opened fire on the Isulo community in Orumba North Local Government Area last Sunday.
The gunmen visited two other communities on the same day and killed about five other persons.
The Orumba North LGA is among the communities that the State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has imposed a 6pm to 6am curfew on during a live broadcast on Wednesday.
Soludo described the killings as “barbaric” and “unacceptable” and vowed to fish out the perpetrators and deal with them in accordance with the law.
But the IPOB through its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a statement on Friday, said, “We have always said it that the terrorists were imported into Biafra land to commit the ongoing atrocities all in an attempt to discredit our struggle, demonise IPOB and proscribe it, then lobby and bribe Britain to tag us a terror group with the hope to stop our match to freedom.”
Powerful said those involved in the “barbarity” of killing the Hausa woman and children should wait for the repercussions of the evil they committed against the innocent woman and her children.
He insisted that the criminal elements behind the killing were not IPOB and that they should be prepared to pay for their heinous crime.
He accused the military of harbouring Fulani terrorists in their barracks and giving them ID cards for identification, adding that the terrorists were transferred into the southeast territory.
The statement read in part, “IPOB has severally said that these criminal elements are not part of us and they should allow Hausa do their legitimate business in our land because Hausa too suffer the same fate we are facing in the hands of Fulani terrorists claiming they are herdsmen in Nigeria.
The Indigenous People of Biafra says it has cancelled the May 26 sit-at-home it earlier announced. The group said the move follows the postponement of the court case of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, earlier scheduled to come up on Thursday.
In a statement on Wednesday, IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, urged the people
to maintain restraint and “keep their eyes on the ball”.
Powerful said the announcement became necessary in order to notify their members both home and abroad that Kanu’s court case in Abuja on May 26, has been postponed to June 28.
It said that IPOB was informed by the Federal High Court’s registrar, through its legal counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, that the case was postponed because Justice Binta Nyako was indisposed.
The statement read in part, “IPOB has been informed why and what caused the sudden change of date and we accepted it, we just received the communication from the Federal High Court’s Registrar, through our legal counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, notifying us that the court will no longer be sitting tomorrow, May 26, 2022, on our leader’s case.
“Therefore, there will be no sit-at-home in regard to tomorrow’s case instead sit-at-home will hold on June 28, 2022
Biafra: Troops clear IPOB/ESN enclave, capture cache of arms, ammunition in Imo
Troops of 34 Brigade, Nigerian Army(NA) have captured a cache of arms and ammunition belonging to elements of the dissident group,
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network(ESN), after a gun battle at Amaifeke-Akkatta Road in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo state.
The fire arms and ammunition were recovered during troops’ operations to clear separatists’ hideouts in the general area of Amaifeke – Akkatta road.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Micheal Abattam, who confirmed this to newsmen in Owerri, said “the Command’s Tactical Teams, on 18/5/2022 at about 0600 hours hastily mobilized when it received credible information that the native doctor who prepares charms for fortifications against bullets and knives for group has returned after fleeing the community.”
Narrating how the Police raided the camps, the police said, “with the positive revelations made in course of interrogating the suspects earlier arrested in connection with the killing, the team was able to locate the criminal hideout in Ubah Agwa in Oguta LGA of Imo State and immediately cordoned-off the area and tactically went into the den.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has cautioned General Superintendent of Deeper life Ministry Pastor William Kumuyi against planned crusade in Aba, Abia State.
The group advised him not to go ahead with the crusade in view of the security situation in the Southeast.
In a statement from its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB explained criminals, operating as gunmen, could infiltrate the crusade with the government turning around to blame it on the group.
The statement reads in part: “We wish to advise Pastor Kumuyi of Deeper life Ministry to take note of the security situation in the South East as he comes to Aba for his gospel crusade.
Embattled leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has sent a powerful message to the ‘Unknown Gunmen’ terrorising the South-East region.
Kanu ordered the terrorist group to “stop now”, or “face Biafra judgment in the future”.
Kanu’s message to unknown gunmen was conveyed by a prominent Biafra agitator, Benjamin Madubugwu, after the trial of the IPOB leader on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Apparently displeased with the happenings in the southeast, outspoken Madubugwu said while speaking to the press: “Our leader gave me a message to deliver to our people. Those of you killing people in the name of IPOB, those of you burning properties in our land in the name of IPOB, our leader said you should stop now, or in the future, you will face Biafra judgement.”
Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, on Wednesday, told the Federal High Court, Abuja, that he had been a fan of Liverpool Football Club from childhood.
According to the News Agency Of Nigeria, Kanu disclosed this when his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, complained that the Department of State Services had not been allowing him and other counsel enough time to meet with the IPOB leader whenever they visited him in detention.
After addressing his concern, Nyako jokingly mentioned that she was a fan of Liverpool and asked Ozekhome which club was his favourite. Ozekhome replied that he was also a Liverpool fan.
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