Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, have stated that they support their fellow freedom fighters, the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, describing them as their greatest allies.
While expressing their unflinching support for the Avengers, who they said were fighting for the freedom of the people of Biafra, they noted, “We want to place it on record that IPOB under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has no connection with those groups who are criticizing the avengers, a group that is calling for the release of Kanu, the detained IPOB leader”.
In a statement jointly signed by their Spokesmen, Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Iroanya and made available yesterday, the group warned that should the Nigerian government send its troops to the oil-rich Niger Delta land to fight the Avengers again, as intelligence report was suggesting, it would direct its members to join hands with the Avengers and engage the troops head-on.
IPOB said it was making a reference to a particular group and their leader, who they alleged had been bribed with oil blocks allocations in the oil-rich areas of Biafraland.
The IPOB further accused the said compromised group of having started the ugly incidence of kidnapping in Biafraland, adding that their members were often used as thugs and hired killers for politicians in Nigeria.
The group recalled that the Avengers had consistently made the release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu as a precondition for any discussion with Nigeria.
It added that it was quite unfortunate and disgraceful that the “incompetent and intellectually challenged Nigerian Government” had turned its deaf ear to this demand, while magnifying the notion of amnesty payments and resource control as reasons for the NDA‘s actions.
The statement reads, “For the avoidance of doubt, the Avengers are fighting for the freedom of the people of Biafra and not for amnesty payment or for resource control as some commentators would like to believe.
“When Biafra is finally liberated from the bondage called Nigeria, resources shall be controlled by the owners of the land where those resources are located.
“The perennially incompetent Nigerian Government should stop deceiving the entire world into believing that what the freedom fighters of Avengers are demanding is resource control.
“Amnesty is associated with criminality and a people who are fighting for their freedom should not be unjustly termed criminals.
“The notion and talk of amnesty for our own freedom fighters (the Avengers or NDA) is a misnomer and should be taken out of any discourse.
“On the contrary, amnesty should be granted to the Nigerian Government, especially to those from the criminal class masquerading as elites who unjustly appropriated oil and gas wells and other resources in Biafra land to themselves and their cohorts to the detriment of the masses.
“These robbers should be associated with amnesty for their economic criminality not the Avengers.
“Ironically, most of the leaders of the compromised groups are speaking against the great work that the NDA are doing.
“These shameless scavenging Hausa-Fulani sponsored slaves in Biafraland have placed the needs of their stomach and their families above the overall national interest of the liberation of their people who are under the enslavement of the Nigerian Government in concert with the British Government who have never supported the liberation of any christian country in the world.
“We reiterate that IPOB is totally and absolutely in support of the NDA as they march towards the unconditional liberation of our people from the evil grip of Nigerian Government.
“We plead with the Avengers not to be discouraged by the comments and antics of these so-called leaders of these compromised groups and some other charlatans who parade themselves as freedom fighters.
“The Avengers should know that the only ally they have now is IPOB under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu.
“IPOB is warning the extremist Nigerian Government of Buhari that should they invade any part of Biafraland, as intelligence report indicate they are planning to, then IPOB will order every youth in Biafraland to join the Avengers to defend Biafra land.”