Ipob warns Mend to stop meddling in its affairs and focus on its own negotiations

IGBO separatist group the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) has warned the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) and it’s agents to leave their leader Nnamdi Kanu alone and focus on their own dialogue with the federal government.

 

Earlier this week, Mend alleged that Radio Biafra director and Ipob leader Nnamdi Kanu has entered into a pact with the federal government under which he has agreed to renounce Biafra in exchange for his freedom. Mr Kanu, who heads Ipob has been in detention since October last year when he was arrested upon arriving in Nigeria from the UK.

 

Several Igbo leaders have held talks with the government to find a solution to the ongoing agitation for secession in southeast Nigeria, however, so far Mr Kanu's hardcore supporters have been talking tough. Several of them have even claimed to have entered into a pact with Mend and other groups in the Niger Delta to secede from Nigeria together.

 

However, Mend spokesman Jomo Gbomo, has accused Mr Kanu of agreeing to secretly renouncing Biafra in exchange for his freedom, only to act hypocritically in public after  discussions on the matter. However, when Mr Kanu was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja, on June 20, he disassociated Ipob from Mend.

 

Ipob spokesman Emma Powerful, said: “We are not joining issues with Gbomo Jomo and Mend again because Ipob is a mass movement that have branches and intellectuals all over the world. The leader of Ipob, Nnamdi Kanu with all due respect is bigger and greater than MKO Abiola, so, the comparison doesn’t arise.

 

“Nnamdi Kanu is not seeking rulership of Nigeria like Abiola that could reasonably bring him into conflict with entrenched northern interests whose sole desire is to continue ruling Nigeria. What is baffling and a unique problem in Africa is the inability of conscientious people to rise up and insist on the truth.

 

He asked why the world would not compel President Muhammadu Buhari to obey a simple court order in a country that claims to know the meaning of the rule of the law. Mr Powerful asked why we should not be clamouring for adherence to the rule of law rather than encouraging dictatorship by insisting that there must be some kind of rejection of one's identity in order to be spared.

 

“Nigerians  should know better that executive powers lie with Buhari but not judicial or legislative. The combined power of the two arms - judiciary and legislature is definitely more than that of the presidency.

 

“Instead of our leader to renounce Biafra, he would renounce Nigeria publicly, mark our words. We are not after securing bail for our leader but we are after his freedom and freedom for the people of Biafra," Mr Powerful added.