The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has denied allegations that its members or the Eastern Security Network are responsible for recent attacks on security operatives in the Southeast.
In a statement released on Monday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the pro-Biafran group emphasised that the ESN was established solely as an armed vigilante group to counter terrorists posing as herdsmen in the region, not to engage with Nigerian security forces.
“The great family and movement of IPOB wish to state categorically to the general public that IPOB established the ESN as an armed vigilante group to dislodge the Fulani terrorists masquerading as herdsmen in Biafra land and not to confront the Nigerian security forces or otherwise,” the statement read.
IPOB reiterated that since the ESN’s inception in December 2020, its operatives have adhered strictly to their mandate of safeguarding the forests, bushes, and people of the South East.
According to the group, the recent spate of killings in the region should be attributed to the very terrorists they were formed to combat—those nicknamed herdsmen—whom they accuse of widespread violence against both security personnel and defenceless communities across Nigeria.
“These marauding terrorists are responsible for the mass murder of security personnel and defenceless communities in Nigeria. They are also responsible for the mass abductions and rape of women in Nigeria,” IPOB stated
The group further accused the Nigerian government of tacitly supporting these criminals by failing to hold them accountable.
The group also addressed accusations linking them to recent violent incidents, including the killing of Igbo military personnel in Aba, suggesting that such actions are part of a broader effort by the Federal Government to tarnish IPOB’s image.
“We know that the Federal Government sponsors and uses criminal elements and members of their security agencies to commit criminal actions in Biafraland for the purposes of blackmailing IPOB in the global arena,” Powerful said.
IPOB insisted that their movement remains non-violent and peaceful, stressing that if they ever decided to take up arms, the world would be aware of it.
The group maintained that both IPOB and ESN are dedicated to defending the Biafran people against those who seek to harm them and vowed to continue their fight for the restoration of Biafra sovereignty.
“IPOB does not have an Army. We are simply a freedom-fighting movement. IPOB and ESN are fighting for the good of the Biafran people and shall see to the pitiable end of those recruited to fight against the good of our people and the restoration of the Biafra Sovereignty,” the statement added.
