Igbo separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has distanced itself from the recent declaration of a Biafran Government in Exile by leader of breakaway IPOB-Auto-Pilot group, Simon Ekpa, saying the government in exile does not have the blessings of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
IPOB in a statement issued by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Sunday night, said it was appalled with the declaration by Ekpa who had since been expelled from the group.
The group said the online inauguration of autopilot group called Biafra Government in Exile and their Liberation Army was the handiwork of “double agents sponsored by Nigerian government to ridicule IPOB, which has failed on arrival.”
Powerful stated that though IPOB has consistently dissociated from the autopilot groups, “the agent provocateurs keep associating their criminal activities and actions to IPOB, Eastern Security Network (ESN) and Nnamdi Kanu, because they were sent to distract and deter our movement. But we have defeated them and will always defeat them, as well as their sponsors.”
“We are alerting the international community, the Nigerian media and the general public to note that IPOB and Kanu are not part of these antics and games coming from Federal Government with the so-called Biafra Government in Exile and their Liberation Army.
“At no time in this struggle has Kanu or IPOB’s leadership declared armed struggle or formed a Biafra army. What IPOB formed and inaugurated was armed vigilantes called ESN.
“Autopilot has no business with ESN, though they have been using ESN’s name to defraud people.
“Therefore, autopilot and its so-called Biafra Government in Exile with their Liberation Army are not part of IPOB or ESN, nor do they have any link or association with our leader Kanu.
“We are making this public statement so that United Nations (UN) and other interested groups will take note so as not to link IPOB with autopilot and their foolishness. IPOB is wiser than they think.
“IPOB is a peaceful and legally registered organisation in many countries of the world seeking independence from the Nigerian state.
“On the other hand, the so-called Biafra Government in Exile is a factional member of autopilot. None of them is an IPOB member,” the statement reads.
(Ripples)