The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said saboteurs and traitors within its ranks are the ones forcing the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), not to release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement on Sunday, the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Mr Emma Powerful, claimed that the alleged saboteurs and traitors held a meeting with Buhari and advised the President not to release Kanu.
The statement also claimed that the “enemies of the freedom struggle,” after meeting the President in Aso Rock, misinformed him that IPOB and the Eastern Security Network had been defeated.
The group, therefore, advised the President not be deceived by what it described as “blacklegs and sacked members of the movement,” who are feeding him with fake information about IPOB and the ESN for pecuniary interests.
It also cautioned the Federal Government against the dangers of its continuous interruption with the judicial processes in the case against Kanu, saying if it was sure of its allegations against the IPOB leader, it should not be afraid of allowing the court to operate freely and independently.
It stated that Kanu would defeat the Federal Government in any court of law, both local and international, because it had no case against him, adding that the only thing that could save the country was a “referendum date for the people of Biafra, because the world is keenly watching.”
The statement read in part, “Our intelligence captured what transpired at a meeting between these saboteurs and the President in Aso Rock. In the meeting, these traitors concluded with the Presidency that Kanu should not be released, claiming erroneously though, that IPOB and the ESN have been defeated, which are lies.
“Our attention has also been drawn to the statement by President Buhari that he will not release our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We know that this new posture by Buhari, after he had earlier promised a delegation of Igbo leaders that he would look at their appeal to consider a political solution for Kanu, was not unconnected with the visit by some foreign-based traitors and enemies of our struggle.
“But we want to tell Buhari that he is going to make a mistake capable of consuming Nigeria should he fail to release Kanu because these bunch of criminals he had a meeting with were not giving him correct information about IPOB and the ESN outfit.
“Why should the Federal Government be releasing bandits and terrorists wreaking havoc across the country, but fail to release freedom seekers? If they have a case against him, let them come straight to the court and stop coming from the backdoor.”
The group said if the Federal Government remained neutral and allowed the judicial processes to flow freely, Kanu was capable of defending himself in the court.
It added, “Kanu and IPOB will defeat them both at local and international courts; the only thing that can save Nigeria is a referendum date for the people of Biafra, because the world is keenly watching.
“IPOB is too big for them to comprehend and they could not phantom IPOB and its operational strategy when they were in IPOB. The people who visited the President promised to help him crush IPOB and the ESN, but unfortunately, they cannot achieve that; actually, they will be disappointed.”
