(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 26, 2017 Political activist and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, Nnamdi Kanu, wears a Jewish prayer shawl as he leave his house in Umuahia, southeast Nigeria, to meet veterans of the Nigerian civil war, whose 50th anniversary will be commemorated on May 30. - A Nigerian separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, whose whereabouts were unknown, has been arrested to face trial, the country's justice minister said on June 29, 2021. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Sunday called on the Defence Headquarters to direct its energy to Finland-based legal practitioner, Simon Ekpa who has been terrorising the South East with violence.
IPOB was reacting to the declaration of its Head, Directorate of State, Mazi Chika Edoziem as a wanted person by the Nigerian Defence Headquarters.
But in his response to the declaration, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Lead Counsel for IPOB and its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in a statement, said he would proceed to coury to challenge the declaration.
He said, “I have been inundated with calls and messages from well meaning Biafrans and individuals, expressing their concerns following the purported declaration of Mazi Chika Edoziem, the Head of the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as a wanted person by the Nigerian Defence Headquarters.
“The Indigenous People of Biafra which I am its Lead Counsel, has remained a peaceful global movement, recognised and registered in several countries across the globe; exercising their legitimate rights to self determination which is a right guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and other international laws and statutes.
“Nigerian security agencies are not under any form of illusion about the identity of the chief mastermind of the heinous criminal activities in our land and their foot soldiers. IPOB and my humble self spent months and years shouting on top of our voices vide various publications on the devastating activities of these criminals on our land, and the deliberate attribution of their heinous criminal activities to IPOB.
“The reason for this deliberate attribution of the criminal, murderous and evil activities of Simon Ekpa’s led criminal gangs to the IPOB peaceful global movement, is the consequences of today’s declaration.
“Those who are in a position to continue making this clarification and denouncing the monstrous activities of Ekpa and his gangs, by also distancing them from peaceful activities of IPOB, but deliberately chose to shirk this compelling responsibility for reasons best known to them, are now faced with the terrible consequences of their secret romance with Ekpa.
“I wish to assure all Ezigbo Umuchineke and Biafrans that there is absolutely no cause for alarm. I believe in the rule of law, and be assured that the legality or otherwise of this misguided pronouncement shall be tested in a law court, because I see no justification whatsoever for such pronouncement as it concerns Mazi Chika Edoziem.
“I urge all Ezigbo Umuchineke to remain peaceful and law abiding as they have always been. Justice must certainly prevail in the end.”
