The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Thursday, April 22, 2021, accused President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government of severally attempting to buy over its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Emma Powerful, the IPOB’s publicity secretary, said the Federal Government tried to make Kanu abandon the agitation for Biafra.
Powerful claimed that the Federal Government made some “irresistible offers” but was turned down by Kanu.
The IPOB’s spokesman was responding to a claim by Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu that agitators in the South-East would be crushed.
According to the statement: “The attention of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, under the command and leadership of our great and indomitable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has been drawn over the ranting, derogatory, irresponsible and highly provocative remarks by the Presidency through Garba Shehu that the renewed agitation for self determination in the South East was because the federal government had refused to share money to those behind the agitation. Shehu went further in his vituperations and threatened military action to crush those he referred to as “the animals disturbing the peace of South East.’
“We therefore, challenge Shehu to mention those the federal government has been paying in the South East to drop the agitation for self determination. If he fails to disclose the identifies of the beneficiaries and evidence of such payments, we will take it to be one of the shameless lies which have become the trademark of the Muhamnadu Buhari-led Fulani-controlled federal government.
“Without speaking for other proponents of self determination, we know that the federal government of Nigeria has been making frantic but fruitless efforts to induce the leadership of IPOB with money to possibly drop the quest for Biafran restoration.
“Federal Government has severally but without success, attempted to buy over our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, making him some irresistible offers. But if there were any Efulefus parading self as Igbo leader that acepted their offer, we can assure them that such Efulefus cannot peneterate IPOB. IPOB is not, has never been, and will never be interested in the crumbs from federal government of Nigeria.
“We also wish to remind the Fulani Presidency that only a certified and unconscionable moron will ever equate money to the motive behind the growing agitation for self determination across Nigeria. If money is what we want, we know what to do to get more money. How many times in the past did our leader reject your financial inducements?
“If you know those people that asked the late Buhari, Jubril Al Sudani or Yusuf Abubakar Mohammad for money, we are begging you to please publish their names. As a people, Biafrans are enterprising and we don’t think we are behind any region in terms of affluence and economic security despite the oppressive policies of this 97 percent versus 5 percent Government targeted against our hardworking illustrious sons and daughters and the monopolistic tendencies of the Fulani Janjaweed.
“Our aim for Biafra agitation is freedom! We are tired of sharing a geographical space with terrorists. We are tired of being ruled by government officials who dine and wine with terrorists but brutalise and kill law abiding freedom fighters. We are tired of being ruled by a government that pays ransom to bandits, frees terrorists but jails unarmed protesters. We are tired of oppressive government that promotes nepotism and injustice.”
