IPOB: Blame Buhari, Igbo leaders if we decide to take up arms

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) says President Muhammadu Buhari and Igbo leaders should be blamed if it decides to engage in an “armed struggle”.

IPOB, which has been branded a militant terrorist organisation, had always maintained that its agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra is peaceful.

But the military and federal government have accused its members of taking up arms, while justifying its proscription.

In a statement on Monday, Emma Powerful, IPOB spokesman, accused the government and security operatives of bringing violence into the Biafra struggle.

He said: “From inception of this noble and globally respected family of IPOB under the command of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, our sole mission has been to restore Biafra.

“We know that freedom from the concocted contraption called Nigeria is an expensive undertaking, both in terms of human life and resources.

“It was the Nigerian government and her security operatives that brought violence into the Biafran agitation, not IPOB. Should IPOB decide to engage in armed struggle at a future date, the world must hold the government of Buhari, Igbo governors and Ohanaeze Ndigbo responsible.

“They brought war and death to us and they will one day, in the not too distant future, reap what they sowed.”

The group further accused “Igbo political contractors” of trying to bring an end to the quest for Biafra, saying: “such contractors are envious of IPOB’s popularity and its demonstrable feat in the struggle.

“We remain resolute in our quest for independence, no matter the high level of genocide.”