… says ‘your sponsors behind insecurity in Igboland’

Group laughs at declaration of Biafra State in Finland, calls it a scam

Embattled secessionist and self-proclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra, Simon Ekpa may have got into deeper trouble as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on Sunday, identified his supporters in Finland as the sponsors of the perennial insecurity that has pervaded the South-East geo-political zone of Nigeria.

The IPOB’s declaration against Ekpa and his supporters is coming barely 24 hours after the leadership of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, disowned the detained secessionist and his group, saying it only recognised Nnamdi Kanu and not Ekpa, as the leader of IPOB.

Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo also accused Ekpa of destroying the economy of the South-East and the entire Igboland.

IPOB on Sunday took on the self-proclaimed secessionist leader and his supporters, issuing a statement distancing itself from Simon Ekpa’s supporters over the declaration of the United States of Biafra in Finland.

Recall that on November 21, Ekpa was arrested by Finnish security agents and remanded in prison for allegedly inciting terror in Nigeria.

Ekpa is a promoter of the infamous Monday sit-at-home in the South-East.

The activities of Ekpa, who is a citizen of both Finland and Nigeria, especially on social media, have been declared as fueling the violence in Igbo land.

But following Ekpa’s arrest and detention in Finnish prison, some of his supporters converged on the European country last Friday to declare the United States of Biafra.

However, IPOB in a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, described the declaration as a scam.

According to the statement, “The Noble family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by the great and indomitable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu, wishes to disassociate ourselves from the purported Biafra second declaration by an infamous no-name group.

“The so-called declaration is a scam. There is no room for another Biafra declaration besides the one our eternal leader, Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, declared in 1967.

“IPOB wishes to commend responsible media organisations and social media bloggers in Nigeria and in the diaspora that didn’t give attention to the mockery of the Biafra struggle by infiltrators in Finland and elsewhere.

“However, it is imperative to inform the international community, Biafrans, friends of Biafra, and lovers of Biafra freedom that Biafra has been declared by our eternal leader late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu in 1967.

“What IPOB is doing is to restore the sovereignty of the declared Biafra Independence that was forced to surrender through genocide by the Nigerian and British governments.

“It is sad that some unscrupulous elements who failed in the mission to infiltrate and destroy IPOB went into the jamboree they claimed was Biafra’s second declaration outside the Biafra territory.

“Biafrans and IPOB, in particular, are happy that the fanfare the infiltrators had in Finland this weekend was ignored by all responsible media organizations.”

IPOB said those involved in the Finland event are “among the sponsors of insecurity” in the South-East, alleging that they aim to “destabilise the South-East, divide the people and divert the attention of Biafrans and those sympathetic to the Biafra struggle by making the genuine Biafra struggle unattractive to our people.

“They failed woefully,” IPOB added.

The group called on its members to disregard the “shambolic declaration”, saying those who attended Friday’s event in Finland were scammed by Ekpa’s supporters.