There is
confusion over the whereabouts of the leader of the Indigenous People of
Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu in the aftermath of the recent clash the
group had with the military in Aba, Abia State.
The Army had allegedly invaded the home
of the IPOB leader at Afara Ukwu, Umuahia, Abia State, in the ongoing
military exercise in the South-east tagged operation Python Dance II.
IPOB has claimed that about 22 of its members were killed while several others injured during the clash.
The Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Mr. Emma Powerful, told news men yesterday that after the military onslaught, the whereabouts of Kanu, his father and mother were still unknown.
Powerful alleged that the Army killed
many members of the group in Kanu’s house and took some others away
during the invasion, wondering whether Kanu and his parents were part of
those that were killed or whisked away to unknown destinations.
A
top military source, who spoke with news men yesterday on the
condition of anonymity, however, said the claim that soldiers either
killed or arrested Kanu and his parents was untrue.
“We
did not arrest Kanu or any member of his family. His father is very old
and looks frail and many Nigerians saw him when he attended a meeting
with over 300 traditional rulers last week. So, we could not have
arrested him because we did not want to have a casualty in our hands,”
the source said.
Meanwhile,
a top member of IPOB told news men yesterday that Kanu was safe and
remained resolute in his resolve to ensure that the people of South-east actualize Biafra soon, despite recent developments. The
source, who spoke in a telephone interview and does not want his name
in print, said the action of the military and the South East governors
would have no effect on their leader or IPOB. He said: “Kanu cannot
abandon the struggle; people are allowed to say what they want to say or
speculate on whatever they want to speculate upon. Kanu is a
non-violent freedom fighter and there is no way he could run away or go
underground. For the fact that the military did not see him to kill the
day they invaded his home does not mean he has run away or gone
underground; far from that. Kanu for all I know has started this
struggle and he would fight to the end.
“Like
him or hate him, he is a dogged fighter who does not give in cheaply;
it doesn’t matter what people say. They can twist where it will please
them but one thing is certain, he forever remains on the side of
justice.” The source
stressed: “Kanu cannot go underground for whatever reason. The IPOB
leader is not afraid because he has not done anything wrong to anyone.
What he has focused on over the years was to attack the policies, the
conditions that affect everyone. I don’t know why they attempted to kill
him.” According to the source, IPOB is not built on Kanu and would
continue to function even after him.
He
added: “It is so structured that even if the founder dies today, the
group will forge ahead. IPOB is an institution that has tentacles beyond
the shores of the country. Therefore, the question of the group being
in disarray is out of place.
While
debunking the terrorist tag given to IPOB by the Defence Headquarters
last Friday, the source said: “Kanu has never attacked anyone. The
non-violent movement will surely continue, whether they call it
terrorist group or not. We remain non-violent and nobody can stop it as
long as we are not taking up arms; we are not killing anybody.
“We
are not surprised at the decision of the Nigerian military to declare
IPOB a terrorist group. They have been looking for this opportunity and I
tell you that it is another way of their continued annihilation of the
Igbo nation. The whole world knows we are not violent and will continue
to be; nobody can stop us.
“This justice Kanu is preaching also
affects everything in this country called Nigeria. Until people
understand this, including the military, they will keep on making
mistake. “IPOB is also not perturbed by the decision of the South-east
governors; their action was basically aimed at pleasing their Arewa
leaders and paymasters but I can assure that their pronouncement will
have no bearing on the group,” he said.
The Sunnews
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