The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has distanced itself from Simon Ekpa’s Biafra Government in Exile.
Emma Powerful, a spokesman for IPOB, stated that its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and the Eastern Security Network, ESN, have no ties to the Biafra Government in Exile.
Powerful stated in a statement that the Biafra Government in Exile was doomed from the start.
The statement by Powerful reads: “The attention of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been drawn to the nonsensical online inauguration of autopilot group called Biafra Government in Exile and their Liberation Army. These people are double agents sponsored by the Nigerian government to ridicule the IPOB movement, but they have failed on arrival.
“IPOB has consistently disassociated ourselves from the autopilot groups, yet these agent provocateurs keep associating their criminal activities and actions to IPOB, ESN, and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu because they were sent to distract and deter our movement. But we have defeated them and will always defeat them and their sponsors.
“IPOB has passed the stage of blackmail in whatever disguise. Nigeria Government has used every means to blackmail and demonize IPOB globally, including murdering innocent citizens and their own soldiers in Biafra land. But by the grace and wisdom of Chukwu Okike Abiama, we surmounted all their evil blackmail strategies.
“This latest kangaroo Biafra Government in Exile, bankrolled by the Nigeria Government, is dead on arrival.
“We are alerting the International Community, the Nigeria media, and the general public to note that IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu are not part of these antics and games coming from the Federal Government of Nigeria with the so-called Biafra Government in Exile and their Liberation Army. At no time in this struggle that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or IPOB leadership lead have they declared Arm struggle, or have they formed a Biafra Army. What IPOB formed and inaugurated was armed vigilantes called Eastern Security Network (ESN).
“The ESN consists of IPOB members who have volunteered to protect our forests and farmlands from murderous Fulani herdsmen who have been killing, maiming, raping our people, and abducting farmers in our farms all over Biafra land. Autopilot has no business with ESN, though they have been using ESN’s name to defraud people.
“Therefore, Autopilot and their so-called Biafra Government in Exile with their Liberation Army are not part of IPOB or ESN, nor do they have any link or association with our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“We are making this public statement so that IEP (GTI), UN, and other interested groups will take note so as not to link IPOB with autopilot and their foolishness. IPOB is wiser than they think.
“IPOB is a peaceful and legally registered organisation in many countries of the world seeking independence from the Nigeria State.
“On the other hand, the so-called Biafra government in Exile are factional members of Autopilot. None of them is an IPOB member. These gangs are people sponsored by the Nigeria government to shop evidence to be used against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB. That’s why they keep linking themselves and their activities to IPOB and MNK. Therefore, anybody or group linking IPOB with autopilot and their activities should be ready to meet us in the law court.”