More knocks on Simon Ekpa as Pro-Biafra group labels him agent recruited to destroy Southeast Zone

BY JUDE OSSAI / ENUGU

The Leadership of Biafra Land Defenders (BLD) has accused the self acclaimed Prime Minister of breakaway Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Simon Ekpa of being an agent allegedly recruited to destroy the Southeast geo-political zone.

In a statement by the Leader of BLD, Brother Ndubuisi Igwekani (Agu-Biafra) made available to Daily News Nigeria on Wednesday, the group also stated that Ekpa is not a freedom fighter.

The statement reads:

“They recruited him to help them destabilize the South-East before the election to enable the All Progressives Congress (APC) to make en route into the South-East knowing fully well that only crisis will prevent our people from coming out massively to vote against them.

“However, they failed woefully because some of us stood and ensured that the election period was calm in our region to their consternation.

“They’re now using other means to destabilize our region as well and Ekpa is their most potent weapon. Let it be made clear that Ekpa may have had an interest or pretended to have had an interest in anything about Biafra, but was bought over by some unscrupulous politicians to work as a deceptive and destructive agent of the Federal Government while pretending to be doing it in the interest of our people.

“Records are there to show that his actions are mainly targeting to destroy the businesses of Ndigbo and make Igboland uninhabitable. His sponsors are smiling while our people are crying as they push him on to do more damage for them.

“They want him to cause serious pain to our people using the name of Biafra so that in future when that name is mentioned, nobody will like to be associated with it. This is why all his actions against Ndigbo are giving serious publicity. Ekpa is helping them set an agenda and this must be made clear. We’re warning that if this doesn’t stop, we’ll take laws into our hands and the needful will be done.

“We also use this medium to advise some of our people who have made themselves saboteurs and have made sabotage of their people a business venture or a means of survival to always think twice before taking action.

“We urge them to remember that whatever a man sows, he shall reap. We urge them to understand that anybody who sponsors them to destroy their people will never trust them with his people as well.

On Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the BLD Leader said, “We again ask the Federal Government to stop pretending about trying him and obey the judgement given by the court of the land which discharged him.

“We’re saying this because we know that his presence at the DSS Custody has nothing to do with the law, but now forceful detention by people who think he should not go free.

“Well, we want to remind them that should he die while under such unlawful detention, what the response will be will be better imagined than experienced. Voices of wisdom have been speaking, but those in power have blocked their ears and have refused to listen.

“There are crises all over Nigeria and West Africa, but some people are brewing more crises in Nigeria thinking it will be easy to contain. We call for his release again. He should be released because he has done nothing wrong.

“This same Federal Government allowed Asari Dokubo to sit wherever he likes and threaten the lives of the Igbo. They’re equally watching Asari Dokubo brandishing sophisticated arms threatening the lives of a whole race and nothing is being done about it. Asari Dokubo has abused the Nigerian Army and done all manner of things and to the government, it’s nothing.

“Well, we are warning Asari Dokubo for the last time to avoid the South-East henceforth. We also urge him to watch what he says henceforth because the Igbo nation is not a set of people he can toy with. The guns he’s parading because one person in power is supporting will not help when we’re serious about dealing with him.

“Some politicians sat down, discussed and conspired to put Mazi Nnamdi Kanu where he is today and we’re calling on them to as a matter of urgency use the same means if not a better means to release him because he did nothing.

“We also call on South East Governors not to waste time to seek the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and equally organize security meetings with stakeholders and youths of the land to discuss the way forward.

“Our youths know our land better and we can secure it better. Our youths have what it takes to end all this imported madness into our land and expose those behind it.

“To put things the way they are and to avoid anybody accusing us of any wrongdoing, we must state categorically that our identity is not in question first of all. We’re Biafrans in Nigeria just as we have other nations like Oduduwa in Nigeria.

“Having said that, for us, the 2023 election is the final electioneering business we’ll ever have with Nigeria should this Government and the court mess with the will of the people which was expressed in the just concluded general election.

“Let nobody get anything twisted, our people were not interested in anything concerning the Nigerian elections. We already know that the powers that be in Nigeria have concluded that we’re not part of the country called Nigeria and therefore do not deserve to be in any leadership position in the country.

“We (Biafra Land Defenders) accepted our fate and were peacefully demanding our own country since we’ve been rejected in Nigeria. However, when the Nigerian youths and people from different ethnic groups chose one of our sons to our greatest surprise to be the man to lead the country to a great height and redemption, we felt there was still a chance to still work together for the good of all.

“BLD worked together with the youths and other citizens of Nigeria to vote massively for Mr Peter Obi and we do not regret it. We thank our people who participated in the election of 2023. We thank Nigerian youths and other Nigerians for their love for a sound candidate they all believe in.

“Although it’s obvious that we as a people have been relegated and abandoned on the issue of the commonwealth in Nigeria, the election provided us the opportunity to know more and we’re happy to know how deep the issue is today.

“Let us reiterate that the love from Nigerian youths made us decide to try the election once as we persuaded our people to come out and vote. They did and other Nigerians supported Mr Peter Obi and he won. However, the Federal Government and its agents have other ideas to different from what the people want.

“Now that the election has come and gone, we’re warning the government not to try anything to upturn the outcome of judicial proceedings and processes ongoing to expose the evil mechanism they used to truncate the will of the people.

“All these threats from those ruling now that if they’re removed, there’ll be anarchy and all manner of things, is proof that they already knew they’re occupying an illegitimate position meant for another. They now want to create chaos and fear so people will say in the interest of “peace” let’s allow them to continue, after all, it’s just four years.

“Let it be made clear to those in power threatening anarchy if removed through legal means that they have no monopoly of anything including that anarchy they’re threatening. Using threats as a means of twisting the outcome of judicial proceedings will not work.

“When you plant anarchy do you expect others to respond with peace? What you give is what you will receive. There are no two ways about it. We’re boldly telling them that they’ll be removed legally

and nothing will happen and if they dare try anything funny against the people, they’ll experience unimaginable reactions they cannot contain from us.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.