Publicity Secretary of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Emma Powerful, has confirmed the authenticity of a letter authored by the detained Leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, which ordered the defacto leader, Simon Ekpa to discontinue the sit-at-home exercise in the South-East geopolitical zone.
Powerful’s confirmation came in a Saturday statement.
The Herald earlier reported that the handwritten letter by Kanu, who is in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), was dated July 24, 2023.
In the letter read to the media by one of Kanu’s legal counsels, Aloy Ejimakor, the detained IPOB leader unequivocally stated that anyone henceforth engaging in any sit-at-home in the region is no longer his disciple.
In his statement, Powerful said the clarification became necessary to make the message disassociating Kanu and IPOB from the “senseless” enforcement of the sit-at-home order.
According to him, Kanu’s handwritten letter serves as the last warning to Simon Ekpa to desist from his incessant sit-at-home orders in the South-East.
Powerful said, “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in his wisdom, communicated the message to the infiltrators through the right channel and a source they should trust. That message in his handwriting serves as the last warning to perpetrators of the infamous sit-at-home.
“The note from our leader disassociating himself and IPOB from the infamous sit-at-homes is being distributed to all Nigeria security agencies, all foreign embassies in Abuja, and to the contractors of the infiltrators for their notice. We are IPOB, and we are wiser than the serpent.
“The claims that Kanu’s handwritten note is fake is part of their mischief to continue in their contract to blackmail IPOB and Kanu with the violent enforcement of the infamous sit-at-home orders used to terrorise our people.
“We understand that a power-drunk inconsequential kangaroo defacto government in exile will ignore the order for the fear of deflating his over-bloated ego.
“IPOB leadership initiated the Monday sit-at-home in protest of the abduction and rendition of our leader and to make sure that the Federal Government arraigned Kanu openly, in a public court where we could see him.
“But our leader instructed that it be suspended so that we don’t torture our people. In line with the principle of command and control, we obeyed, and the sit-at-home order was suspended.
“However, infiltrators who don’t believe in the principle of command and control, which is a core value of IPOB, ignored the order from our leader. These infiltrators working alongside the Nigeria government contracted agent provocateurs’ violent enforcement of reckless sit-at-homes has escalated insecurity in the South-East.
The IPOB spokesman stressed that several messages have been sent by Kanu through his visitors at the DSS custody to the infiltrators to stop the reckless sit-at-home several times, all to no avail.
“Senator Enyinnaya Abaraibe tabled this message in the red chamber of the senate what Kanu told them when they visited him in the DSS custody with Ohanaeze Ndigbo delegates in the DSS headquarters Abuja, where he was illegally and unconstitutionally detained in DSS solitary confinement since June 2021.
“When our leader called for complete peace in Biafra Land and to protect our people instead of killing them in one of his court appearances, he was referring to the infiltrators to stop their infamous enforcement of sit-at-home orders and enforcement. That call went on deaf ears. This last message in his handwriting is the last straw.
“Every Biafran must understand the importance of this letter. If you are a lover of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, you must listen to him. Moreso, we must stop giving credence to the enemy of Ndigbo and Biafrans claiming to be Mazi Nnamdi KANU’s disciple but have gone ahead to make himself a Prime Minister while his supposed leader is in solitary detention.
“The reckless enforcement and abuse of sit-at-homes is an opportunity for criminals to kidnap, murder, maim, and snatch cars from innocent citizens,” Powerful stated.