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IPOB asks for referendum, says Igbo ready to exit Nigeria
The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra has lashed out at the facilitators and purveyors of the “IgboMustGo” campaign in the South-Western part of the country, saying it was high time they convoked a referendum for the Igbo to exit.
It said it was laughable that the authorities in the South-West were treating the “IgboMustGo” campaign and its proponents with a wave of the hand, adding the Igbo people were already ‘on the ground and feared no fall’.
According to the group, indications abound that sponsors of the “IgboMustGo” proponents were highly placed individuals within the Lagos State and Federal Governments, urging Southerners to be cautious of their actions in the South-Western region.
IPOB Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, said this in a statement on Monday, a copy of which was made available to The PUNCH.
The statement read, “Following the provocative and genocidal “IgboMustGo” proposed protest slated to commence from August 20-30th 2024, by some faceless Yoruba groups and persons, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wish to remind the Yoruba anti-Igbo groups that Ndigbo are ready to exit Yoruba land and Nigeria via a referendum. Ndigbo will not succumb to any threat from any group or persons to leave any state or region in Nigeria.
“It is laughable that the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was reported to have hypnotically condemned the proponents of the “Igbo Must Go” protest.
The Governor will not hoodwink Ndigbo with his hypocritical condemnation of those calling for Igbos’ expulsion from the South West Region of Nigeria. The governor was the first to ethnically profile Ndigbo with his biased demolition of Ndigbo’s businesses, properties, and investments in Lagos State. There is a high chance that the proponents of the “IgboMustGo” are sponsored by high-profile persons in the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government.
“Nevertheless, Ndigbo are not perturbed. We have seen it all in Nigeria and are prepared for any opportunity to exit Nigeria at any time.
“But it will be more appropriate for us to be allowed to exit Nigeria peacefully and democratically in order to maintain good neighbourly relationships. However, if Ndigbo is forced to exit Nigeria violently, there’s a possibility that we shall remain hostile neighbors for the foreseeable future.
“The Yoruba tribal bigots and their sponsors must understand that Ndigbo is not moved by threat. We have made up our minds to exit Nigeria, so there is no basis for the threat of violence or genocide agenda tagged “IgboMustGo” protest.
“Instead of threatening to unconstitutionally and violently force Ndigbo out of the Yoruba region, they should tell President Tinubu, their brother, to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and to organise a referendum for Ndigbo to decide between Biafra and Nigeria. We will gladly vote and leave Nigeria and the Yoruba region in peace. We are demanding this so they can have peace after we are gone. Ndigbo is more enthusiastic about exiting Nigeria than it was in the 1960s.
“The ongoing “EndBadGovernance” protest in Nigeria was organized by Yoruba and Fulani to lure Ndigbo into destruction, but Ndigbo has learned their lessons. Though, Ndigbo declined to participate in the ongoing protests, yet they are being attacked and accused of being behind the protest. One can imagine what would have become of Ndigbo in the Northern and Western Regions if they had taken part in the ongoing protest. Ndigbo has always been a victim of every protest in Nigeria.
“Though Ndigbo is facing the same economic hardship that Tinubu’s government has imposed on Nigerians, however, to avoid being targeted as always, they decided to shun the protest. The scenario that led to the genocidal war against Biafrans in 1967-1970 is rearing its ugly head. Ndigbo is not only facing existential threats from the Western region but also from the Northern regions.
“We are calling Ndigbo in the North and West to think home as fast as possible. No amount of threat will make IPOB retreat from our divine mandate of restoring Biafra.
“We are calling the attention of the international community to the existential threat against Ndigbo in Nigeria. The Human Right Organisations, United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), African Union (AU), all the lovers of freedom should understand that Biafrans are endangered species in the contraption called Nigeria. The ethnic profiling and hatred against Ndigbo are glaring in the areas of security, politics, and economics in Nigeria.”
It added, “Silencing the quest for Biafra referendum is indirectly supporting genocide against Ndigbo and Biafrans. Just like our forebears and our heroes defended the Biafra people and land, the present generation of Biafrans have decided to remove our territory from Nigeria and defend the genocidal war spearheaded by Britain in 1967. This generation of Biafrans is determined to defend ourselves from those who want to annihilate us. We are not interested in the calls for the arrest of the “IgboMustGo” criminal elements because we know that nothing will happen to them.
“They are just the attack dogs of the big masquerades in Yoruba land, led by the State and Federal Government. We advise them to channel their energy in convincing President Tinubu to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and schedule a date for Biafra Referendum. Threatening Ndigbo to leave Yoruba land is a sign of weakness and cowardice. Ndigbo are ready to exit Yoruba land and Nigeria just like yesterday.”
Recall that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu condemned the call for Igbo people to vacate Lagos and Southwest in entirety.
Sanwo-Olu remarked in a statement through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile.
The governor said, “The attention of Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been drawn to a post by LagosPedia, a social media handle on X (formerly Twitter) that calls on the Igbo to vacate Lagos and Southwest of Nigeria and brace up for a massive hashtag IgboMustGo protest from August 20-30, 2024.
Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), has called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State to investigate the alleged murder and setting ablaze of some indigenes of Ogbaru Local Government Area, by the Nigerian Army.
“This barbaric and inhumane actions of the Nigerian Army in Ogbaru Local Government Area, in which they murdered innocent villagers, poured inflammable substance on them and set them ablaze is the low of the lowest. This is the trademark of terror groups and terrorists. It presupposes, therefore, that the Nigerian army has degenerated into a bunch of terrorists in army uniform.
“The Nigerian military invaded some communities in Ogbaru, burnt down some houses, murdered and burnt the bodies of some innocent, peaceful civilians without provocation. This is a classic modus operandi of terror groups. The Nigerian soldiers not satisfied with murdering some innocent villagers went ahead to pour petrol on the lifeless bodies of their slaughtered victims and set them ablaze.
“This terroristic and barbaric action of the Nigerian soldiers is unacceptable. The activities of Nigerian soldiers against innocent Biafrans are nothing short of terrorism. The Nigerian Army is one of the State-sponsored terrorists, wearing official uniforms sent down to Biafraland to commit unimaginable acts of state-sponsored terror against Ndigbo and Biafrans in general.
“The similar unprovoked genocide against Biafrans that culminated into the first civil war is rearing its ugly head again. The earlier that the Nigerian government organized a referendum for Biafrans to exit Nigeria in peace, the better, in order to avoid a repeat of the past. As Biafrans are being pushed to the wall, they will be left with no choice but to fight back.
“The Nigerian government and her murderous Security Forces should understand that nobody has a monopoly of violence. The consistent violation of the human rights of Biafrans does not matter to the international community, but when the victims decide to defend themselves, the world media will present the victim as an aggressor.
“The Nigerian government must, as a matter of urgency, be called to order and compelled to withdraw its army of terrorists from Biafran villages and towns. The Nigerian government keeps provoking Biafrans, and we must reciprocate with the language they will understand if they continue murdering Biafrans.
“We have repeatedly told the Nigerian government that we want a peaceful referendum, not a confrontation. But if the Nigeria government and her murderous security agencies have chosen the part they are threading by pushing us to the wall, they should understand that both Nigerians and Biafrans shall bleed, and in the end, Biafra shall come.
“This confrontation that the Nigerian government and its security agencies want to indulge in will never be the same as the one of 1967-1970. As the Nigerian government’s imported terrorists and bandits are on the rampage in the Northern region of Nigeria without military resistance, the Nigerian Army is in the Eastern Region terrorizing innocent civilians and citizens.
The Nigerian Army in the East and the terrorists in the North are on the same mission to make Nigeria unsafe and ungovernable. But IPOB will not allow them to turn Biafra land into a theatre of war.
“The Directorate of State calls on the Anambra State Governor to conduct an investigation into the Nigerian Army’s motive of killing innocent Biafran civilians and burning their lifeless bodies with petrol.
“Human rights organisations, particularly Amnesty International Nigeria, the Intersociety, United Nations Human Rights Council, and the foreign missions in Nigeria, should seek answers into the barbaric actions of the Nigerian Army. The barbaric murder and burning of the lifeless bodies of innocent Ogbaru people by the Nigerian Army must be investigated, and the barbarians and the terrorists within the Nigerian military that carried out the dastardly act brought to justice,” IPOB stated.
Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has reacted to the arrest of the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero.
The human right activist on Monday said secret service that arrested Ajaero has not given any reason for his arrest, noting that Ajaero’s arrest had no connection to police invitation.
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Vanguard had reported how Falana, Maxwell Opara, Deji Adeyanju accompanied Ajaero to Force headquarters for questioning over allegation of terrorism financing among others.
However, reacting to his arrest Falana opined: “The invitation to Comrade Joe Ajaero by the police was rescheduled last week. I have contacted the police authorities. The arrest is not related to the police invitation.
“Comrade Ajaero was on his way to London to attend the ongoing TUC conference when he was arrested at the airport this morning by the SSS. No reason has been provided for the arrest by the SSS.”
Upon the detention of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, by the Nigerian government, while en route to the United Kingdom to attend an international workers’ gathering, the NLC has convened a closed-door meeting on the way out.
The Head of Public Relations, NLC, Benson Upah, made this known in an interview with our correspondent on Monday.
According to Upah, agents of the Nigerian State seized Ajaero without a legal warrant or formal instrument, and his whereabouts and health status are currently unknown.
The NLC has condemned the detention as a “brazen act of lawlessness and intimidation” and demanded Ajaero’s immediate and unconditional release.
“The Congress has also called on the international community, human rights organizations, and democracy advocates to take note of the rising wave of authoritarianism in Nigeria.”
Ajaero was set to address the Trade Union Congress in the UK on behalf of Nigerian workers, discussing critical issues like workers’ rights, social justice, and economic fairness.
Upah said, “The NLC has put its affiliates, state councils, and civil society allies on high alert and vowed to protect workers’ rights and not be cowed by oppressive tactics.
“The Congress is currently holding a closed-door meeting to discuss the situation, and the outcome will be made public soon.”
Details later…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized consignments of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids hidden in sanitary pads and hair treatment cream containers heading for the United Kingdom, Ireland and Cyprus.
Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement yesterday.
The statement reads: “Operatives equally intercepted another consignment of tramadol 225mg buried in granulated melon that came from Cameroon and was going to South Africa on Friday, September 6.
“No fewer than 550,000 pills of Tramadol were also intercepted at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt on Monday, September 2 during a joint examination of a cargo that came from Delhi, India, with men of the Nigerian Customs Service while a suspect was already arrested in connection with the seizure.
“In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army on September 3 and 4 stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve, in Ise/Orun Local Government Area where over 100,000 kilogrammes of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farm land were destroyed. The affected settlements include Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares; Aba Paanu with 12 hectares and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.
“Two suspects: Bala Musa, 42, and Danladi Muhammad, 44, were arrested on Friday, September along Toro-Jos road, Kaduna with 305kg cannabis concealed in false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM, while another suspect, Aminu Ayuba, 24 was arrested in possession of 18 kilograms of same substance at Makarfi town.’
“Two others: Umar Usman, 40, and Zubairu Kabiru, 45, were arrested along Zaria- Kaduna highway in possession of 1300 tablets of tramadol, all the same day.’’
The spokesman continued: “In Jigawa State, Uzairu Ya’u, 30, was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis on September 5 at Koran Shehu, while operatives in Kogi on September 4 intercepted 77,300 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 as well as 1,230 bottles of codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along Aloma-Ejule road, Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State. Another suspect, Mohammed Idris, 56, was nabbed along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway on September 3, with 42.400kg cannabis coming from Lagos enroute Kano.
“While NDLEA operatives in Borno State arrested Idris Muhammad, 40, at Ramat, Maiduguri on September 5 with 13,100 pills of tramadol, their counterparts in Kano on September 4 nabbed Hakilu Usman, 35, with 25.8kg cannabis and 3,000 pills of diazepam along Kano-Daura Road.
He added: “In Taraba, no fewer than 87,790 pills of tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, while in Osun state, a raid of the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa on September 4 led to the seizure of 43grammes of crack cocaine, 23 grammes of methamphetamine, 17.126kg cannabis and a locally made pistol.’’
The Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency has sealed five industries for environmental infractions.
The companies are Nixim Paper Limited, and Long Xiang Aluminum both at the Sagamu axis of the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway, New Shidai Manufacturing Limited, Mowe in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area and two unregistered companies operating illegally in the Ogere axis of the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway.
According to a statement on Sunday, the Chairman of the Ogun State Taskforce on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement who doubles as a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment, Farook Akintunde, who led the enforcement team to seal the companies said they were shut down after the Environmental Protection Agency received petitions from the immediate communities of their incessant discharge of untreated wastewater into the environment.
“This was confirmed by OGEPA which issued a Stop Work Order for them to stop production and correct the anomaly.
“Instead of them to obey the order, they ignored it and continued to degrade the environment with the discharge of their harmful untreated wastewater into their immediate communities,” he said.
He added “The state government was therefore left with no options than to shut them down in the overriding public interest and compelled them to stop their harmful environmental practice as it was also discovered that they don’t have Effluent Treatment Plants ETP which they must have and installed to stop their incessant and harmful wastewater discharge”
Also speaking on their closure, the Special Adviser to the Governor on the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency OGEPA, Dr Oluwadare Kehinde, said the company will now be forced after several warnings to abide by waste water regulations in the state which is crucial at preventing water pollution and maintaining water quality standard.
“OGEPA will not compromise on this as it will continue to demand from industries best environmental standard in all they do as enunciated in the Ogun State Green Book which contains the laws guiding environmental practices in the state,” Kehinde stated.
For the two unregistered companies sealed along with the three others, the Special Adviser said they must do proper registration with the state government and fulfill other operational obligations before they can be allowed to operate in the state.
Spokesman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Benson Upah, has warned that Nigerians could eventually buy petrol for N5,000 per litre.
Upah stated this while reacting to the recent hike in fuel pump price in an interview with Weekend Trust.
He also insisted that the increase is contrary to the agreement NLC reached with the President Bola Tinubu government.
According to Upah, subsidy was never restored as claimed by the Federal Government.
He said: “Subsidy was never restored at any point in time as they claimed.
“So, what will inform moving the pump price of PMS from N650 to N1,500 or N2,000?
“I want to tell you something, what this signals is that Nigerians have not seen the end yet, we may end up paying nothing less than N5,000 per liter for fuel in this country. We hope not to get there but if we get there, the decision will be left to Nigerians.”
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