The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has warned those claiming to be representing the group, including the members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and its youth wing to stop such move.
IPOB said nobody speaks or represents the group, unless such a person or persons were its designated officers worldwide.
The group also said that its leader Mr. Kanu said he would rather die in jail than for the Ohanaeze Ndigbo to claim the glory for his release as he had no business with the Igbo socio-cultural organization.
”I will rather die in jail than for Ohanaeze Ndigbo to claim the glory for my release,“ Kanu reportedly said.
IPOB in a statement signed by its United Kingdom spokesmen, Dr Clifford Iroanya and Emma Mmezu, a lawyer said: “We are in court and our wish is to expose the fraudulent charge of treasonable felony before the whole world. At the end of this case, the corrupt and compromised segment of the Nigerian judiciary will be publicly disgraced.
“Our march to freedom is unstoppable; this is something Buhari ought to know. We have come to die for Biafra if that is what it will take to be free. Our resolve should not be underestimated. As our leader will always say, ‘Nigeria will kill us, we will kill them but in the end, we will win.'”
IPOB reaction follows an alarm raised from Enugu by some of the group’s members that some people suspected to be Ohanaeze Ndigbo and their youth wing were allegedly impersonating IPOB leaders in Enugu, claiming to be representing IPOB in meeting with some American officials who were in Nigeria to have a meeting with the group on the release of their leader.
IPOB officials said such a negotiation would need the designated presence and contribution of IPOB members, but they were not informed.
“The people went ahead to speak for IPOB when they do not have the power and authorization of the group to speak for them.
“People alleged to be members of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Ohanaeze Youth wing were said to have met with some Americans at Nike Lake Resort Hotel between 6pm and 7pm Saturday evening.
“If any country or group is coming to Nigeria to discuss anything concerning IPOB and the release or freedom of our incarcerated leader and Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnandi Kanu, it is not Ohanaeze Ndigbo or their youth wing that will speak for us because they are not our members and so, cannot represent or speak for us.
“We urge the Americans who came for the meeting that the alleged representatives of IPOB did not represent or have our support. Nobody speaks or represents IPOB except its principal and designated officers.
“We learnt that they cornered some Americans who came to Enugu to have audience with the IPOB over the way forward on the issue of Biafra agitation and the continued incarceration of our leader Mr. Nnamdi Kanu. We want to let the world know that they do not have authority to speak or represent us. They are on their own and should be ignored.
“We want to use this opportunity to tell the Americans that came and the world that the people who claimed to have represented IPOB in the meeting were impostors, they are not members of IPOB, they are the usual Ohanaeze contractors who will always condemn IPOB, but will be fast to hijack anything good that is coming to the South East states through IPOB. They do not have our support and will never represent us in anything.
“We want to tell the representatives of the American government who met with them at Nike Lake Resort Hotel between 6pm and 7pm Friday evening to ignore them and whatever discussion concerning IPOB they had with them, because it does not represent our views or demands as IPOB members”, they said.
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