The outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has confirmed readiness to dialogue on peaceful note with the Nigerian government over a proposed referendum for the independence of Biafran State from country.
Penpushing reports that the group spokesperson, Emma Powerful made this known in a statement on Saturday adding and emphasizing that such dialogue would be through a United Nations (UN) supervised referendum
“We the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to reiterate once again that IPOB remains peaceful and remain open for negotiations and dialogue on peaceful exit of Biafra from Nigeria through a UN supervised referendum’, Powerful said.
Penpushing further reports that the imagemaker of the outlawed body said the group believes that it is impracticable for Biafra and Nigeria to coexist as one country given the events that occurred between 1948 and 2023.
The spokesperson claimed that the separatist group does not have any army and that its militant wing, Eastern Security Network is a vigilante arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) created to stop activities of herders and not a military arm.
‘IPOB is ready to meet with the Nigerian government any day they are ready for negotiations on the Biafran referendum. We believe that Biafra can be achieved without war and shedding of innocent blood of Biafrans or Nigerians.”
Penpushing also reports that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-East and some parts of the South-South Nigeria.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been calling for the conduct of a referendum to allow people from the two regions to decide whether or not they want to exit from Nigeria, while it has been linked to some deadly attacks in the two regions especially on security agencies and government officials.
Penpushing reports that Powerful, however, claimed that the group has been non-violent and that Nigeria’s security agencies have been attacking them in the two regions which the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) often call, Biafra Land.
‘As a result of these unwarranted attacks, many IPOB members have been murdered in cold blood, some forcefully disappeared by the Nigeria Security Forces whereas some are still illegally detained in various detention facilities across Nigeria’, he said.
‘Many IPOB members and sympathisers have had their houses and businesses burnt by the Nigeria Security Forces. IPOB has lost over 5,000 members, with properties worth over $1 billion as a result of the extreme use of force from Nigeria Security Forces’, Power claimed
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