The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied the claim that its members in the Eastern Security Network (ESN) used girls for rituals.
Benjamin Emeoyiri, a commander of the ESN — the militia arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) — had confessed to killing 10 girls.
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“We went in 10 vehicles. We tied white and red clothes on our bodies for protection against bullets. We prepared the charms with the heads of 10 young girls,” Emeoyiri had said.
The south-east has been experiencing unrest since the creation of the ESN. The proscribed group has consistently denied any wrongdoing and the killing of anyone.
In a statement on Sunday, Emma Powerful, IPOB spokesman, while describing the ESN commander as a “mole planted by the federal government”, alleged that now that the federal government has arrested Kanu, it will go to any length to implicate its leader in any crime.
“It is obvious that the so-called ESN Commander and his likes were the saboteurs planted by DSS to assassinate our gallant Ikonso. After killing Ikonso, they are now trying to concoct a tale to implicate our Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Powerful said.
“We are not however surprised that now that the Nigeria security has abducted our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and put him into custody that they will sponsor all manner of criminals to see if they can implicate him and puncture his global reputation.
“The question every sane person will be asking is: why now that our Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is in custody that the so-called ESN Commander is making this ridiculous confessional statement?
“The Nigerian Security apparatus are shopping for compromised witnesses for their unfounded accusations levelled against our leader just as they did in 2015 when they arrested him the first time and they will fail in this their new project as they failed then in 2015.
“We state without ambiguity that our Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, an ardent believer in God and an adherent of the Jewish faith does not believe in bloodshed and never asked anyone to kill to be fortified. He doesn’t believe in fetish powers and has openly preached against such ungodly practice. IPOB and ESN do not also kill people to get powers.
“Our faith and values abhor such superstition. How can we be killing the same people we are putting our lives on the line to defend and liberate?
“Our leader only believes in self defence when we are attacked without provocation, and self defence is legal and a fundamental right. It doesn’t matter who the attacker may be, once one is attacked without provocation the victim has the right to defend himself/herself.
“We are calling on Human Rights Organisations, UN, US, EU, AU, Australia, Canada, Israel, Britain, Russia, France, Japan and other Western and civilized countries in the world that ESN and IPOB do not kill innocent citizens because they were not set up for that purpose.”
