The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has berated the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over claims that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the insecurity situation in Nigeria.
Naijaonpoint reports that Akpabio, while reacting to the alleged Christian genocide, had blamed IPOB for the killings recorded in the South-East and other infractions.
However, speaking via a statement, the IPOB Spokesman, Emma Powerful, accused the Senate President of trying to cover the real culprits of terrorism in the country.
The pro-Biafran group described the claim as “diversionary”, saying insecurity has remained a challenge in Nigeria because those in power lack the moral courage to name and prosecute the real “terrorists”.
The statement reads, “Akpabio, like many career politicians in Abuja, knows the truth but lacks the courage to say it: the real terrorists are those who have murdered thousands of Nigerians in the North and across the Middle Belt under religious and ethnic cover, while enjoying state protection and political patronage.
“Yet, when it comes to IPOB, an unarmed, peaceful, and internationally recognised movement for self-determination, these same politicians find their voices loud and bold.”
The group said it is an open secret that “many southern politicians live under the shadow of fear imposed by northern political blocs that dominate Nigeria’s power structure”.
“Akpabio’s cowardice is not personal weakness alone, it is symptomatic of a system where truth is dangerous and silence is rewarded,” the group said.
“He knows that speaking against the terror networks ravaging the North, the bandits, Fulani militias, and religious extremists, would endanger his political survival.
“But attacking IPOB is safe politics in Abuja because the so-called ‘Igbo representatives’ there have long betrayed their people and sold their conscience for political crumbs.”
Powerful insisted that IPOB is not and has never been a terrorist organisation, adding that the group was formed to peacefully pursue the right to self-determination of the Biafran people.
He said the right is guaranteed under Article 20 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (domesticated as part of Nigerian law), and under Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
“Akpabio and his ilk should stop using IPOB as a diversionary scapegoat. Let them speak the truth: Nigeria is bleeding because those in power lack the moral courage to name and prosecute the real terrorists. History will remember that IPOB stood firm for truth when politicians chose cowardice,” the statement added.
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