Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and top leaders of his group have gone
into hiding following Friday’s declaration by the Nigerian Army that IPOB and
other Pro-Biafran groups were terrorists organisations.
his country home in Afaraukwu near Umuahia and other places he frequently
visited.
His father, Eze Israel Kanu, is the traditional
ruler of the town.
According to Punch, some IPOB members, who spoke on
conditions of anonymity said Kanu and others were advised to go underground
following the declaration by the Army and the decision of the South-East
governors to proscribe activities of pro-Biafra agitators in the
region.
An IPOB member said, “We have to apply wisdom to whatever we are
doing. We have realised that there is a grand conspiracy against Kanu and other
top leaders of our group.
“Just imagine barely few hours after the
Nigerian military declared members of IPOB and other pro-Biafran groups as
terrorists, our own governors came up with their own outright ban of our
activities.
“This definitely will give the soldiers and other security
agencies the opportunity to arrest our leader and mount a deadly clampdown on
all IPOB members. So, it is better to operate from a hideout for
now.”
I can’t disclose my brother’s location — Kanu’s
brother
When contacted on phone, Kanu’s younger brother simply
identified as Fine Boy, refused to tell Punch where his brother was, adding that
only the IPOB leader could disclose his hiding place.
He said, “Only my
brother can tell Nigerians where he is, I can’t. I don’t know why the Army
should call IPOB a terrorist organisation, it is out of their desperation to
arrest Nnamdi and frustrate the Biafran struggle. We have petitioned the United
Nations and the European Union.
“The world knows that IPOB is a
non-violent organisation, we don’t carry arms, we don’t kill, and we believe
violence can never solve any problem.
“Nnamdi will soon disclose his
current location and IPOB will also react to the proscription of the group by
the South-East governors’ forum.”
Security agencies comb South-East for
Kanu, others
Investigations showed that security agencies were combing
the South-East region in search of Kanu as findings in Abuja showed that the
security agencies had been directed to arrest Kanu and others
A top
security sources said, “We are seriously looking for him. He has a lot of things
to explain to the government concerning his statements, actions and
activities.
“We can’t sit by and allow the security situation in the
country to be compromised to the extent that an individual will be challenging
the Federal Government.
“Government has to do something about an
individual that is recruiting young people, giving them uniforms, arming them
and referring to them as a secret service.
“We have been seizing arms and
ammunitions at the ports; we also need to know what they were meant
for.
“This is someone who unilaterally said there would be no election in
Anambra State and some people want us to allow him continue with his activities?
No, we need to grow above our ethnic and tribal sentiments.”
