Presidency's war allegation: FG's blackmail against IPOB backfired, says Ohanaeze

Spokesman of the Presidency, Mallam Garba Shehu had also accused IPOB of using perceived killing of Christians to drive a wedge between the United States, United Kingdom and Nigeria's European allies. But Mazi Kanu in a statement made available to newsmen by IPOB's Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said that IPOB is relentlessly working to expose the Nigerian government's atrocities perpetrated by terrorists masquerading as herdsmen. This came as the Igbo umbrella body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide also lampooned the Federal Government, saying that its attempt to blackmail IPOB has backfired "because the truth has emerged.ÔÇØ

Mazi Kanu's statement entitled, "Now the whole world knows where IPOB money goesÔÇØ, said the statement, issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed the elaborate planned scheme of IPOB which has already started gaining steam with some officials of the American government, including the Secretary of State, Mr Mike Pompeo to the fact that it is not mincing words with Biafra actualization.

Mazi Kanu's statement read: "Once again, Nigerian government has inadvertently confirmed that we spend big on our diplomatic offensive. We have destroyed Nigeria and by the time we are done with them, the name Nigeria will cease to exist. "Every dime the indomitable IPOB family worldwide contributes towards our liberation goes towards the dismantling of Nigeria and restoration of Biafra, I mean every dime.

"I, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu have no mansion, I have no car, I have no hotel, I have no university, I have no government contract, I don't lie, I don't cheat, I don't steal, all I have is the grace of Chukwu Okike Abiama to do his will which is to restore Biafra in truth and honesty. "The statement, issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, also claimed the elaborately planned scheme, which had already started gaining steam with some officials of the American government, including the Secretary of State, Mr Mike Pompeo, had been receiving monthly funding of $85,000 USD since October 2019.ÔÇØ

Your blackmail backfired Ohanaeze tells FG Also yesterday, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, standing in defence of IPOB, described federal government's worry as a complete case of chasing shadows. Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Uche Achi-Okpaga in a swift reaction to Shehu Garba's outburst told him that he was drawing attention to an allegation of persecution of Christians in Nigeria but failed to draw attention to the seemingly intractable insecurity in the country.

"Would they (FG) also say that there is no insecurity in the country? All over the country, people are posting on the spot audio and video records of senseless and targeted killings. I think now that the ovation of the Presidency's actions and body language have become loudest, attracting condemnations from highly pedestalled and well-meaning Nigerians, including the latest letter from Col. Abubakar Umar, the next available response, as is usual in their colour, is to heep some blame on a given quarter as the IPOB and deliberately divert attention from the issue,ÔÇØ Achi-Okpaga fumed.

The apex Igbo organisation regretted that whereas the President swore to protect the lives and property of Nigerians, Nigerians are killed in their homes, their farms, on the roads, by herdsmen, while travelling, by bandits or Boko Haram terrorists, as the case may be. "Perhaps, it is also IPOB that is sponsoring all that. It is a pity that we are exerting more effort to tarnish IPOB than to do the needful by ensuring the protection citizens no matter whose ox is gored,ÔÇØ Achi-Okpaga said.

Adding flesh to Ohanaeze's anger against Shehu Garba's allegations, Media Adviser to the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emeka Attama said that "The reaction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is that finally the hen is coming home to roost. The whole lies against IPOB that made the Federal Government to brand it a terrorist organisation are now wearing off and the world are getting close to exposing the perfidy and unconscionable maladministration of the President Buhari's five-year tenure.

"It's preferred silence over the nefarious activities of the killer herdsmen that has led to the loss of more than 2,500 innocent lives of Nigerians, mostly Christians, has been crying out for justice. Maybe, the time has come for the unmasking of who are actually the terrorists between IPOB and the herdsmen;

IPOB who don't carry weapons and don't kill and Ak-47 and other sophiscated arms-wielding herdsmen and who upon all their crimes non has ever been prosecuted in any known court of law in the country. "It is good that it is even the Federal Government that has given fillip to the awareness by the international community through the publication by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. "It is an attempt to blackmail the IPOB that has backfired, because the truth has emerged.ÔÇØ

ADF lashes Presidency over IPOB In a related development, Igbo elitist group, Alaigbo Development Foundation, ADF, has said the Presidency just raising false alarm. ADF said it is President Muhammadu Buhari's government that promoted tension in Nigeria through several punitive and divisive policies mounted against some sections of the country.

ÔÇØThe Presidency is raising a false alarm against the IPOB in that regard. The PMB regime is the one that has promoted tension in Nigeria through several punitive and divisive policies mounted against some sections of the country. "Such divisive policies have worsened the crisis in the Nigerian federation. There have been massive killings in the Middle Belt, Southern Kaduna and the Mambilla Plateau in what looks like ethnic cleansing and genocide, allegedly using FULANI terrorists, herdsmen and the security agencies are yet to prosecute the assailants.

"IPOB is the mainstream organization fighting for the self-determination of the Biafran people against the oppressive monolithic unitary system of government imposed by the pro-islamic Caliphate government of PMB.

"The IPOB, which is purely a peaceful and unarmed pressure group was banned by the government while the murderous FULANI herdsmen ( militia) group was allowed to continue it's killing spree all over the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria, in what apparently has become an official policy of ethnic and religious cleansing aimed at the alleged Fulanization of Nigeria and targeted at Christians, so as to subdue and intimidate them into submission cum annihilationÔÇØ, ADF said in a statement issued by its spokesman, Chief Abi Onyike.

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