THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group advocating for a separate state for the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, has called for international intervention in the attacks on pro-Biafra activists.
IPOB spokesman in a statement issued on Monday said the group denies all claims of violence as advanced by the army and the government.
Whiles challenging the authorities to point to a case of lawlessness by the group, Emma Powerful, also hit out at governors in the country’s southeast accusing them of being puppets of people belonging to the north.
IPOB is therefore calling on all conscientious and civilized men and women, lovers of freedom, the international community to intervene to stop attacks on its members.
“IPOB has never been involved in any retaliatory attacks or killing of any human being because we believe, along with our ancient values, that life is a rare gift from God, which is not in the place of man to take.
“IPOB is therefore calling on all conscientious and civilized men and women, lovers of freedom, the international community especially USA, EU, Britain, Russia and France, to intervene to stop this horrendous ethnic cleansing going on in Abia State, for the sake of humanity,” the statement read in part.
He added that IPOB under its missing leader Nnamdi Kanu had been labeled as a terrorist organization only by the Nigerian government. The United States said it did not consider IPOB as a militant, terrorist organization contrary to an Abuja High court order to that effect.
The United Kingdom over the weekend also said it has not proscribed the group and that it had sought information on IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who holds British citizenship.
The 50-year-old has been missing since mid-September when soldiers clashed with members of his group at his family home in the Nigerian city of Umuahia in Abia State.
The declaration of independence 50 years ago sparked a civil war which left more than a million people dead. President Muhammadu Buhari has said the unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable in its national address on 1 October, condemning the activities of IPOB.
Kola Tella
