On Thursday, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, declared that Fulani and Northerners in the Southeast are not being harassed by the Eastern Security Network, or ESN.
According to IPOB, there are Northerners operating lawfully in the Southeast without encountering any harassment.
The group was responding to allegations made by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) that ESN was complicit in the mass murder of Northerners and Fulani cows.
NEF was characterized by IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful as a group of crisis-mongers and hypocrites who rarely tell the truth.
Per a declaration made by Powerful: “The attention of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the indomitable and charismatic leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU has been drawn to the statement credited to the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) accusing IPOB of harassing the Northerners in the East and mass killing of Fulani cows. The Northern Elders Forum are a bunch of hypocrites and crisis instigators who seldomly speak the truth.
“For public records purposes, IPOB and ESN are not attacking Northerners including law abiding Fulanis in the East. There are many responsible and law abiding Northerners including Fulanis doing legitimate businesses in the East without anyone harassing them.
“However, IPOB/ESN are pursuing criminal elements and terrorists in our bushes, forests, and farmlands who are terrorizing our people, raping our women, killing our farmers and destroying our farmlands and communities.
“On the mass killing of cows in the East, IPOB/ESN takes responsibility for slaughtering the cows that these terrorists are using as conduits to occupy our farmlands and destroying our crops just to send the message that we don’t want terrorists in our bushes and farmlands. Moreover, open grazing has been banned by the South East Governor’s Forum since 2020.
“There are houses for rent in all the cities and towns in Biafra Land. There is no region that has houses more than the East in Nigeria. Any Fulani who is interested in doing a legitimate business should rent a house or properties like other citizens and not to go and occupy bushes and graze in people’s farms.
“If the Northerners that are doing legitimate businesses in the cities should allow the Northern Elders Forum to refer to them as being harassed by IPOB because they are the sophisticated terrorists, mass murderers, rapists and kidnappers in the Biafra forests and bushes, they will continue to be harassed by ESN until they vacate and and stop coming into our territory.
“Their notorious activities in every part of Nigeria are in the public domain. ESN and IPOB do not romance with or pamper criminals and terrorists.”
