IPOB: We can’t back out now, we must get ‘Biafra’ – Nnamdi Kanu
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has urged members of the group to continue their agitation for Biafra, saying the movement should not abandon its objective despite the deaths of some supporters.
Kanu made the remarks in a statement signed by him and circulated through IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful following reports that some members of the group were killed during a confrontation with security agencies in Enugu.
He said the losses suffered by supporters had deepened the emotional and personal cost of the agitation but maintained that the movement should continue.
Kanu acknowledged that there were moments when the pressure of the struggle made him consider stepping back, but said he ultimately believed he had a responsibility to continue pursuing the group’s political objective.
He offered condolences to the families of those killed and to other supporters who, according to him, had suffered as a result of their involvement with IPOB.
Kanu also accused the Federal Government and security agencies of using excessive force against members of the group. Those allegations were presented as his claims and were not independently established in the statement.
He maintained that IPOB’s strength rested not in weapons but in the determination of its members to continue demanding political self-determination.
Kanu said the movement would continue to pursue what he described as lawful means of resistance and self-defence, while insisting that members should not abandon the campaign.
He also criticised individuals he believed had remained indifferent to killings and violence affecting IPOB supporters, arguing that silence in the face of such incidents amounted to abandoning those seeking redress.
Kanu concluded by saying that those who had died during the agitation should be remembered as people who sacrificed themselves for the movement’s cause.
He therefore urged IPOB members and supporters to remain committed to their demand for Biafra and continue pursuing it through political and other lawful means.
