The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a Nigerian secessionist group, has disputed ownership of camps attacked by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in Anambra and Imo on Tuesday.
The Air Force spokesperson, Edward Gabkwet, announced in a news release on Wednesday that the Force launched airstrikes on IPOB and their armed offshoot, Eastern Security Network (ESN) camps.
He stated that the airstrikes were carried out in response to intelligence indications that the militants were planning to terrorize the residents in the region.
However, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, stated in a press release that NAF lied and that the group does not hold camps in the places named.
“We debunk the claims by the Nigerian Air Force of bombing IPOB’s ESN camps at Osumoghu in Nnewi South LGA of Anambra State and Osuihiteukwa in Orsu LGA, Imo State.
“We are bold to say that ESN does not have camps in any of the bombed locations.”
The group stated the bombed camps were those of terrorists sponsored by the leader of a splinter group, Simon Ekpa, who is based in Finland.
“The Nigeria Air Force should stop lying and blackmailing this peaceful IPOB with the so-called bombing of IPOB’s ESN camps.
“For public information, IPOB doesn’t operate camps in those locations. IPOB has offices in Biafra Land and in the diaspora. We are not criminals or terrorists otherwise civilized countries would not give us the freedom to gather in their countries.
“What IPOB has is the Eastern Security Network (ESN), whose primary duty is to secure our bushes and protect our people. The general public should ignore and disregard the rants of the Nigeria DSS-sponsored criminal and agent provocateur in Finland called Simon Ekpa and his gangsters who are always impersonating ESN to demonize IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi KANU.
“The Nigeria Air Force must call those criminal camps they bombed by their names and not mention ESN or IPOB.”
The group also condemned the action of NAF in bombing the locations, saying that while it protests terrorists in the north, it is deploying jets against those in the east.
“As much as we detest the criminals impersonating IPOB and ESN in their violent activities in the name of the Biafra struggle, we nevertheless condemn the bombing of any part of Biafra Land by the Nigeria Air Force.
“If the Nigeria Air Force has functioning fighter jets to bomb criminal hideouts in the rainforest of the Southeast, why then have they not bombed terrorists and bandits who are in the open in the desert lands of the North?” The group questioned.