IPOB denies hand in murder of Anambra lawmaker, points at DSS, other security agencies

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Tuesday, dissociated itself from the beheading of Okechukwu Okoye, a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly.

IPOB said Okoye was assassinated by fifth columnists seeking to destabilize the group’s campaign in the South-East.

Emma Powerful, the IPOB spokesman in a statement, called Okoye’s murder an obscenity that had nothing to do with the Eastern Security Network.

A statement by Powerful reads partly: “We the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under our great leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU strongly condemn the abominable beheading of Hon. Okechukwu Okoye who was abducted a few days ago in his area. We want to also state categorically that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the Indigenous people of Biafra IPOB could not in any way have had anything to do with this abominable act.

“After thorough investigations by our intelligence team, we found out that the abominable beheading of Hon Okechukwu Okoye is the system of the fifth columnists who are bent to destabilise the efforts of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB. These barbarians have been well mobilised financially and otherwise by DSS, NIA and DMI to create anarchy in our land in an attempt to derail our march to freedom.

“They will commit these heinous crimes and their paymasters will use the Nigeria compromised media houses to accuse IPOB of being responsible for what we know nothing about.

“The IPOB intelligence unit working round the clock discovered the gimmicks and antics of Nigeria government and its security agencies, especially the Army, DSS, Police, NIA and DMI intelligence. Those pointing accusing fingers at us are the same people sponsoring the disturbing insecurity in our land. BIAFRA LAND has been infiltrated by fulani terrorists wearing Nigerian security uniforms and operating under this guise as agents of death and destruction of Biafraland.

“IPOB/ESN cannot behead our brother and dropped notes bragging that we are behind the gruesome murder. The world should take note of the similarity between the beheading of this lawmaker and the way they gruesomely murdered the two army couple last month.

Read also :IPOB leader, Kanu, laments carnage in S’East, orders end to ‘senseless’ killings

“Governor Chukwuma Soludo must prepare to meet these evil men humiliating and killing our people head on.”

The Anambra State Police Command had vowed to hunt down the killers of
Dr. Okechukwu Okoye.

Okoye, who represented Aguata 2 constituency in the House, was beheaded by unknown assailants on Saturday.

The deceased and his campaign director, Cyril Chiegboka, were abducted on May 15 in Aguata.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Echeng Echeng, who addressed journalists at a news conference in Awka, described the lawmaker’s killers as cowards and enemies of the state.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now