IPOB dismisses reports of 300 missing cows in S’East, claims it’s plot to invade Igboland

The proscribed Igbo separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has dismissed allegations that over 300 cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen are missing in the South-East.

The group also raised an alarm that the Nigerian government was “deploying both military and police personnel to Igboland to clear the way for the Fulani jihadists and terrorists to invade the region in the actualization of their recent threat to take over the South-East.”

IPOB further alleged that though “Fulani bandits and terrorists attack and kidnap people in the South-East, especially along Arondizuogu, Okigwe, Isiukwuato, Uturu and Lokpanta roads all in Imo State,” soldiers and other security agencies have never been deployed to go after them but instead, Nigeria and Imo State government security agents are shielding them.

In the statement issued on Thursday by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the Biafran group said the “allegations by the Nigeria government and its security agencies over the missing cows is a smokescreen to invade the South-East,” warning people of the region to be on high alert, adding that it has “uncovered a plan by jihadists masquerading as herdsmen, to attack some communities in South-East and South-South.”

Read also: 2023: IPOB counts Wike’s sins against Igbo, warns him to stay away from S’East

Part of the statement made available to Ripples Nigeria reads:

“We, the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, under the command and leadership of our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wish to raise the alarm over the deployment of terrorists in the South East region under the guise of security agents by the federal government of Nigeria.

“The government of Nigeria has started once again to deploy more military and police personnel to South East to clear the way for the Fulani jihadists and terrorists to invade the region for the actualization of their threat to take over South East land.

“Nigeria is deploying troops over alleged missing cows but do nothing over missing soldiers and people kidnapped across the country.

“We are calling on every Indigenous tribe in Nigeria to at alert and vigilant and to be prepared because their plan is to start with South-East to pursue their conquest of other regions. So nobody should think that their own region is free from these jihadists.

“This is their agenda of 200 years ago which they planned to actualise in 2022, but we must resist them. The Nigerian government and its security agencies raised a false alarm of missing 10 to 300 cows; that alarm is only a smokescreen to invade our land. They think we are fools, but they will fail as they used to fail.

“Since Fulani bandits and terrorists masquerading as herdsmen started invading ancestral communities in Nigeria and killing innocent citizens without provocation, the latest being the Benue incident where over 20 folks were slaughtered one day, how many of the perpetrators have been brought to book?

“Now they alleged that cows are missing and they are deploying troops in search of it, but could not deploy troops to rescue even soldiers and other security operatives kidnapped by Fulani bandits in the North. What a country with missing soldiers and civilians kidnapped by bandits, but deploying troops for missing cows!

“We want the global world to take note of the plans of these jihadists in security uniforms in Nigeria.

“Furthermore, the world must look into the constant killing of innocent citizens in the South Eastern States without cause. Nigeria security agencies have mapped out the South-East region for total destruction and extermination.

“We beg the world to come to our rescue because we are under serious attack. The fictitious allegation of killing 10 to 300 Fulani cows is totally false information.

“The Nigeria Joint Task Force, JTF, could not rescue Biafrans kidnapped and chased by Fulani terrorists herdsmen who are behind the criminal activities in Enugu, Abia and some parts of Imo States, but now they want to rescue cows.”

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