Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki and Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Biafra Independent Movement (BIM), yesterday, said they were not part of agitation by some South East leaders pushing for an Igbo to become President in 2023.
The groups said their interest and agitation remained the actualisation of the sovereign state of Biafra and appealed to the Federal Government to grant them Biafra independence ahead of 2023.
Chief Larry Ikechukwu Odinma, who addressed the media in Abakaliki, as Minister for Planning and Strategy in the New Republic of Biafra, said Igbo were more focused on getting Biafra and developing the new country.
“The clamour for an Igbo man to become President of Nigeria is entirely not our concern. Groups or individuals after such intentions are on their own.
We want to rule ourselves, we want to develop our nation. So we appeal to the Nigeria government to grand us our sovereignty as our mother nation. All the necessary arms of governments are is already actively functioning and doing credibly magnificent in the discharge of their duties.
“We have been given independence by the United Nation, now we are waiting for our sovereignty just like Taiwan, and many others that have their independence status and waiting for their sovereignty to control their territories, have their own military, and have their own currency. That is why we are here today because we have been bestowed with that status by the UN. The present administration is already aware of this development and they are not restricting us from holding our activities for the past one month since our independence was granted. We the MASSOB/BIM are violence free and orderly.
It is based on these facts that we were privileged to have the backings of the United Nation, Africa Union, European Union and other world bodies,” Odinma said.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that the Abia Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ene Okon was using the constant threats and utterances against the group on the burial ceremony of Nnamdi Kanu’s parents to seek for promotion.
Spokesman of the group, Mr. Emma Powerful, disclosed this in a statement in Owerri, yesterday, saying the constant attacks against the fight for the independence of Biafra by the Nigerian government had only helped to further the cause of its promoters.
“Biafra is resonating all over the world today, especially thanks to our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB family worldwide. All the years of threats and brutal crackdowns on IPOB have all resulted in making IPOB more defiant, determined and ruthless in our pursuit of the noble goal of Biafra liberation.
“We shall as always peacefully attend the burial of His Royal Majesty and his wife and should Nigerian army and police attempt to breach the peace; the world will bear us witness,” Powerful said.