By Kamsi Anayo and John Ugo
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has drawn a battle line with the Imo State Ebubeagu Security Outfit , vowing that it is now fight to finish.
Media and Publicity Secretary of the secessionist group, Emma Powerful, made the declaration on Monday in a statement, titled: “IPOB-ESN ready to stop Ebubeagu reckless massacre.”
Stating that a battle line had been drawn, the separatists said the time had come to unleash its venom on Ebubeagu.
It alleging that the Imo security outfit comprised a mixture of the South-South militants, Fulani bandits and some notorious criminal Igbo boys.
It said , “IPOB has kept quiet for so long and has appealed to Hope Uzodima to disband the blood sucking demons he created but all to no avail.
“Now it has become obvious to us that Hope Uzodinma and his masters are spilling the blood of our people for diabolical reasons in addition to the depopulation of Imo youths agenda.
“IPOB has responsibility to defend our people and our land against invading terrorists. We are therefore declaring every Ebubeagu member a persona non-granta in Igboland, going forward.
It maintained that Ebubeagu had rendered many children orphans and made many women untimely widows and childless while at the same time rendering them homeless.
The outlawed group vowed that such barbaric killings must stop while the killers and their sponsors must answer for their crimes against humanity.
Powerful recalled that a few weeks ago, the Ebubeagu outfit allegedly murdered 14 innocent Imo youths who were returning from a traditional wedding ceremony in Awo-Omamma in the Our East Local Government Area of the state.
He said IPOB Leadership had given a matching order to it security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to go after the Ebubeagu group and stop them from further killing the people.
The group’s statement read in part,” We the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to state unequivocally and openly to all and sundry that IPOB is about to unleash its venom on the terrorist Ebubeagu for the countless massacre of our people especially in Imo state.
”IPOB is very much aware that the murderous members of Ebubeagu were drafted from militants from the coastal part of Biafra (South South), Fulani bandits and some notorious criminal Igbo boys.
“The objective for the creation of this murderous outfit is not to stop criminal activities but to harass, intimidate and depopulate innocent Igbo youths, which they have been doing unchallenged for a while now.
“This evil outfit conduct illegal arrest of people and extort hundreds of thousands of Naira as ransom before their hapless victims are freed.
“Those who are not able to raise the thousands demanded of them for their freedom are killed. This murderous militia take as much as N500,000 from their unfortunate victims. We have evidences of those they extorted to bail themselves with such exhorbitant amount before they were freed…
“Ebubeagu invaded Izombe town in Oguta LGA of Imo State at the early hours of Saturday being the 6th of August, 2022, shooting indiscriminately at innocent people without any reason or provocation and killing two people on the spot in the process.
“So many were matcheted and others sustained degree of gun shot injuries. They abducted over 30 people, took away some cash that belong to some local traders and even their goods.
” The most worrisome part of it is that, they abducted some masquarades (Okorosha festival men) which is an abomination in Igbo culture ( because Ebubeagu members are alien to Igbo culture). In the end, several houses, vehicles, motorcycles and shops were burnt down…
“Therefore, going forward, ESN has the responsibility to stop your murderous Ebubeagu from further maiming, and killing of our people and destroying their properties. That we shall do by the grace.”
