The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has raised questions about how its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was labeled a terrorist just days after a peace meeting with governors of the South-East states in Enugu in August 2017. IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, questioned the sudden classification in a statement on Tuesday. Kanu had demanded developmental projects and initiatives across the South-East at the meeting.
The peace meeting, held at the Enugu State Government House on August 30, 2017, was attended by the South-East Governors Forum. Kanu's demands included the implementation of projects such as the reopening of seaports, dredging of the River Niger, and direct international flights into Enugu. He also called for the completion of the 2nd Niger Bridge, upgrading of Owerri Airport, and functional railways.
However, days after the meeting, Kanu's family home in Umuahia, Abia State, was invaded by troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Python Dance. Kanu escaped, but several persons were reportedly killed during the incident. The military invasion occurred on September 14, 2017, and the next day, the South-East Governors Forum proscribed IPOB activities.
IPOB has asked the Nigerian government to explain how Kanu was suddenly classified as a terrorist after the Enugu peace meeting. The group questioned what terrorist activity occurred between the peace meeting and the proscription of IPOB. IPOB's statement asked: "Where was the terrorism between August and September 2017?"
According to IPOB, Igbo politicians must answer how demands for seaports, airports, railways, electricity, industrialisation, youth employment, and healthcare were transformed into terrorism. The group noted that the categorization of IPOB as a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian military on September 15, 2017, was confirmation that Igbo politicians brought death and military terrorism to Igboland.
The then Senate President, Bukola Saraki, publicly declared that both the military's categorization of IPOB as a terrorist organisation and the South-East Governors' proscription were unconstitutional and did not follow due process. IPOB has called on the international community to examine the records of the peace meeting, Kanu's demands, and the military invasion of his home.
IPOB has demanded that the government produce evidence to support its claims and called for an examination of the subsequent court proceedings in Kanu's trial. The group insists that the government must answer questions about what happened between the peace meeting and the proscription of IPOB.
Key points
- IPOB questions Nnamdi Kanu's terrorist tag after 2017 meeting with South-East governors.
- The group demands that the government produce evidence to support its claims.
- The Nigerian government has been asked to explain how Kanu was suddenly classified as a terrorist after the Enugu peace meeting.
