By Tosin Olatokunbo
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has rejected financial inducement from the federal government to abandon the struggle for the secession of the south east from Nigeria, the Nnamdi Kanu-led group has said. IPOB spoke on the crest of allegation by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, that some prominent Nigerians are demanding bribes from the government to prevail on secessionist groups across the country to stop their struggle.
Apart from IPOB, other secessionist groups have emerged since Buhari came to power in 2015, including the south west where Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba activist and other people from the zone are demanding secession from Nigeria.
Garba had said “You can’t intimidate Buhari; you can’t bully him. A lot of these people who are calling for secession are the problem of this country. I am happy that reasonable voices are now rising. Is it not only yesterday we read about Afenifere — the most credible faction of Afenifere — saying ‘we’re not for secession’? Ohanaeze Ndigbo said this over and over again.
“So, this thing about secession is they had used it in the past. You create secession and break up Nigeria and then you intimidate the sitting leader and then he opens the vault and he brings money to settle people.
“President Buhari will pay no one. He is not going to pay, and now it is clear that having ignored all of that, reasonable opinions are coming from those states and from those regions.”
IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, however said in a statement on Thursday, that President has been doing everything to bribe Kanu, with a huge sum to drop the Biafra struggle.
Media and Publicity Secretary of the secessionist group, Emma Powerful, disclosed this in a statement sent to our correspondent in Awka, Anambra State.
Powerful said it is preposterous for the government to claim that the resurgence of secessionist groups in the country was because the Buhari administration refused to dole out cash to sponsors and leaders of those calling for self determination.
The Knau-led group said “Federal Government has on several occasions but without success, attempted to buy over our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, making him some irresistible offers.We wish to remind the Fulani Presidency that only a certified and unconscionable moron will ever equate money to the motive behind the growing agitation for self-determination across Nigeria.
“If money is what we want, we know what to do to get more money. How many times in the past did our leader reject your financial inducements? As a people, Biafrans are enterprising and we don’t think we are behind any region in terms of affluence and economic security despite the oppressive policies of this 97 per cent versus five per cent government targeted against our hardworking illustrious sons and daughters and the monopolistic tendencies of the Fulani Janjaweed.
“We are tired of being ruled by government officials who dine and wine with terrorists but brutalise and kill law abiding freedom fighters. We are tired of being ruled by a government that pays ransom to bandits, frees terrorists but jails unarmed protesters. IPOB is not, has never been, and will never be interested in the crumbs from Federal Government of Nigeria,” IPOB said.
Meanwhile, the Buhari administration has thrown its weight behind embattled Minister of Communictions and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami against public demand that the minister resign from his position, over his past comments supporting Taliban and Alqaeda. The federal government said the minister has apologized for his extremist views, he should therefore, go and sin no more.
