Omokiri Faults Killing of IPOB’s Militia Commander, Group Vows Revenge

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Reno Omokiri , a former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan says the Nigerian armed forces have failed to unleash overwhelming force on the insurgent group Boko Haram, the same way security forces have been fighting the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. The activist spoke on the crest of the killing of Commander of Eastern Security Network, Commander Ikonso, who is said to be next in rank to IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Omokiri, an unrepentant critic of the Muhammadu Buhari administration said the fact that Boko Haran leader, Abubakar Shekau is still alive showed the unseriousness on the part of the Nigerian armed forces to eliminate him, just the way they did the IPOB militia commander.

“Can’t Nigeria’s Army also take out leaders of Boko Haram, bandits and killer herdsmen troubling Nigeria, the same way they took out alleged ESN leader, Ikonso? Or, are they (security agencies) only strong when it comes to ESN, and weak when it comes to Boko Haram, bandits and herdsmen?” Omokiri wrote on his official twitter handle verified by the magazine.

Omokri challenged the security forces to take out the leaders of other criminal and terrorist elements in the country the same way Ikonso was ambushed.

IPOB has since disclosed that a new ESN commander has been appointed.

A joint operation of soldiers and police crushed Ikonso and other six members of ESN, the security arm of IPOB at the weekend during an early morning raid on their hideout at Awomama village, Oru East Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.

IPOB however claimed that the militia leader was ambushed by the soldiers in connection with some politicians from the south east. For instance, the group accused the Governor of Imo state Hope Uzodinma of complicity in the death of Ikonso, warning that the state’s helmsman will “pay dearly” for the killing of the IPOB militia commander.

Recall that the killing of Ikonso came barely few hours after Governor Uzodinma met President Buhari in Aso Rock, Presidential Villa, Abuja to brief him on the attack on his country home by suspected members of ESN.

ESN was set up by IPOB Leader in December 2020, saying the outfit was necessary to protect the people of South-East and South-South regions from terrorists and bandits allegedly trooping in from the North.

Kanu who has been in exile since soldiers attacked his Umuahia, Abia state home in September 2017, described the outfit as a replica of the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, earlier launched by the South-West governors to curb insecurity in the region.

“The sole aim and objective of this newly formed security outfit known as Eastern Security Network are to halt every criminal activity and the terrorist attack on Biafraland,” Kanu had said.

“This outfit, which is a vigilante group like the Amotekun in the South-West and the Miyetti Allah security outfit, will ensure the safety of our forests and farmland, which terrorists have converted into slaughter grounds and raping fields.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of IPOB Emma Powerful said a new ESN commander has been appointed, though he failed to mention the name of the appointee. Powerful denied that ESN militias were responsible for the attack on the country home of Governor Uzondinma, last week.