The recent report by a national daily that incarcerated founder of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and executive director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has expressed regrets and apologized to President Muhammadu Buhari for calling him a “terrorist, evil and a pedophile” in one of his many outlawed broadcasts, has been described as blatant lies.
In the report published on Wednesday, the newspaper said Mr. Kanu, who is being tried by the federal government for treasonable felony and five other offenses, had in a statement, also apologized to former President Goodluck Jonathan and Igbo elders for his alleged uncomplimentary remarks and statements against them to facilitate his release.
The statement reads in part: “Reference to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a terrorist, evil and a pedophile is regrettable and uncalled for and for that, I unreservedly apologise and will be doing so in a private letter to the President. Before PMB (President Buhari) there was the administration of Goodluck Jonathan. I also said uncomplimentary things about him and Igbo elders as well, which I now recognise should not have happened because it is un-African to be rude or insolent to elders. All I was trying to do is to draw attention to the problems afflicting society and something done about them”.
Reacting to the report, IPOB National Coordinator Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe and Media and Publicity officer, comrade Emma Powerful, in a statement titled ‘Nnamdi Kanu never apologized for his release’, said it totally dismissed the publication, describing it as “the machinations of the Directorate of State Security, DSS to save its face having been disgraced by the court with granting of Kanu bail”.
According to IPOB, “DSS is not sincere, if they have respect for the constitution of Nigeria, they would have released Kanu as directed by the courts, instead, they are looking for new charges which they will use to jail him, but they will fail again, and they have discovered that they will not make any progress in their quest to jail Kanu, they are now looking for soft landing to chicken out of the case with the claim that Kanu is apologizing, a claim that does not hold water”.
IPOB, therefore, urged the media to beware of the false claims by DSS, saying that “Kanu is not disturbed in any way for his long incarceration, his spirit is very high and he will be received like a hero he is, any day they are tired of holding him and decides to release him”.
“Kanu is in detention for us, we are here for him. DSS should stop embarrassing itself with the false information they are churning out to the public. If they are honest in what they are claiming about Kanu’s apology, they should publish the copy of the said apology as an advert in the newspapers let the world see, if they say they culled it from the statement he wrote in DSS detention, how then did it become an apology to people”, said IPOB.
In the same vein, another pro-Biafra group, Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, discredited the report that the IPOB leader apologized for his comments against some Nigerians.
In a statement by its factional leader Mr. Uchenna Madu, MASSOB said the news that Nnamdi Kanu has apologized to President Buhari is completely false information and a calculated and systematic attempt by agents of the Federal government to discredit, disorganize and frustrate the agitation for actualization of Biafran State.
“The publication was totally false and should be ignored by the general public, no amount of intimidation, harassment, torture, killings, arrest and blackmail can make Kanu apologize for anything he said, nothing will ever make us to stop the agitation for the actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra”, he said.
Madu in his statement, further stated that “agitation for the actualization of Biafra has gained international prominence and sympathy even before Nnamdi Kanu arrest and detention, and his current detention has further strengthened the agitation, so this latest move and campaign of calumny by enemies and oppressors of Biafrans is a sign that they are jittery, frustrated and are afraid of the fast rising and global acceptance Biafrans struggle for actualization of state of Biafra.
“MASSOB and IPOB shall never be discouraged, frustrated, disorganized, dislocated or relent on the non-violent Biafran actualization because of this false statement credited to Nnamdi Kanu. Mazi Kanu as a true Biafran can never compromise the integrity, confidence and trust of Biafra freedom fighters no matter the condition, subjection or oppression by DSS and Nigerian government.
“This Federal government latest move to discredit IPOB and MASSOB has propelled us to redouble our efforts and strategies on Biafra agitation; we shall intensify our non-violence approach as MASSOB and IPOB march ahead for Biafra actualization,” he said.
