…as IPOB leader’s sibling suspends action, but group vows to go ahead
Deep cracks appeared, on Sunday, in the Indigenous People of Biafra as Kanunta Kanu, a younger brother of the group’s detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and the IPOB high command disagreed over the sit-at-home ordered to begin on Monday by the separatist group.
Kanu’s younger brother had suspended the sit-at-home scheduled for Monday, but IPOB Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a counter statement on Sunday, said the group would be going ahead with the commencement and enforcement of the order on Monday, stressing that the date remained sacrosanct.
Earlier, Kanunta Kanu had in a statement said that he ordered the suspension of the sit-at-home because of the National Examination Council (NECO) Exam for junior secondary schools that had just begun.
The IPOB leader’s younger brother has said that the group would announce a new date for the commencement of the sit-at-home soon.
IPOB had in apparent solidarity with its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, recently ordered a sit-at-home that would be observed every Monday throughout the South-Eastern states, beginning from August 9, until the end of his trial.
But the IPOB leader’s younger brother, in a statement, said the group arrived at the decision to suspend the sit-at-home following pleas from well-meaning individuals and groups within and outside Igbo land that the action be suspended to allow students in the South-East states to participate in the NECO Exam.
“IPOB has listened to pleas from well-meaning individuals and groups within and outside Biafra land that we consider the fate of our children who will be involved in the NECO Exam and based on that, we decided to shift grounds over the sit-at-home order”, his statement partly read.
According to the statement, having realised the academic deprivation the South East students writing this year’s NECO would be subjected to, IPOB took the decision to suspend the sit-at-home order to a later date, to allow the students to write their papers.
Kanu’s younger brother added that going ahead with sit-at-home as earlier announced, inspite of the NECO Exam would amount to assisting South-East enemies to inflict more injuries on her children.
“As a group fighting for the liberation of her people from oppression from her enemies, we realised that it would amount to assisting the said enemies to inflict more harm on our children if we do not suspend the sit-at-home order to allow…students take their exams,” he stated.
But IPOB publicity secretary stated that the group would be going ahead with the sit-at-home as scheduled.
Powerful said, beginning from August 9, all the South-East states would be locked down every Monday from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm until Nnamdi Kanu is released.
The IPOB spokesman said there would be no movement throughout the region, while assuring that the protest would be peaceful but firm.
He urged all residents of the South-East states to remain indoors in total compliance with the IPOB order.
The statement added, “All markets, schools, motor parks, airports, and public places in South-East should shut down from morning to evening every Monday.
“We understand the economic implications of this measure but we are constrained to take it so that the world will know that our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is not alone in the struggle for South-East autonomy.
“We want his immediate release and our total freedom, and cannot hesitate to pay any sacrifice needed to achieve this including locking down the entire South-East on Mondays.
“All residents and visitors in the South-East are advised to comply with the order.
“Nobody should go out to avoid any clash or intimidation by the wicked Nigeria security agents.”