IPOB Not Behind Attacks In Southeast, Says Abaribe

Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe has absolved the
proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other pro-Biafran
agitators of culpability in the attacks on police facilities and
killing of security operatives in the Southeast.

Abaribe noted the attacks were being carried out by those he
described as ‘fifth columnists imported into Igboland’ whose key
motivation was the destabilisation of Igboland.

There have been attacks on police stations in various states of
the South East, which the police had blamed on the IPOB.

However, speaking with The Nation after he delivered a keynote
address at the Nigeria Bar Association Owerri Branch 2021 Law Week,
Abaribe said the separatist group was not responsible for the
attacks.

He stated those sponsoring the violence in the region were only
interested in making Igboland ungovernable.

The senator, who represents Abia South Senatorial District,
said,: “Anybody, who is seeing all these problems in southeast as
coming from the IPOB, anyone trying to pin the insecurity situation
in southeast to IPOB or MASSOB is making a mistake. We do not think
so.

“Those of us from the southeast here know that this is nothing
but fifth columnists imported into Igboland to destabilise
Igboland. This is because Igboland is the safest place that we had
in this country.

“All they want to do is to cause a confusion and make this place
ungovernable so that they can go out and say there is terrorism
here.

“We are not terrorists. The ethos of the Igbo man is very
simple: live and let live. We build; we don’t destroy. We never
kill because we take life very precious.

“So, anyone telling you all these, it’s people who come from
elsewhere trying to destabilize Igboland. But, it will never
happen”.

Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe has absolved the
proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other pro-Biafran
agitators of culpability in the attacks on police facilities and
killing of security operatives in the Southeast.

Abaribe noted the attacks were being carried out by those he
described as ‘fifth columnists imported into Igboland’ whose key
motivation was the destabilisation of Igboland.

There have been attacks on police stations in various states of
the South East, which the police had blamed on the IPOB.

However, speaking with The Nation after he delivered a keynote
address at the Nigeria Bar Association Owerri Branch 2021 Law Week,
Abaribe said the separatist group was not responsible for the
attacks.

He stated those sponsoring the violence in the region were only
interested in making Igboland ungovernable.

The senator, who represents Abia South Senatorial District,
said,: “Anybody, who is seeing all these problems in southeast as
coming from the IPOB, anyone trying to pin the insecurity situation
in southeast to IPOB or MASSOB is making a mistake. We do not think
so.

“Those of us from the southeast here know that this is nothing
but fifth columnists imported into Igboland to destabilise
Igboland. This is because Igboland is the safest place that we had
in this country.

“All they want to do is to cause a confusion and make this place
ungovernable so that they can go out and say there is terrorism
here.

“We are not terrorists. The ethos of the Igbo man is very
simple: live and let live. We build; we don’t destroy. We never
kill because we take life very precious.

“So, anyone telling you all these, it’s people who come from
elsewhere trying to destabilize Igboland. But, it will never
happen”.