The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called for the immediate arrest of Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.
In a statement issued on Thursday by IPOB’s media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, the group called on the nation’s security agencies to immediately arrest and prosecute Gumi for not only being a spokesman for bandits and terrorists tormenting Nigerians but equally their main sponsor.
IPOB said it is obvious because the cleric is fond of defending bandits and also championing their cause.
IPOB, in the statement, also insisted that the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the IPOB’s militia arm was created to defend the people of the South-East from killers and criminals.
It noted that the bandits Gumi has been defending kidnap people for ransom, and also spill the blood of their victims.
The group released the statement to react to Gumi’s comparison of IPOB and bandits as groups bearing arms in Nigeria while granting an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday.
Gumi said, “IPOB is attacking the police, the army, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other government institutions; killing NỌ NỌ na na na na na na Highway
ur men in service.
“And the herdsmen are kidnapping children not to kill them but to get money; so how can you compare somebody who is killing our gallant men directly to somebody who is kidnapping children
to make money and not to kill them. Look, we need some fairness in what we are doing.”
Reacting, the Biafra separatist group said, “The attention of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has been drawn to the latest ranting and ridiculous claims by terrorist apologist, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, that IPOB, and Eastern Security Network, ESN, were killing Northerners. There is no iota of truth in such a mischievous and fallacious claim.
“In case the self-acclaimed Islamic cleric has forgotten, may we remind him that neither IPOB nor ESN is a terrorist organisation or killers like his bandit clients and allies. Spilling of blood is never part of our mandate.
“ESN is a child of necessity created for the defence of our ancestral land against terrorists and killer herdsmen wreaking havoc across our communities. ESN is only defending our hapless mothers and sisters who have been raped, maimed and attacked without any justification by Fulani herdsmen.
