BIAFRA NEWS : Rail lines removal won’t stop Biafra freedom – IPOB

 

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned purported removal of existing, though obsolete rail lines in Southeast, attributing it to handiwork of Federal Government.

The group alleged that the removal is not unconnected to the federal government’s hatred against Ndigbo.

In a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB said the move would not hinder its efforts towards realization of Biafra Republic.

The seperatist group further noted that it was not afraid of the steps, promising its members of its soon laying of its own railways in the region that would link it with Ambazonia and other African Countries.

The statement reads in part: “We condem the continued removal of existing though obsolete rail lines in Biafraland particularly in Igbo territory.

“The rail lines in Igboland were built by their colonial masters who saw the need for Igboland to be connected by railroads because we were one of the most civilized nations around, and also an industrial hub then as well as now.

“Nigeria Government is removing these railtracks claiming they are using it to repay Eastern States China government loans. We ask them, when did Eastern states borrow money from China?

“IPOB is not afraid nor shaking and promises every Biafran that very soon we will start laying our own railways in Biafraland that will link us with Ambazonia and other African Countries.

“IPOB assures our people that when Biafra comes, modern and electric speed train tracks that will operate both underground and above ground will be constructed.

“The government of Nigeria refused to lay new railway lines into Igboland but were busy laying rail lines from Katsina to Niger Republic with resources gotten from Biafra Land. Whatever inferior, substandard, and shoddy railroads they are building now is nothing compared to what we shall build in the immediate future.

“All African countries will emulate the massive infrastructural development that will happen within the first five years of Biafra Independence. IPOB is determined and will not be perturbed by any wickedness being mated on us because it is only for a short time longer now.

“Even if this Government didn’t remove the obsolete railroads, we will remove and replace them with railroads that will support modern speed trains as soon as Biafra is restored.”

 

BIAFRA NEWS : Court adjourns CNG suit on referendum to January 27

 

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned hearing on the suit filed by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) seeking a referendum to determine the fate of Biafra and other self-determination agitations to January 27, 2023.

It would be recalled that the CNG had in June 2021 dragged the National Assembly and the Attorney-General of the Federation to Court, asking it to compel the defendants to halt the ongoing constitutional review exercise and in its place, conduct a referendum to determine what determines Nigeria and who populates it.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, who presided over the matter, granted all the motions to allow interested parties to be joined in the suit.

Counsel to CNG, Barrister Sufiyanu Gambo, while speaking with journalists after the adjournment, said the Court had adjourned to 27 January for taking all the application to enable us have the processes and then respond appropriately.

Gambo said: “We amended all our processes directed by the court and as order parties are equally joined for defendant which is senate, National Assembly and Attorney General, so about 16 parties were added and then between last hearing and today.

“There are a lot of people who have filed the application to joined and we are unable to certain some of them because we only see them in court introducing their application to have filed to joined and because we don’t have the processes”.

In his reaction, the spokesperson of CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, lamented that the suit had suffered too many adjustments with few months.

His words: “We feel the suit has suffered too many adjustments. It’s been dragging for about a year now without commencing hearing. But the delays are about process. The suit is developing into an interesting national issue and we’re confident the result would put all agitations to rest.

 

“We’re assured by the requests coming by parties seeking to be joined as defendants in the case. This testifies to the fact that after all, we at CNG have taken the necessary decision by taking this legal option for the resolution of the lingering crisis of trust that appears to be overwhelming all other previous options.

“We’re are also confident that in the end the court, a temple of justice, would dispense justice appropriately in the interest of the future of Nigeria”.

However, the Ibom nation people movement counsel, Barrister Adesina Oke, who applied to join the application, disclosed that the Ibom nation agitators were also interested in self-determination.

He said: “It important people should express themselves that is why is very very imperative for us to join this suite because the court move that you can’t prevent people from matter that is interested to them. We want to be identified on our own, we are different culture and we different people”.

In his remarks, the lead counsel for the Igbo Nation, Victor Onweremadu, said: “When this suite was instituted, I was purely against it from the beginning, the plaintiff asked the five Eastern States to exist from this country that is the genesis of this suit.

“You can see that is creating a wild fire under the ethnicity across the country and they are now applying to be join the suite, in the last adjournment Igbo filed application to join on the suite and we are properly joined.

“One important lesson we should learned from this is that, Nigeria is living on the keg of powder, because many Nigerians are not happy that is why they don’t believe in one Nigeria”.

BIAFRA NEWS : Sunday Igboho, Prof Akintoye, enemy of Nnamdi Kanu, Biafra struggle – IPOB

 

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has described the Leader of the Ilana Omo Oodua, a group championing self-determination for the Yoruba Nation, Professor Banji Akintoye, as an enemy of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

IPOB said Akintoye’s remark that Kanu was a noisemaker was an indication of his hatred for the Biafra agitator.

Akintoye had described the IPOB’s leader as a noisemaker while applauding the Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho.

The Professor, had, also denied working with the Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu

Reacting, the spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful, accused Akintoye of working with enemies of Biafra agitation against Kanu.

A statement by Powerful reads partly: “We the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of the great liberator and prophet, Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu KANU condemn the unguided statement from Prof. Akintoye during his BBC interview where he ignorantly referred to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a noise maker while praising Sunday Igboho.

“It’s unfortunate that this old man, whom our Leader and IPOB hold in high esteem, will stoop so low to speak like a Nigeria-paid agent. Prof Akintoye should understand that KANU is the only man that put fear in the Fulanized Government of Nigeria. For him to refer to our Leader as a noise maker shows the level of hatred he has for our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. If Prof. Akintoye’s boy, Sunday Igboho, and Yoruba agitators are making noise, Nnamdi KANU and IPOB are not. We are in serious business in our quest for the restoration of Biafra.

“The old Professor with Nigeria divide and rule mentally has been working with enemies of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to discredit IPOB’s movement. Paid agent, Akintoye worked with Tony Nnadi on their irrelevant Lower Niger Republic or Congress project or whatever name they called it and woefully failed. Today he has started working with Simon Ekperima and boosting his ego to frustrate IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. They don’t understand that we are resolute and have dismantled all past enemies and obstacles that have stood in our way. We will overcome and dismantle them too, shortly.

“It is all a part of the Fulanized Nigeria government’s plans to find people who will make noise about Biafra while their target is to harm our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi KANU. None of them is looking for freedom but want to hoodwink the public while planning on how to harm IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu KANU. We assure them and their sponsors that they will fail again and again.

“We also wish to remind Koiki Media to keep to their lane in their Oduduwa struggle. As much as we support Oduduwa’s struggle by using our social media platforms to promote them, we do not in any way claim an alliance with them. They should not start any media wars with IPOB, otherwise, our media warriors will take them out of the media space. IPOB freedom movement led by Kanu is a freedom struggle for all the oppressed people in Nigeria but we will not tolerate any form of sabotage from those same people.

“Moreso, we want to state again that IPOB, led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has nothing to do with the so-called Biafra government in Exile. IPOB has never authorized anybody to form Biafra Government in Exile while our Leader is in DSS detention. We have said before, and we wish to say it categorically again, that anybody forming government in Exile is a criminal and any day we catch him or her, their name will be sorry. Sponsors and initiators of Government in Exile are power-drunk people who want to displace Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and destroy the Biafra movement and our struggle for independence. We won’t allow such to happen because we are the last line of defence against the enemies of the Indigenous Peoples in Africa.”

BIAFRA NEWS : NPC begs Biafra agitators not to disrupt 2023 census in S-East

 

The National Population Commission, NPC, has pleaded with the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and other pro- Biafra groups not to disrupt the 2023 population census in the South East region as  was the case in the 2006 census when the then Movement for the Actualisation for the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, scuttled the exercise in the zone.

NPC Federal Commissioner in charge of Abia State, Chief Jonny Nwabuisi, who made the plea at a press conference yesterday in Umuahia, decried the adverse effect of the MASSOB opposition to census in South East which accounted for the low figures ascribed to states in the zone.

He noted that a successful population census would be in the interest of everybody including those pushing for referendum, arguing that referendum  must be based on population.

His words:”In 2006, it was MASSOB; today it’s IPOB. But I say that it’s in the interest of IPOB to allow the census. If they  talk of referendum ,they cannot do it in a vacuum.

 ” Referendum is based on population and IPOB has no population of its own that is recognized by any international body that can conduct referendum. They only rely on the population of Nigeria.

 “So, it’s imperative and necessary for IPOB members to help in propagating the advocacy on census so  that the South East will have a successful census. Otherwise, whatever thing they are doing will be a failure.”

Identify Number, NIN would be accepted.

The NPC boss who hinted that the 2023 census would be conducted in the month of April, said that measures had been put in place for a credible exercise.

Asked if the exercise could be successfully held in an election year, the NPC boss assured that it would be a huge success.

On the method of enumeration during the exercise, Nwabuisi said only persons sighted physically would be enumerated, adding that no person (s) would be captured by proxy.

Responding to a question, the NPC boss, however, ruled out the option of electronic capturing during the exercise.

He said that the enumerators would feed the data they collect from the people into the commission’s data bank.

 

BIAFRA NEWS : Why we won’t release Kanu, FG tells Appeal Court

 

The Federal Government yesterday adduced reasons it has not obeyed the judgement of the Court of Appeal that ordered the release of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, from detention.

Government in a fresh affidavit filed before the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, maintained that Kanu posed a flight risk, insisting he would escape from the country as soon as he was freed from detention.

The affidavit was attached in support of an application seeking to stay the execution of the appellate court verdict that quashed the entire 15-count terrorism charge the federal government preferred against the embattled IPOB leader.

Arguing the application yesterday, an Assistant State Counsel in the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. David Kaswe, told the court that the case against Kanu bordered on national security.

Kaswe argued that Kanu’s fundamental rights should not supercede the interest of the nation.

Relying on the decided case law in Federal Republic of Nigeria Vs Asari Dokubo, the federal government argued that once a case touched on national security, the right of the individual affected took secondary place.

“It is important to appreciate the gamut of depositions in our application. The Respondent is a flight risk person and one of the ground of our application is that this matter touches on national security of the state.

“We further rely on the case of FRN Vs Dokubo, where the Supreme Court held that where national security is threatened or when there is likelihood of it being threatened, human rights take secondary place.

“Once there is a threat to national security, human rights of any individual can be suspended until such threat is taken care of.

“Once security of the nation is in jeopardy, the individual right may not even exist,” government’s lawyer argued.

Besides, he told the court that intelligence report in government’s possession indicated that releasing the IPOB leader from detention would worsen the security situation in the South East.

“The defendant has shown that he has the capacity to jump bail or to escape from lawful custody. There is reasonable intelligence that the enforcement of judgement of this court, pending determination of our appeal at the Supreme Court, may impact negatively on the declining security in the South East.

“No court can close its eyes on activities happening around it. As we speak, the entire social media is awash with threat to security in the country.

“We believe that there is an exceptional circumstance to warrant this court to grant our application.

“We urge this court to resolve the sole issue we raised and find our application meritorious, in the interest of justice and unity of the country,” federal government’s lawyer added.

However, Kanu’s lawyer,  Mike Ozekhome, SAN, urged the appellate court to dismiss FG’s application which he said was tantamount to seeking the stay of the liberty of a citizen.

Ozekhome argued that contrary to FG’s position, Kanu’s release from detention would guarantee peace in both the South East and the country

He said:  “In fact, my lords, on the contrary, the release of Kanu will actually bring peace and tranquility to the South East in particular and the nation in general

“This was demonstrated after the judgement of this court that ordered the release of the Respondent. Immediately the judgement was delivered, there was so much joy and happiness in the entire South East.  There was so much jubilation and merriment.”

He argued that Dokubo’s case was different from that of Kanu.

According him, while Dokubo applied to be granted bail, pending the determination of the charge against him, in Kanu’s case, the appellate court had already terminated his trial and ordered his release.

Relying on the case of Olisa Metuh Vs FRN, Kanu’s lawyer argued that the law forbade the grant of stay of execution in a criminal case.

He told the court that the IPOB leader did not jump bail, stressing that he only escaped from the country to save his life, after soldiers illegally invaded his house in 2017, in an operation that led to the death of 28 persons.

Ozekhome argued that the federal government, being in contempt of the judgement of the appellate court, could not approach it to seek any favourable order.

“They are already in contempt of order of this court. This application is therefore nothing but a slap on the face of this court,” he said.

After the three-man panel of justices of the appellate court, led by Justice Haruna Tsanami, had listened to both sides, it reserved its ruling till a date to be communicated to the parties.

Meanwhile, six Igbo traditional rulers yesterday stormed the court to demand the release of the detained IPOB leader.

The monarchs, who were all dressed in their regallia, said they were in court to show solidarity to their son, even as they stayed and observed the proceedings till the end.

The traditional rulers that were in court included HRM Eze  Innocent Nwaigwe, Secretary Umuahia North Council of Traditional Rulers; HRM, Eze Nnamdi Ofoegbu, Chairman Ohuhu Council of Traditional Rulers; and HRM Eze Iheanyichukwu Ezigbo, Chairman Ibeku council. Others are HRM Eze Pastor Philip Ajomiwe, immediate past Chairman, Umuahia North Council; and HRM Eze Eddy Ibeabuchi, former Chairman Umuahia North Council and HRM Eze Ben Oriaku, Ikwuano LGA.

It will be recalled that the appellate court had in a judgement delivered on October 13, ordered Kanu’s release from detention, even as it terminated further proceedings on the case the federal government entered against him.

The court said it was satisfied that FG flagrantly violated all known laws when it forcibly rendered Kanu from Kenya to the country for continuation of his trial.

It held that such arbitrary use of power by the Nigerian government, divested the trial court of the jurisdiction to continue with Kanu’s trial.

Though FG had since gone to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgement, it, however, in line with the rules, it approached the Court of Appeal to seek a stay of execution of the verdict.

GUN MEN FROM THE EAST Part 1&2 - KELVIN BOOKS IKEDUBA} NEW NIGERIAN NOLL...

BIAFRA NEWS : Again, Court Adjourns Biafra Referendum Suit To Jan 27

 

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, adjourned hearing on the suit filed by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) seeking a referendum to determine the fate of Biafran and other self-determination agitators, to January 27, 2023.

Recall that, CNG had in June 2021 dragged the National Assembly and the Attorney-General of the Federation to Court, asking the defendants to halt the ongoing constitutional review exercise and in its place, conduct a referendum to determine what constitutes Nigeria and who populates it.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, who presided over the matter, granted all the motions to allow interested parties to be joined in the suit.

Counsel to CNG, Barrister Sufiyanu Gambo, while speaking with journalists after the adjournment, said the court had adjourned to 27 January for taking all the application to enable them have the processes and then respond appropriately.

In his reaction, the spokesperson of CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, lamented that the suit had suffered too many adjustments within a few months.

 His words: “We feel the suit has suffered too many adjustments. It’s been dragging for about a year now without commencing hearing. But the delays are about process. The suit is developing into an interesting national issue and we’re confident the result would put all agitations to rest.

“We’re assured by the requests coming from parties seeking to be joined as defendants in the case. This testifies to the fact that after all, we at CNG have taken the necessary decision by taking this legal option for the resolution of the lingering crisis of trust that appears to be overwhelming all other previous options.However, the Ibom Nation People Movement counsel, Barrister Adesina Oke, who applied to join the application, disclosed that the Ibom nation agitators were also interested in self-determination.

 

 

“We’re are also confident that in the end the court, a temple of justice, would dispense justice appropriately in the interest of the future of Nigeria”.