The Indigenous People of Biafra have criticized former military commander Asari Dokubo for urging the federal government of Nigeria to keep arrested pro-Biafran activist Nnamdi Kanu in custody.
IPOB accused Dokubo of pandering to the public in an effort to win President Bola Tinubu’s favor and get the contract for the protection of oil pipelines in a statement released on Sunday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful.
The ex-militant commander was cautioned by the pro-Biafran group, however, that “cajoling the IPOB leader cannot secure you contract, instead that will bring you down.”
Asari-Dokubo had resisted calls for Kanu’s release from detention, claiming that the action would not bring peace, in a statement to press last Friday (June 16, 2023) after visiting President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
In response, IPOB “cautioned those campaigning for continuous illegal detention of Nnamdi Kanu to beware of dangers ahead,” saying, “Kanu is the only innocent political prisoner in Nigeria because of ethnic profiling and prejudice.”
IPOB said, “Dokubo and others are campaigning for the continuous detention of Nnamdi Kanu in the DSS solitary confinement but forgot that militancy for monetary gains is in the same category as criminals and terrorists.
“IPOB is not in the league of militants and oil pipeline guards. IPOB stands for freedom for Biafrans, including those on oil pipeline security guards for the oppressors. It’s unfortunate that those who are supposed to be in the decision-making of the oil explorations in their region are guarding the oil pipelines for the oppressors and their children.
“Those bent on killing each other for the oil pipeline contracts are in the same way bent on sabotaging those fighting to liberate them from decades of slavery.”
The IPOB spokesman advised Dokubo to desist from using Kanu’s “illegal detention” to look for an oil guard contract, adding that Kanu neither destroyed any oil infrastructure nor killed anyone.
According to IPOB, were Nigeria to be a sane society, militants should be in jail rather than Kanu, who is “fighting for total emancipation and independence of Biafra.”
“But Nigeria is a country where thugs, terrorists, and militants are respected and rewarded better than university professors.
“We have two sets of militants in Niger Delta. Some are fighting for resource control to better their region while some are fighting to enrich themselves through Federal Government sponsored oil contracts and bunkering as the region is exploited. The statement said that IPOB is not on the same mission as any of the militant groups,” the statement said.
