The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has renewed its questions over the circumstances that led to the proscription of the group in September 2017, asking the Federal Government to explain what changed between its August peace meeting with Nnamdi Kanu and the subsequent military operation at his residence.
IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, raised the questions in a statement on Tuesday titled, “Where Was the Terrorism Between August and September 2017?”
The group recalled that on August 30, 2017, Kanu met with members of the South-East Governors Forum at the Enugu State Government House during what was described at the time as a peace meeting.
According to IPOB, Kanu used the meeting to demand greater development of the South-East, including improved infrastructure, functional seaports and airports, railway development, reliable electricity, healthcare facilities, industrialisation and employment opportunities.
The group also said Kanu demanded respect for court orders, the release of some detainees and investigations into alleged killings of IPOB members and supporters.
IPOB, however, said the engagement was followed weeks later by a military operation at Kanu’s family home in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Abia State, on September 14, 2017.
The group alleged that the operation was aimed at arresting or killing Kanu, adding that he escaped during the incident.
A day after the military operation, the South-East Governors Forum announced the proscription of IPOB activities in the region.
IPOB argued that the sequence of events raised questions about how the situation moved from a peace meeting to military action and the subsequent designation of the group as a terrorist organisation.
The group asked the Federal Government to explain what terrorist activity allegedly occurred between the August 30 meeting and the September 15 proscription.
“Where exactly was the terrorism?” IPOB asked, demanding that the government produce the evidence that allegedly justified the classification of the group as a terrorist organisation.
IPOB also questioned the role of South-East political leaders in the events, particularly the circumstances surrounding the governors’ decision to proscribe the group.
The group further cited former Senate President Bukola Saraki’s reported position in September 2017 that the military’s declaration of IPOB as a terrorist organisation and the governors’ proscription did not follow due process.
IPOB called on the international community to examine the records of the 2017 peace meeting, the military operation at Kanu’s residence, the proscription of IPOB and the subsequent court proceedings involving the group and its leader.
The group maintained that a review of the events would help establish what transpired between the August 2017 political engagement and the September 2017 proscription.
