Defence
FORMER Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, was yesterday, attacked by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Germany.
Chief Ekweremadu was said to have visited Germany to honour an invitation for a New Yam celebration in the country.
The IPOB in a statement signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, said that they attacked Ekweremadu for his alleged role in the military exercise in the Southeast code-named Python Dance (Egwueke) in 2017/2018. Claiming responsibility for the Ekweremadu Germany attack, IPOB said: “Today being the 17th day of August 2019, the Nuremberg IPOB family in Germany in keeping with the long-standing directive from our leader (Nnamdi Kanu) to hound all instigators of Operation Python Dance, is glad to report that Ike Ekweremadu was confronted and duly hounded out of a so-called New Yam Festival event in Germany.
“Despite repeated warnings to the organisers of these jamborees that Enugu, Ebonyi and other parts of Biafraland is under siege by Fulani caliphate and their collaborators within, they went ahead to invite a known traitor, co-conspirator and one of those that worked with Igbo governors to proscribe and tag IPOB a terror organisation while they never raised any voice against murderous Fulani herdsmen.
“This should serve as a warning to Nnia Nwodo, Dave Umahi, Okezie Ikpeazu, Willie Obiano and co that any day we find them in a public event abroad, they will be humiliated. IPOB is strategically located in over 100 countries around the world. Anywhere we find them, they will be dealt with.”
Ekweremadu’s media aide, Mr Uche Anichukwu in a statement confirmed the attack on his principal.
He said that “the Senator, who gave the account of the event on his social media handle, @iamekweremdu, however, assured Ndigbo and his supporters across the nation that he was safe.”
Ekweremadu said: “I attended the second annual cultural festival and convention organised by Ndi-Igbo Germany in Nurnberg today (Saturday) where I was billed to give a keynote address along with the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who, however, could not make it eventually.
“I was given a resounding welcome by Ndigbo in Germany and everything went smoothly until some men, who identified themselves as IPOB members stormed the venue and began to complain about the killings in the South East, stressing that there would be no Igbo event at the venue.
“I tried to engage them, but when they became unruly, I had to leave the venue. The organisers also invited the police and I was accompanied out of the venue.
“Much as I am disappointed in their conduct, especially as I am one of the persons, who have spoken up on justice for Ndigbo, the Python Dance, judicial killings in Igbo land and elsewhere both on the floor of the Senate and in my written and personal engagements with the Presidency and the media, as well as rallied the South East Senate Caucus to secure Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s release with Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe taking him on bail to douse tension in the South East, I nevertheless do not hold this to heart against them, for they know not what they do.”
Meanwhile, the pro-Biafra group also yesterday condemned a purported mass arrest of its supposed members in Ebonyi State who were accused of planning Biafra anniversary.
IPOB accused Governor Umahi and his supporters as the masterminds of the arrest.
They alleged that attempts by the governor to prove to “his Fulani masters” that he was anti-Biafra and IPOB had led him to round-up and illegally lock up land owners in Ebonyi State under the pretext of fighting Biafra agitators, adding that the true intention was to pave the way for Fulani herdsmen to take over community lands for their RUGA settlement in the state.
IPOB, therefore, insisted that those Governor Umahi claimed to have arrested in Ebonyi were not IPOB members, saying that the movement was not in the habit of celebrating any anniversary in the bush either in Biafra land or in the diaspora since its inception.
“It came to us as a surprise to hear the media blast about purported arrest of IPOB family members when we had no event in Ebonyi State that would necessitate the gathering of people on a large scale. Dave Umahi and his Fulani overlords in the police and army in Abakiliki have instead engaged in land grabbing, arrest of innocent citizens, especially indigenes of Amasiri in Afikpo LGA of Ebonyi State who were merely strategising on how to protect their land from Fulani terror herdsmen.
By tagging these villagers IPOB, Dave Umahi sought to deflect attention from this dastardly act of illicit land grabbing for RUGA going on in Ebonyi State. IPOB do not host events in the bushes or forests, rather we honour our heroes with a general strike on designated days of the year, “the group said.
Sunonline
– Aug. 18, 2019 @ 15:22 GMT |
Tags: Python Dance: IPOB members attack Ekweremadu in Germany
