ESN not harassing Northerners in Southeast – IPOB replies NEF

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Thursday said the Eastern Security Network, ESN, is not harassing Northerners and Fulanis in the Southeast.

IPOB said there are Northerners going about their legitimate businesses in the Southeast without being harassed.

The group was reacting to claims by the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, that ESN was involved in mass killing of Fulani cow and Northerners.

Emma Powerful, the spokesman of IPOB, described NEF as bunch of hypocrites and crisis instigators who seldomly speak the truth.

A statement by Powerful reads: “The attention of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the indomitable and charismatic leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU has been drawn to the statement credited to the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) accusing IPOB of harassing the Northerners in the East and mass killing of Fulani cows. The Northern Elders Forum are a bunch of hypocrites and crisis instigators who seldomly speak the truth.

“For public records purposes, IPOB and ESN are not attacking Northerners including law abiding Fulanis in the East. There are many responsible and law abiding Northerners including Fulanis doing legitimate businesses in the East without anyone harassing them.

“However, IPOB/ESN are pursuing criminal elements and terrorists in our bushes, forests, and farmlands who are terrorizing our people, raping our women, killing our farmers and destroying our farmlands and communities.

“On the mass killing of cows in the East, IPOB/ESN takes responsibility for slaughtering the cows that these terrorists are using as conduits to occupy our farmlands and destroying our crops just to send the message that we don’t want terrorists in our bushes and farmlands. Moreover, open grazing has been banned by the South East Governor’s Forum since 2020.

“There are houses for rent in all the cities and towns in Biafra Land. There is no region that has houses more than the East in Nigeria. Any Fulani who is interested in doing a legitimate business should rent a house or properties like other citizens and not to go and occupy bushes and graze in people’s farms.

“If the Northerners that are doing legitimate businesses in the cities should allow the Northern Elders Forum to refer to them as being harassed by IPOB because they are the sophisticated terrorists, mass murderers, rapists and kidnappers in the Biafra forests and bushes, they will continue to be harassed by ESN until they vacate and and stop coming into our territory.

“Their notorious activities in every part of Nigeria are in the public domain. ESN and IPOB do not romance with or pamper criminals and terrorists.”