…Asks government to go after sit-at-home enforcers

A coalition of pro-Biafra groups on Sunday threw its weight behind the order by the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to end sit-at-home in the South East region and urged government to go after the enforcers, whom it described as criminals.

The spokesperson of the coalition, Comrade Rita Anigbogu, who was former Chief of Staff to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and ex-Nigerian Coordinator and African IPOB, has also affirmed that the letter ordering a self-styled Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, to end sit-at-home with immediate effect was authored by the the IPOB Leader.

Flanked by Leader, Salvation People Biafra, Leader, Salvation People Biafra, Comrade Osita Chukwuagbanarinam; Director of Education, De Biafra Mobilizers Initiative, Comrade, Stella Chukwuma; and the Founding Secretary General, Eastern Peoples Congress, Mazi Ikechukwu Oji, Comrade Anigbogu, who doubles as the Director-General of De Biafra Mobilisers Initiative and Deputy Chairman of De Facto Customary Government of Biafra, said Mazi Kanu was deliberate and sound in judgement in ordering an end to syndrome destroying the South East and its economy.

“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu understands and rightly pointed out in that letter that Sit-at-Home has been counterproductive, a waste of time, resources and energy, and indeed a self-enslavement that inflicts unnecessary hardships on our people, and will continue to be so. We can’t continue to drink poison and expect the enemies of our motherland to die.

“Sit-at-Home will only help to pillage our place; will make us kill one another, and destroy our economy to the benefit of our neighbours and pleasure of our traducers.

“When Scotland talks about Brexit, the world listens and Britain quakes because Scotland has built herself into a formidable economic power. When Catalonia sneezes, the world listens and Spain catches cold because Catalonia is an economic superpower in that European country.

“The political leaders, even governors with the best intention cannot do anything, our GDP will continue to be decimated if we continue to throw away our Mondays to sit-at-home. You can imagine a group of people that throw away their Mondays. What about our brothers and sisters who are business people?

“We have our parents, who depend on daily proceeds to feed their children. What about pregnant women that will go into labour on Mondays? They cannot be attended to in the hospitals because we are sitting at home. What about our brothers and sisters that may have health emergencies maybe on Sunday night or on Monday and they cannot access hospitals? What if you have a life and death need for money, and you cannot go to the bank? What about our children, who may be writing examinations?

“It beats our imagination that anyone with Biafra blood running in his veins would contemplate a continuation of the Monday Sit-at-home and worse still asking a region to Sit-at-home for two full weeks. Who is that person really working for?

“So, we, the pro—Biafra groups of Enugu State extraction stand with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as we collectively reject the Sit-at-Home. Let it end now”.

She said sit-at-home enforcers were anti-Igbo elements, and urged “government to go after such criminals with every might and every resource at its disposal”.

On the authenticity of Kanu’s letter, she said: “I am here to confirm that the letter made public by Barrister Aloy Ejimakor actually emanated from Nnamdi Kanu. And I do so with every sense of honour and responsibility and in the name of Chukwu Okike Abiama (God).

“As most of you already know, I worked with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for a very long time, for several years. I left my businesses in Lagos and moved to Enugu to join him when he was running Radio Biafra from Enugu here.

“I was the one, who appointed Simon Ekpa the Finland Coordinator of IPOB, back then.

“So, having known Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and having worked closely with him for several years, I know his style of writing. I know his handwriting, I know his language and command of English. The letter that Barrister Ejimakor presented to the press is very authentic and is from Nnamdi Kanu. Anyone claiming otherwise is doing so for ulterior motives, which time and God will ultimately expose”, she concluded.

Full Text of the Press Conference:

WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE OF LEADERS OF PRO-BIAFRA GROUPS IN ENUGU STATE ON SUNDAY 30TH JULY 2023

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

BACKGROUND

My name is Comrade Rita Eberechukwu Anigbogu (Ada Biafra), and I am a pro—Biafra activist. By the grace of God, and I have worked at the topmost levels of the Biafran Struggle across not just Igboland, but anywhere Biafra has ever been mentioned. I am also, perhaps, the only female Leader of a foremost Biafran group. I am currently the Director General of the DE BIAFRA MOBILIZERS INITIATIVE, and the Deputy Chairman of the DE FACTO CUSTOMARY GOVERNMENT OF BIAFRA.

We, the pro—Biafran activists have stood for our land and have fought for our land. Although strategies may vary, our goal is one and the same for the good of the motherland. There have also been times when the struggle for motherland worked against the very interests we were fighting for, and we had converged to discuss and decide either to jettison or review some of the strategies. Like the idea of Census Boycott and No Election, and now, Sit-at-Home.

Although these ideas were successful in their time, these civil disobediences have not worked in our best interest. Take for instance the 2006 Census Boycott. The result is that a region that was adjudged the most densely populated area in 1956 across Africa is today seen as less populated, because we could not be counted in the South East. We lost out in Census Boycott and today, it has had far-reaching consequences on us politically, economically, and socially.

We have also had to confront No Election in Anambra State and during the last presidential election. We formed the Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN), which I was the Director General then in 2017 and went down to the streets and villages of Anambra and equally took our messages to the internet. Finally, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu himself had to wade in, in body and flesh. We – the MOBIN, CUSTOMARY GOVERNMENT OF BIAFRA, MASSOB, and IPOB – met several times on the matter. As a matter of fact, Igbo elders waded in at a point and invited us here in Enugu. The Anambra State election eventually held successfully. In the last general election, we all mobilised and ensured that the No Election decree by Simon Ekpa did not stand and Mr. Peter Obi reaped bountiful votes from the South East.

SIMON EKPA AND SIT-AT-HOME

I am here to confirm that the letter made public by Barrister Aloy Ejimakor actually emanated from Nnamdi Kanu. And I do so with every sense of honour and responsibility and in the name of Chukwu Okike Abiama.

As most of you already know, I worked with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for a very long time, for several years. I left my businesses in Lagos and moved to Enugu to join him when he was running Radio Biafra from Enugu here. He had also left Lagos and returned to Enugu, so we left whatever we were doing just to serve Biafrans.

As many of you equally know, I was the Nigerian coordinator of IPOB at a time, and I rose to be the African Rep. of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. I was also the Chief of Staff to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

I was the one who appointed Simon Ekpa the Finland Coordinator of IPOB, back then.

So, having known Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and having worked closely with him for several years, I know his style of writing. I know his handwriting, I know his language and command of English. The letter that Barrister Ejimakor presented to the press is very authentic and is from Nnamdi Kanu. Anyone claiming otherwise is doing so for ulterior motives, which time and Chukwu Okike Abiama will expose.

My thinking is that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu now understands that the Biafran struggle is a political issue, as we had also told him back in 2017. Biafra is a political matter, both International and National, and Nnamdi has realised that we have to work with the political leaders of Igboland to make a successful case for Biafra. Ekpa should cease and listen to voices of reason. There is no way we will realise Biafra from tigbuo zogbuo.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu also understands and rightly pointed out in that letter that Sit-at-Home has been counterproductive, a waste of time, resources and energy, and indeed a self-enslavement that inflicts unnecessary hardships on our people, and will continue to be so. We can’t continue to drink poison and expect the enemies of our motherland to die.

We went to war from 1967 to 1970. Now, God has helped us and we have been able to go through tutelage and education and now know international politics and diplomacy.

Like we have always advocated, the Biafran issue should be negotiated. It is coming to a roundtable to negotiate that will give us Biafra. Laws are enacted in the parliaments, through talks, not on the streets with guns.

Sit-at-Home will only help to pillage our place; will make us kill one another, and destroy our economy to the benefit of our neighbours and pleasure of our traducers. When Scotland talks about Brexit, the world listens and Britain quakes because Scotland has built herself into a formidable economic power. When Catalonia sneezes, the world listens and Spain catches cold because Catalonia is an economic superpower in that European country.

The political leaders, even governors with the best intention cannot do anything, our GDP will continue to be decimated if we continue to throw away our Mondays to sit-at-home. You can imagine a group of people that throw away their Mondays. What about our brothers and sisters who are business people?

We have our parents who depend on daily proceeds to feed their children. What about pregnant women that will go into labour on Mondays? They cannot be attended to in the hospitals because we are sitting at home. What about our brothers and sisters that may have health emergencies maybe on Sunday night or on Monday and they cannot access hospitals? What if you have a life and death need for money, and you cannot go to the bank?

What about our children, who may be writing examinations like WAEC, JAMB, or other exams and they have paper on Monday? They cannot write because we are sitting at home.

Nnamdi Kanu has seen that sit-at-home will do us terrible harm and that is why he is demanding for a total end to it. It beats our imagination that anyone with Biafra blood running in his veins would contemplate a continuation of the Monday Sit-at-home and worse still asking a region to Sit-at-home for two full weeks. Who is that person really working for?

So, we, the pro—Biafra groups of Enugu State extraction stand with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as we say, we collectively reject the Sit-at-Home. Let it END NOW!

Onye gburu nwanne anaghi aza odogwu na Alaigbo (No one becomes a hero in Igboland by killing his own brother). This land we walk on, our ancestors, the gods of our land, and Ndigbo will hold responsible those who tenaciously seek to enforce a senseless Sit-at-home even after Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has declared it anti-Igbo interest.

The government should go after such criminals with every might and every resource at its disposal.

Thank you.

SIGNED

1. Comrade Rita Eberechukwu Anigbogu – Director-General, De Biafra Mobilizers Initiative & Deputy Chairman, De Facto Government of Biafra

2. Mazi Okechukwu Nwaeze – IPOB Coordinator, Enugu State

3. Mazi Ikechukwu Oji- Founding Secretary General, Eastern Peoples Congress, EPC

4. Comrade Osita Chukwuagbanarinam – Leader, Salvation People (SP ) Biafra

5. Comrade Stella Chukwuma – Director of Education, De Mobilizers Initiative