Proscribed group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), has reportedly concluded plans to attack civilians during the Anambra state governorship election on Saturday and blame it on the military. The attacks would be launched against those who stay back in their homes to comply with IPoB’s directive for election boycott.
Members of the proscribed group are said to have been issued with fake military uniforms to carry out the attacks, which would then be blamed on soldiers with the false claim that civilian deaths occurred in the course of hunting down IPoB members that have been positioned to disrupt the vote.
A source who fell out with IPoB hierarchy confided in our correspondent that the attacks by IPoB members in military fatigue would be professionally videotaped to produce clips that would go viral and cast the military in a bad light. They would be relying on blaming any military detachment deployed to counter any violence unleashed by IPoB fighters.
The source explained that he decided to speak up because of the double standard by IPoB decision makers in the treatment of election issues in different Igbo states citing the recent local government polls that held hitch free in Enugu state as opposed to the boycott order in Anambra state as his reason.
The IPoB member from Nimo, Njikoka local government area of Anambra state said, “Some of us are beginning to wonder if one Igbo state is superior to the other when we call ourselves Biafrans. Enugu state conducted council elections and nobody spoke about boycott or referendum. It is what is now making us to ask whether our members from the other states want Anambra to burn to make their point. As for me I do not want my people to be made into sacrificial lambs, I cannot allow my people to die when there is no need to die.
“They have selected IPoB members from Ebonyi, Abia and some from Enugu state wear the (army) uniforms and attack people in their homes while making it look as if soldiers are arresting people. That is why they are using our members from outside the (Anambra) state. The order is to make sure that there are deaths and that the killing should be filmed on video so far as those doing the killing are in military uniform. They said the video should be share to tell the world how soldiers are killing Igbos.
“Those of us who had believed we were telling people to stay at home and not vote are now worried that some of them would die in their houses and give our legitimate agitation a bad name. I don’t want to be part of something like that,” he declared.
IPoB members have last week marched through key areas of Anambra state distributing fliers while threatening residents with chants “If you vote, you will die”.
Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Garba Umar had dismissed the threats saying “We don’t have IPOB any longer, they have been proscribed.”
The Nigerian Army is yet to comment on the plot by IPoB to impersonate its personnel during the election.
