The banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said that it is now ready to negotiate with the Federal Government on peaceful exit of Biafra from Nigeria through a United Nations (UN) supervised referendum.
The pro-Biafran group, which stated this in a press statement issued by group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, yesterday, said the peaceful agitation for Biafra Independence started in 2012 without any violence or criminality, but that the Federal Government has continued to attack its members.
According to Powerful, IPOB has lost over 5,000 members and properties worth over $1bn as a result of the extreme use of force from the Nigeria security forces.
The statement read in part: “IPOB stands for peace. We stand for dialogue, and we stand for discussions. The cardinal rule under which IPOB was formed is to lead the way to a peaceful separation of Biafra from Nigeria. Biafra and Nigeria are two different nations.
“The events from 1948 to 2023 have shown that it is practically impossible for Biafra and Nigeria to coexist as one nation. IPOB has been calling on the Nigeria State for discussions on a peaceful referendum date, but the Nigeria State always returns the peaceful call with violent suppression.
“We have always maintained that self-determination is our inalienable right according to the UN laws.”
The group insisted that it remains committed to pursuing its self-determination peacefully according to international laws and regulations”.
