Founder of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has alleged that the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is allowing himself to be used by create problems in Igboland.
Uwazuruike said the idea behind the agitation for an independent state of Biafra was to use a non-violent means, regretting, however, that this noble idea had been hijacked by those he recruited into the movement.
Speaking at a world press briefing in his house in Owerri, Imo State capital, on Monday, Uwazuruike, who also leads the Biafran Independent Movement (BIM), said he feels disturbed each time there are killings in Igboland.
He blamed this on the activities of IPOB while expressing regrets that Kanu “and his cohorts have turned Igboland into a battle ground where daily killing have become a common place”.
He said the IPOB leader does not have regard for Igbo leaders, whom he abuses with “reckless abandon”.
He asked South East governors to take over the Eastern Security Network (ESN) because the organisation is being abused by those behind it.
He said, “When we started out on this movement, our purpose was to pursue this issue of Biafra through non-violence means, but along the line, politicians stepped in by sponsoring some for their own selfish interest to cause mayhem.
“We feel disturbed because people have called us continuously to ask what is happening. Today many people are being killed in Igboland not by herdsmen but by ourselves because if you invite the military into Igboland, they kill nobody but Ndigbo.
“At the end of the day, we are the people being killed. I started all these, I recruited all these people. I want to say that at no point will Ndigbo go to war with with any other part of Nigeria. We have reached a stage where it is no longer possible to fight in Nigeria.
“I call on South East governors to take over the activities of ESN before they cause more harm to the region.
“South East must not be a theatre of war because of the activities of few individuals. We must recognise our leaders. We cannot allow anarchy to prevail.”
He congratulated Governor Hope Uzodimma for the way he handled the crisis in Orlu.
