IPOB, MASSOB deny hijacking ship to secure leader's release

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) have denied hijacking a merchant ship in the Gulf of Guinea.

News reports had it that Biafra supporters had hijacked the ship, “Leon Dias” on Friday, January 29 and threatened to blow it up if the group’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu wasn’t released.

In response however, IPOB Media and Publicity Officer, Emma Powerful has denied that the group is involved.

He said:

“Many people are sympathetic to the Biafran actualization cause because of the treatment meted to the entire Biafran land comprising the former Eastern Region.”

“Many groups are also rising up to speak against the treatment meted to the IPOB leader and Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu who at present is being incarcerated in Kuje prison, and they can use any style to make their demand felt by the Federal Government but no IPOB member has a hand in it.”

MASSOB leader, Uchenna Madu, also dissociated the group from the alleged hijacking.

Madu said:

“I am aware that a militant group sometime gave the Federal Government twenty one-day ultimatum to release Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, failing which they threatened that they will do what will surprise the Nigerian government. May be it is the group, I do not even remember their name but I heard or read about that threat.”

“You know that a lot of groups are springing up from the old Eastern Region to agitate for the actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra and as far as they are fighting for Biafra, we cannot disown them, but they have their own style which I think the Federal Government of Nigeria understands easily. If you are not violent, they will not understand and they will ignore you. So, we support the group if that is what they have actually done.

“We in MASSOB are not involved in violence, that is why they do not take us serious. They believe we are illiterate job seekers that are frustrated in life and decided to demand for Biafra. They think that our own is to demonstrate peacefully and they will shoot and kill us and go into jubilation that they have dealt with us, but now, they have seen their match. We support the people if they have actually done that.”

Kanu has been remanded at the Kuje Prison in Abuja and is facing charges of treason.