The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the great and indefatigable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu raises alarm over the incessa...
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the great
and indefatigable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu raises alarm over the incessant
military intimidation, harassment, and extortion at the "kill and
bury" military checkpoint mounted
at Ukwu Orji in Mbaitolu LGA along Owerri/Onitsha expressway.
Ndigbo passengers have been subjected to all manner of
humiliation, torture, and forceful disappearances at the military and police
checkpoints in the Eastern Region, particularly at the "kill and
bury" military checkpoint at Ukwu Orji along Owerri/Onitsha
expressway.
The soldiers at this particular checkpoint deliberately keep
all the vehicles that get to the checkpoint at 10 pm to around 12 am until each
vehicle pay them N5,000 before they can be allowed to pass to continue on their
journey. Sometimes, after unnecessary delays and extortions by the soldiers at
this checkpoint, the passengers are attacked and kidnapped on the way. The
soldiers and police officers at this checkpoint are informants to kidnappers. They
are professional armed rubbers who use guns and uniforms issued by the Nigeria
government to intimidate and force people to part with their money or be
delayed till the next day or even be killed. Similar incidents happen in all
the military, and Police checkpoints scattered all over the South East Region.
The uncountable number of army and police checkpoints collect N5,000 or more
from each vehicle in the South East Region and make persons and vehicular
movements difficult and expensive. The militarization of the South East Region
is not only intimidating and oppressive policy of the Federal Government of
Nigeria and her murderous Security Agencies, but it is also a plan to occupy
Biafra territory. The security agencies of Nigeria also contraven UN human
rights commission rules regularly in carrying out their evil plans in Igboland.
The Nigerian government's economic
strangulation policy against Ndigbo can be felt by all inhabitants of Igbo
land. The excessive extortions at these military and Police checkpoints make
the cost of goods and transportation exorbitant compared to other regions of
their country. Holding passengers at gunpoint from 10 pm to 12 am is against
fundamental human rights. All of that done in order to extort huge amounts of
cash from travelers before allowing them to cross the army or police
checkpoint. This shows that the Nigerian military is part of the criminality
going on in Imo State and the entire South East Region.
IPOB in the past has raised alarms that the military and
police checkpoints in the East are part of the insecurity of kidnapping and car
snatching gangs' activities.
The presence of these soldiers and police officers at
various checkpoints has not reduced insecurity. Instead, the Nigerian soldiers
at the checkpoints are humiliating, intimidating, raping our ladies, extorting
money, and passing information to kidnappers. They are working with the
kidnappers who deliver shares of ransom collected from kidnapped victims to them.
IPOB is calling on the Nigeria Defence Headquarters and the
Chief of Army Staff to withdraw and dismantle the Military checkpoints in the
East particularly the checkpoint at Ukwu Orji on Owerri/Onitsha expressway if
they care to maintain their remaining integrity. The Nigerian soldiers deployed
at that checkpoint are part of the insecurity in the South East Region.
The checkpoints are meant to protect innocent civilians
while checkmating the activities of criminal elements terrorizing the
communities. Instead of stopping the insecurity, these military men and women
at these checkpoints are fueling insecurity, kidnapping, angering, and
frustrating the civilians on the roadways. The military checkpoints are
extortion toll booths and information gathering for the kidnappers.
Therefore, IPOB demand that the Nigerian Army and Police
dismantle all the indiscriminatly positioned criminal military and police
checkpoints in the South East Region and the South South Region with
immediate effect. We believe that their
personnel have turned the checkpoints into something else. These checkpoints
are fueling the anger of the people. The Nigerian Army and Police in the East
must not wait till the people's anger gets to boiling point before they allow
Ndigbo to breathe. The Nigerian Army should never underate the reactions of
angry and wounded persons. Biafra people and Biafra territory have endured a
lot.
COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL, MEDIA, AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR
IPOB
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