The Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People Of Biafra has distanced itself from any alliance with the Niger Delta Avengers and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra insisting that those who preach violence might be infants or not born during the 1967-1970 Nigeria-Biafra civil war.
The Deputy Chairman of IPOB’s Supreme Council, Dozie Ikedife, stated this at a press conference in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday in reaction to claims by some IPOB and MASSOB members that the groups were aligning with the Niger Delta militants as well as other militants in the country.
Ikedife said there was no such thing as an alliance of IPOB with any group, adding that he witnessed the Civil War and saw how millions of people, especially from the South-East, were slaughtered and properties destroyed.
He declared that he would certainly not support any war or violence because any life lost would not be replaced, but properties could be replaced.
“Preachers of violence might be infants or non-existent during the 30-month Nigerian Civil War,” he said.
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“The IPOB group I belong to is governed by the Supreme Council of Elders. There is a faction led by Nnamdi Kanu that abuses the elders, preaches violence and ethnic hatred.
“We do not believe in that. The MASSOB led by Ralph Uwazuruike from its inception preaches non-violence based on the philosophy of the late Indian leader, Mahatma Ghandi.
“If the militants have been blowing up pipelines, I don’t see how my group that has been following legal and diplomatic process will align with them. We have quite a different philosophy and modus operandi towards the issue of self-determination.
“The two factions of the IPOB and the two factions of MASSOB are all talking about self-determination of the indigenous people of Biafra. But their approach is not the same.
“The aim may be one but the method differs. We have not and cannot depart from dialogue, legal and diplomatic process and of course you know we are in court with the Federal Government over this issue of self-determination.”
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