The
founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and top leaders
of his group have gone into hiding following Friday’s declaration by
the Nigerian Army that IPOB and other Pro-Biafran groups were terrorists
organisations.
Investigations
on Saturday revealed that Kanu and his top lieutenants had
‘disappeared’ from his country home in Afaraukwu near Umuahia and other
places he frequently visited.
Some IPOB members, who spoke on
conditions of anonymity explained that Kanu and others were advised to
go underground following the declaration by the Army and the decision of
the South-East governors to proscribe activities of pro-Biafra
agitators in the region.
I can’t disclose my brother’s location — Kanu’s brother
When
contacted on phone on Saturday, Kanu’s younger brother simply
identified as Fine Boy, refused to tell SUNDAY PUNCH where his brother
was, adding that only the IPOB leader could disclose his hiding place.
He
said, “Only my brother can tell Nigerians where he is, I can’t. I don’t
know why the Army should call IPOB a terrorist organisation, it is out
of their desperation to arrest Nnamdi and frustrate the Biafran
struggle. We have petitioned the United Nations and the European Union.
The
world knows that IPOB is a non-violent organisation, we don’t carry
arms, we don’t kill, and we believe violence can never solve any
problem.
Nnamdi will soon disclose his current location and
IPOB will also react to the proscription of the group by the South-East
governors’ forum.”
Security agencies comb South-East for Kanu, others
Investigations on Saturday also showed that security agencies were combing the South-East region in search of Kanu.
The
directive to arrest the IPOB leaders was said to have been communicated
to the leaders of the security agencies deployed in the region.
It
was gathered that the government felt that it could be dangerous to
leave Kanu a free man till the next adjourned date when his case would
come up at an Abuja Federal High Court. His case is said to be coming up
later in October.
A top security sources said, “We are
seriously looking for him. He has a lot of things to explain to the
government concerning his statements, actions and activities.
*Edited From Punchng