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.
