The ongoing trial of alleged abductors of travelling National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, in Imo State recently, has vindicated the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN,
who were being accused as masterminds of insecurity in the South East, a sociopolitical political group, Igbo Women Association, IWA and IPOB have said.
The groups noted that the suspects identified as Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, Mohammed Ali, Aminu Haliru and Ibrahim Jiji, have proved that insecurity in the South-East cannot be blamed solely on IPOB and ESN.
National President of IWA, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, while reacting to the trial said she had repeatedly faced criticism and security scrutiny over her position, that criminal activities in South East required a broader investigation into the roles of all suspected perpetrators, including non-state actors and possible lapses by security agencies.
According to her, she had consistently maintained that the South-East’s security crisis involved multiple actors and could not be addressed by attributing every kidnapping, killing and armed robbery to IPOB or ESN.
“I have always made it clear that the insecurity in the South-East is not only perpetrated by the freedom fighters and Biafran liberation groups. There are other people involved,” she said as she interrogated how gunmen could reportedly stop two buses and abduct more than 20 passengers despite the heavy deployment of security personnel across the region.
“How can we have all these checkpoints in the South-East and still have people being kidnapped in broad daylight?” she queried, calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abduction and possible security lapses.
The Igbo women leader renewed her call for the Federal Government to withdraw military deployments from the South-East, arguing that the proliferation of checkpoints had not brought the desired improvement in security, alleging that people in mufti were being used to extort money from motorists at some military checkpoints in the zone.
“I made this call in 2024. The military presence in the South-East is doing more harm than good. They should withdraw the military and allow security agencies to focus on intelligence and patrols,” she said as she called on South-East governors and community leaders to strengthen local vigilante structures and improve cooperation with law enforcement agencies, particularly in rural areas and along major highways.
IPOB, had earlier in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said the identity of the suspects arraigned in court had vindicated its position that those behind insecurity in South East are not IPOB members.
