 The Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB group has asked security agencies to go after enforcers of a sit-at-home order. And the all-progressive's Congress APC has achieved more in seven years than the People's Democratic Party, and this is according to the APC national chairman, Abdulahir Dabou. This is PlusPolitics and I am Kofi Bartels. You welcome the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB has stated that it does not have any problem with the military, particularly the Nigerian Army's killing of criminals and hoodlums still enforcing its long-canceled Monday weekly sit-at-home order. The group said it would never support criminals making the Southeast unsafe for habitation and that it would never tolerate the killing of innocent Igbo youth, according to IPOB, those who still enforce the Monday weekly sit-at-home order and not its members, but they describe them as criminals who want to rob the people and that they should be treated as criminals by security agents. So this was stated by IPOB's median publicity secretary, Imah Parfal joining us to discuss this. This is Loh Mefo, Loh Mefo is a public affairs analyst, and we'll be later joined by Chinadu Ohanda, Ritak Kahnel, the Nigerian Army. Loh Mefo, good evening to you and thank you very much for your time. Yeah, good evening my brother, good evening Nigerian. Are you surprised by the stance of the indigenous people of Biafra group on this Monday sit-at-home which has been on for some months now? Yes, I think their position is a particular one because all the while a lot of people believe that they are playing a double game that what is going on has received their tacit approval. And even when they said they weren't the ones responsible for the enforcement of the sit-at-home, a lot of people took that with a pinch of salt. Now that they are broadly asking the military to go after the criminals, I think it is only the right thing to do. And I have always known that IPOB to be peaceful, there is violence, being ascribed to the bodies is quite a surprise to so many of us, because IPOB has always been a peaceful movement. And it does appear that some elements that maybe broke away from IPOB. And those who believe that Biafra struggle must be given a push using arms, and criminals generally that saw an opening in that. These three categories of people, you know, are the ones that have been reconstituting themselves into what we call your non-agon men. I read one of the press statements issued by the spokesman of the indigenous peoples of Biafra in Mapawafo, where he broadly named some people, he named them, named their towns. And it was a very bold step, he took them, the men body, and we also have had from the lawyers of Namdee Kano, their leader, you know, their lawyers, Ijeofo and Ijeimako, have often relayed the message that Namdee Kano says nobody should sit at home, you know, because of his incarceration, and it should not be enforced also. So which means Namdee Kano does not approve of it, and they be grouped, especially the one that is from Simon Epa, who is resident in Finland, is the group that is behind this. So I really don't know how it will pan out, because everybody may be tired with the same approach. How do you expect the Nigerian military to know the difference between the various groups of Biafra agitators? And it is going to really pose a lot of a problem, and it is a delicate operation, and they have to be extremely careful, and my fear is that a lot of innocent people may fall and victims. I don't know how they will really go about this. And Professor Chukumasoludo, upon assumption of office, has also offered or extended the Olives branch to IPU be asking them to come out and let them work together to restore peace, and that should be the way to go. So I think just one more thing I want to add is that I think it is important that the branch of IPU be telling the military to go after the criminals should do more. They should work with the soludo, they should work with the military to be able to really ensure that innocent people are not victims of any oppression that they will launch in that election. Right. Interesting. So you are saying that this has been coming for some time now and it has been on for some time now, but I'm sure we can agree that whilst there have been calls by a section of the IPU be or Biafra agitators against the Mounted Seat at home, this probably is one of the few times we're hearing the group actually say the Nigerian Army should go after people. Is this surprising to you bearing in mind the history of the Nigerian Army in the Southeast, the history between the Nigerian Army and IPU be, the history between the Nigerian Army and the Biafra agitation, I mean we can go back recently to Operation Python Dance, you know, even when Kano was said to have jumped bail, the operation carried out in his country home in Abia State, where a certain person's amount of number of persons were said to have been killed. And are you shocked that the group is actually telling the Nigerian Army to go after people in the Southeast? No, I wouldn't say I am shocked. I don't think I was shocked when at first they had it. I believe that this is a problem that requires concerted efforts of all the sections of the society that need peace. And I think the IPOB is trying to demonstrate that they are not behind this killing and whoever is doing it is not doing it in their name. And I do also see that in their eagerness to prove their innocence, they went to the extent of asking the military to do the needful. Well, the military of course has not been in good terms with IPOB. But when you have a mortal enemy, you may have to weigh your options. You may actually combine with a lesser enemy to be able to deal with a more mortal enemy. I do think that the group that has constituted the unknown government, they have become a problem to everybody, including the IPOB itself. So if it would take the collaboration with the military to deal with the matter, I think they are right. I think I support their call. And that is exactly why we were shouting the time IPOB was prescribed, horribly, rather if you ask me, prescribed as a terrorist organization. And that has made it difficult for them to collaborate with the government agencies. Otherwise, it would have been easier this time around by IPOB to work directly with the military. But now there is that legal constraint that working with the military, the military will have to bear the burden of explaining why they are working with a group. They have tagged a terrorist organization. But be that as it may, a security operation of this nature, a lot can go behind the same. I recommend that they really have to work together, off record, behind the same and get the problem sorted out. All right. Is the IPOB current stance not going to go against what it says it's fighting for, what it says it's agitating for? Wouldn't the IPOB be opening the hornet's nest, as it were, telling or empowering or supporting military action in the southeastern part of Nigeria? I mean, the history is well documented of the aftermath, the casualty, when it comes to the military actions in the southeast. Is the IPOB not embarking on a journey that will ultimately lead to more casualties, more tales of wars and opening the hornet's nest, as it were? I don't envy the IPOB at this point. Because certainly there will be casualties when they occur. IPOB will certainly share the blame, not only in Nigeria, and it is going to constitute a bit of a collateral damage. But I still think it's a price, what a pain. They need to really cooperate with the state government. They need to cooperate with the governments, they need to cooperate with the security agencies to restore peace to the region. Anambra's case is the most pathetic, because until May last year, Anambra State was the safest state in Nigeria. So following the vision of these stranger characters, especially towards the build-up to Anambra governorship election, the state has no peace. Up till yesterday, the local government area was attacked and bombed. Two, three days ago, another local government area, my own local government area, which is in Emily and us, also bombed down. So I really do think that the oppression has to go on. It's very important. We need peace, whatever the cost. We don't need peace. All right. You initially mentioned Charles Solodosa. Let's bring him in at this point. What role do you think the visit to Charles Solodosa paid to Mars in Ndikano five days ago in DSS attention? What role do you think this has played in IPOB releasing this latest statement? I think what Solodosa wanted to establish was... We seem to be having a bit of a network issue with the Lord Mepho, who is a guest. He is also joining us from Abuja. We'll try and get back to him. He is Director of Public Affairs at the Igbo Leadership Development Foundation, and he's been giving us his thoughts on the development in the southeastern part of Nigeria. I'm glad to say we have a retired Colonel Chinadu Ohanda on the line. Can you hear me, sir? Yeah, I can hear you. Is this Colonel Ohanda, please? Yes, Colonel. Thank you for your time. Kofi Bartels here. What are your thoughts on the statement released by the Indigenous People of Biafra group calling with the Nigerian Army to deal decisively and to go after those who are for maintained violence in the Southeast? Also those who are trying to enforce the Monday seat at home. We've seen tales of carnage, you know, killings, attacks, destruction in different parts of the Southeast, like Imo and Nambra. What are your thoughts? Are you surprised the IPOB is actually asking the Nigerian Army to go after these guys? Well, I should tell the headquarters personnel to be, they are not the ones that are those who do the operation, that they are, if they are, would do this. Indeed, if this is a fan group of the IPOB, a POB leadership, very mentally denied it. In fact, it is not interesting, it won't be comfortable about most of it, that when you talk is half-dark as well, if you're a woman, well, yeah, there's this, this type of thing that you get. See, the IPOB, they are doing this to create a new front with them. In a situation this country step-by-step on these three kinds of guys Yeah, Kono, we're having an issue hearing you clearly. Please, if you're using EMPs or Bluetooth device, kindly detach it and maybe you can try again so that we don't have stand-interruption. Is that okay with you, sir? All right, we will take a short break, very short break, to try and get the audio issues sorted out so we can continue our very important discussion on this very important subject. We'll be back in a jiffy. Please stay with us. Bluetooth or something She's phone is using now, yeah? Hello? Okay, what about the Kono? Okay, tell me Yeah, Mr. Mef, are you there, please? Yes, I'm here. Okay, we're coming back to you, Jiffy, please. Yeah, Kono, please, are you there? What? Okay, Kono, can you hear me please? Yes, sir, I can hear you. Okay, all right, please stay with us. We have two guests, so please stay with us, we'll be coming back to you. Yeah. Welcome back, we still have our guests with us. We have Lord Mefo, who is of the Igbo Leadership Development Foundation. Mr. Mefo, are you there, please? Hello, sir. Lord Mefo, can you hear me? Can you hear me? I can hear you now. Fantastic. We also have Kono Chinadu Honda retired. Kono, can you hear me, please? I can hear you. All right, Kono, before we went off on that break, you were telling us your thoughts on this latest call by IPOB asking the Niger Military to go after those who are enforcing a Monday, sit at home, which they initially were the ones who started. So please continue with the point you were making. Kono, are you there? Okay, Lord Mefo, back to you. You've said you're not shocked. You've said that you're not surprised. But I was asking you if this call will not open the honoursness because we have been privy to the results and the casualties that I'm recorded each time the Nigerian Army backs on such an operation in the Southeast. We've had Operation Python Dance that we can refer to. Before we lost you, you were making a point, Mr. Mefo. Yes, I said that certainly it will come with some collateral damage. I know so. And like you said, knowing the Nigerian military, they are not, you know, discretionary when and where they should be. What that means is that they will tell all the Biafra agitators with the same brush. They will label all of them IPOB, dissidents, ESN, and even in no set use. Many of them are likely to just go down like that. So it's a very terrible situation. But I do think that if they work closely, if they work closely with the IPOB, you know, regardless of their status in law, they should be able to pinpoint their targets more accurately. And because if they go all out, you know, in search of the enemy, you know, the way they have described them, they may not be able to really be too sure about those they have classified as such. We have seen that happen over and over again. What that means is that whoever becomes a victim, you know, is taken to be one of the unknown gunmen, which may not be true. And that is your fear. Yes, it is likely to happen that way. But we can reduce this collateral damage. Even the military will work in close collaboration with the IPOB, with the Anambra State government. It's not going to take all the problem away. But it is likely to reduce the dangers drastically to the point that may be tolerable. What role do you think the visit of Governor Charles Soludo played in this latest development with IPOB releasing the statement? Do you think his visit played a role at all? The role Soludo would play in any process. What impact do you think the visit of Soludo to Nnamdi Kano in DSS attention played in bringing out this statement from IPOB? Because of course, Anambra State, like you rightly said, since about May last year, has been the beneficiary of most of these attacks. Yes. Like, I don't know if I made that point before Network took me out. I said that his visit to Nnamdi Kano in the DSS facility was quite an important and symbolic gesture. He was suddenly done to show an olive branch and to reconfirm to himself that the leader of IPOB is still the peaceful man he has always known. You can recall that he was in Kujie prison in 2017. Some of us accompanied him on that trip to Kujie to see the Nnamdi Kano. So it's not actually the first time he was visiting him while in detention. He said about the second time. So it certainly played a role because he reconfirmed his position as a friend and as somebody who is sympathetic to their struggle. He understands them, no doubt. He understands what they are saying. Soludo has spoken about the Biafra struggle and Biafra factor in the survival of the Igbo Ethnik and even the survival of Nigeria. I have attended and listened to a number of lectures he delivered in that direction. So what he wouldn't want the struggle to be violent? He also wouldn't want the struggle to lead to this abandonment of Nigeria as an entity. He wouldn't want that. He would want Nigeria to remain an entity, to remain a country, but every section given its due, the country to be there for all of us, not only for the Igbo Ethnik group, but for all the 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria. That is what Soludo would want and he wouldn't want the Biafra struggle to become an armed struggle. That is why he said, look, you better come out, let us re-evaluate your strategy. He didn't say do away with your vision or with the struggle. He said the strategy, something is wrong with the method and the method can only complicate what they are doing and put it further away to the point that what they want to achieve may be lost in the maze of uncertainty, of violence, of wrong methods that many people who are sympathetic to the struggle may even begin to draw away from it and they leave them offence and they are isolated and many more will perish in the process with that Biafra being attained and if you understand Soludo from that perspective, you can understand why he visited and what he has achieved. I think it was a wonderful move. Alright, so as far as you're concerned, that was a master's stroke. Lome, thank you very much for your time, sir. It's been quite interesting having you as a guest on Plus Politics. We wish you had more time because there are a lot of questions to ask you. For instance, who are these enforcers of the Monday seat at home? If IPOB is saying they are not behind it, there are more questions to ask. But we'll have you again soon, I believe, sooner than later. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Thank you. Lome Forrest, Director of Public Affairs at the Igbo Leadership Development Foundation. Thank you for staying with us. We'll take a short break now and when we return, we attempt to compare the achievements of the two major political parties in Nigeria. It's going to be explosive. Please stay with us.