The Indigenous People Of Biafra IPOB has warned youths in the South-East geo-political zone against joining Ebubeagu regional security outfit.
The new outfit expected to tackle rising insecurity in the region was formed after governors and leaders of the Igbo predominantly area met in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Sunday.
This is coming weeks after the governors said they were okay with the federal security architecture in the zone and needed no new outfit to complement security in their domains.
The havoc caused by violent herdsmen in the region forced the secessionist group to float its armed group codenamed Eastern Security Network (ESN) whose mandate is to drive away problematic pastoralists who mainly reside in the bushes from where they launch attacks on host communities.
The increased attacks on security facilities and checkpoints in the South-East by unknown gunmen may have informed the need to set up Ebubeagu, a similar outfit in the South-West called Amotekun.
Emma Powerful, spokesman of IPOB, in a statement warned youths not to identify with the new outfit, saying it was put together to spy on the ESN which security agencies are yet to unravel its operational base.
Mr Powerful who described Ebubeagu as a huge joke threatened that whoever disobeys his group’s directive will be eliminated.
“Biafrans will not be deceived by this purported EBUBEAGU security outfit which is a huge joke,” the seccessionist group spokesman said Tuesday. “South-East governors set up the outfit probably to fulfil all righteousness or to spy on ESN to curry favour from their Fulani slave masters.
“We, therefore, warn our youths to have nothing to do with the so-called Ebubeagu security outfit which was ostensibly formed to sabotage IPOB and ESN. Anyone who neglects this warning and thinks he can hide under the cloak of EBUBEAGU to spy on ESN should be prepared to join his ancestors.
“The protection of all Biafrans is our priority, and we are prepared to sacrifice anything to achieve this. We are aware of Fulani terrorists’ plans to decimate indigenous tribes in Nigeria. We are also aware of the federal government’s tacit support for this evil agenda. But IPOB and ESN promise them that no inch of our land will be given to Fulani terrorists herdsmen in the East,” Powerful added.
