The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has distanced itself from the tragic killing of eight security personnel, including soldiers, policemen, and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, who were ambushed and set ablaze by unidentified gunmen in Imo State’s Ehime Mbano Local Government Area on Tuesday.

In an official statement released on Thursday by IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group expressed its strong condemnation of the attack, emphasizing that such violent actions were not aligned with its objectives of achieving Biafra’s freedom within its territory.

IPOB’s statement read, “Such reckless attacks and shedding of blood are not needed to achieve Biafra freedom in our territory.”

The group went further to claim that the Federal Government had knowledge of the individuals responsible for the attack on the security personnel.

IPOB’s spokesperson asserted, “They shouldn’t feign ignorance or claim to be surprised because they are working with the perpetrators of that unnecessary attack in order to blackmail IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu.”

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Emma Powerful also alleged that the Federal Government had been supporting splinter groups to undermine IPOB’s peaceful agitation.

“We in IPOB for years have been shouting about the evil plan of the Federal Government towards IPOB’s peaceful agitation, which is simply demanding for a referendum date for the Biafran people to determine their own fate as Indigenous people,” Powerful stated.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government responded to the incident by vowing to pursue the gunmen responsible for the attack.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, expressed deep sadness over the tragedy and promised that the government would spare no effort in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Interior’s Director of Press, Ajibola Afonja, Minister Tunji-Ojo offered condolences to the families of the slain security agents and emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring their memories were honored.

The minister affirmed, “We will work tirelessly to investigate this heinous act and bring the perpetrators to justice.”