The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has warned that if care is not taken, the 2023 general elections in Nigeria will end up in a nationwide protest like the 2020 #EndSARS protest i.
During the #EndSARS protest youths across the country took to the streets to demand the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
IPOB in a statement by its Media and Publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, said the current political atmosphere in Nigeria’s election system showed that the oppressed and disgruntled youths in the system could storm the streets.
“The current political atmosphere in the Nigeria election campaigns shows that the oppressed and disgruntled youths are on one side while the old who are comfortable with their oppressors are on the other side.
“You don’t need any prophet to tell you that this election may end up like 2020 #ENDSARS that brought the youths to the streets in protest across Nigeria.
“Recollect that the #ENDSARS mass protest led by the youths was infiltrated and hijacked by violent thugs on the payroll and at the behest of the Nigerian government and blamed on IPOB.
The Nigerian government is warming up to do same again during this their selection process.
“If the Nigerian government keeps playing ostrich, this time around; what happened in Nigeria in October 2020 might be a child’s play to what will happen this time,” IPOB said.
The group also accused the Nigerian government of compromising security agencies and being responsible for most criminalities going-on in the Southeast region and some other parts of the country.
IPOB claimed that officers of the Nigerian Army in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari protested poor welfare, low morale, corruption in the army and lack of adequate working tools to the extent that some of their men are involved in kidnapping and other sundry crimes for survival.
“As we have said in our previous press releases, the Nigerian government and her compromised security agencies are responsible for most criminalities going-on in Biafraland and some other parts of Nigeria.
“This very fact has been confirmed by Nigeria Army officers in their letter to the Buhari the impostor in Aso Rock while protesting poor welfare, low morale, corruption in the Army as an institution and lack of adequate working tools to the effect that some of their men are involved in kidnapping and other sundry crimes for survival. What a shame, this is the smoking gun that has hitherto been missing.
“So they will recruit these criminals in uniform and their civilian partners or JTF’s to cause violence in Biafraland during and after campaigns and selection, the International community should know who to hold responsible and that will be the Nigerian government.”