The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Tuesday said the group’s mission had been misconstrued by majority of Nigerians, saying it had not thought of using war as a means to achieve its objective of self determination.

In a press statement in Awka and signed by the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB described its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a peaceful and civilised person who would not want to be quick at going to war.

While stating that the group’s struggle was legitimate and within the confines of international laws, IPOB maintained that the ‘enemies of Biafra’ were the ones fueling hate against the group, either as a result of ignorance of the situation or deliberate manipulation of facts.

The statement reads in part: “It is fair to assume going by the utterances of certain corrupt segments of the Nigerian society that most of what IPOB is saying and stands for is lost in translation because anybody with basic understanding of rudimentary English and constitutional law will know that self determination does not mean war and that referendum is not hate speech.

“Again, when badly educated and ill-informed people dabble into a discipline above them, such mistakes are bound to happen.

“We would like to use this opportunity to clarify once again that IPOB is asking for self determination as recognised in both the United Nations charter on the Rights of Indigenous People and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

“Before these Northern unity beggars threaten us with war that IPOB hasn’t called for, let them spend a bit of their valuable time acquainting themselves with these charters and declarations.

“The only instrument IPOB has at its disposal is civil disobedience, which is entirely legal. Civil disobedience, it must be understood and be said, has nothing to do with armed conflict.

“Furthermore, people should be advised to study and assimilate the subtleties and nuances of English Language before engaging in any public discussion regarding Biafra independence.

“Our leader, Nnamdi Kanu is a peaceful man that constituted IPOB with peaceful foundation and the sole aim is to liberate his people from humiliation and bondage.”

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