SOURCE : VANGUARD NEWS
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| POPE FRANCIS |
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, yesterday, released the text
of the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis address to thousands of IPOB members who
gathered last Sunday at the Vatican City for the weekly Angelus, saying the
Pope has cautioned their oppressors, the Nigerian government and its military
and their agents to repent and stop killing Biafra agitators or face the wrath
of God that will be catastrophic. The text of the Catholic Pontiff address
which was made available to Vanguard by the IPOB Media and Publicity Officer,
Mr. Emma Powerful, disclosed that the Pope advised the Biafra agitators and the
crowd that gathered at St Peter’s Square from the balcony of the Apostolic
Palace to be patient in all they are doing, that God’s patience towards their
oppressors is without limit but the time to end their oppression is now.
IPOB quoted the Pontiff to
have said that “it is never too late to convert an oppressor to change from his
evil activities, including murderous activities, but it is urgent, it is now,
let them begin today to change from their oppression and killing of innocent
people through all sorts of violent means, including the jack boot of the
military.” According to the pro Biafra group, the Pope spoke on “invincible
patience,” explaining how God’s “unyielding concern for sinners” should provoke
patience in us, asking if we have thought of God’s patience. “Have you thought
of His unyielding concern for sinners, how this should provoke patience among
people, including governments, instead of killing people on slightest
provocation or no provocation at all, let alone people who are protesting
against unfair treatments or for something they feel is their right?” IPOB said
the Pope told them that God does not permit tragedies to punish sins but
rather, that Jesus uses warnings that sinners will perish if they do not
repent, adding that if the oppressors of peaceful agitators like the Biafra
agitators in Nigeria fail to repent, the wrath of God will be catastrophic
against them. The Pontiff according to IPOB, welcomed the need to firmly and
unreservedly focus on negotiations and dialogue between governments and
agitators all over the world including Biafra agitators and the government of
Nigeria, like it was done in Syria which has brought the current ceasefire in
the country, involving government and rebel forces. “I invite all to pray so that
this window of opportunity can give relief to the suffering people and
agitators and encourage the necessary humanitarian aid, and open the way to
dialogue and much desired peace” he said.
Planned deportation
In another development, the Movement for the Actualization of
Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, has condemned the plan by the Norwegian
government to illegally deport Lotachukwu Okolie, the detained leader of pro
Biafra agitators in Norway and his counterpart Onyedikachi Ani, also detained,
who is married to a Norwegian and has a child with her, and other Biafra
activists in the country. According to a statement by the leader of MASSOB, Mr.
Uchenna Madu, a plan is allegedly being hatched to deal with Biafra agitating
groups. The statement read: “Norway and Nigeria have already perfected plans of
deporting them through chartered cargo airplane from Belgium, to transport them
to Lagos on March 9, 2016. The information we have is that the Norwegian
government have struck a deal with Nigerian Immigrations Service, in Lagos to
accept all the deportees and bypass the embassy which knows about their pro
Biafra activities but cooked up lies against them and consider them threat to
Nigeria security, which means they will be eliminated on arrival.
No to falsehood
Worried by all the rumours making the rounds on the issue of
Biafra, the umbrella body of Igbo Socio-Cultural organisations, Ohanaeze Ndigbo
has denied meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on agitation for Republic of
Biafra and warned proponents of Radio Biafra to desist from airing falsehood
because ‘’he who goes to equity must come with clean hands.’’ The apex Igbo
group gave the warning following Radio Biafra reports that Ohanaeze had aborted
the actualisation of Biafra as a country, that some white people from America
held a meeting with Ndigbo through Ohanaeze with the intent of delivering a
United Nation’s Certificate of Recognition and Independence of the Republic of
Biafra. Describing the claims as a ruse, Ohanaeze Secretary General, Dr. Joe
Nwaorgu, in a statement, said the reports were distortions of the visit of the
new United States Consul-General in Nigeria, John Bray and his team to the
South-East, during which they had a meeting with Ohanaeze at Nike Lake Hotel,
Enugu. Noting that the visit was part of Bray’s familiarisation tour of the
country, Nwaorgu said the consul-general ‘’had meetings with the governors in
the various states and in Enugu, the headquarters of Ohanaeze, he had a meeting
with us on Igbo perception of Nigeria.” This meeting is what has been distorted
to be ‘some white men from America came to give Biafrans independence. Of
course, this cannot be the process of granting anybody independence.’’
Insisting that Ohanaeze Youth Leader, Mr. Ikechukwu Isiguzoro, was not at the
meeting contrary to reports and that Ohanaeze has never had any meeting with
President Buhari on Biafra, the group restated its call for the unconditional
release of detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr Nnamdi
Kanu. While appealing to Igbo youths to be analytical in their utterances and
cautious in their actions, Nwaorgu urged the Radio Biafra people to investigate
their stories before airing, adding that ‘’the US Consul-General had been to
other zones of the country before arriving the South-East and their youth never
misread the visit.’’
