TheCable

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has asked Catriona Laing, British high commissioner to Nigeria, to cancel her planned visit to the south-east. 

The proscribed separatist group said its counsel is based on intelligence report of an “orchestrated conspiracy” to assassinate the UK official in the south-east and blame it on IPOB.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Emma Powerful, IPOB spokesperson, said Laing should be “more conscious of her environment” as the advisory is to “save her life”.

“The reason for this sincere security advice is to save her life despite her hatred for Biafra and Igbos in particular. We have optimal respect and value for the sanctity of life, especially for visitors to our land,” the statement reads.

“In view of the recently intercepted Intel by our M-Branch, the IPOB Intelligence Unit Department, there’s an orchestrated conspiracy to perform a sacrifice big and powerful enough to strengthen the potency of the British hatred against the Igbos and Biafra. Such high profile plan is zeroed toward using a highly placed person capable of making headline news globally as a scapegoat.

“The leadership of IPOB do hereby advise that Ms Catriona Liang must as a matter of life and death suspend all her planned activities involving travels within Biafran Territories. Those that are threatened by the Biafra restoration project have perfected evil plans to assassinate Ms Catriona Liang, the British Envoy on Biafra soil as a quick and cogent reason for Britain to disengage their weapons supplies to Ukraine and concentrate same towards Nigeria to be used against Biafrans. Their aim is to quash the agitation for Self-Determination and to kill as many Indigenous Biafrans as possible and other residents in Biafra land.

“IPOB does not wish the British Envoy death or dead, however, if she ignores this advice and walks into the trap already set by the enemies of the Biafra struggle, that will be considered suicidal.”

According to Powerful, IPOB will not engage in violent means to achieve its secession agenda.

“The UK Government must understand that IPOB’s grudges against them have not reached to the extent that warrants assassination of their citizens in Biafraland, in Nigeria or in any other part of the World for that matter,” he added.