We Can’t Kill Our Own Sister; Count Us Out – IPOB Reacts To Murder Of Nigerian Army Couple In Imo

Secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra has denied its involvement in the murder of the Nigerian Army couple in Imo State.

SaharaReporters had reported how A.M Linus, a Master Warrant Officer in the army and his Private wife, Pte Gloria Matthew, were shot and beheaded on Saturday.

After beheading the couple, the gunmen were said to have called their family members to mock them.

A gory video of the incident seen by SaharaReporters showed the gunmen putting the heads on the victims' chests after the incident.

Reacting, the Nigerian Army accused IPOB and its military wing, Eastern Security Network of carrying out the dastardly act.

But in a statement on Wednesday signed by Emma Powerful, IPOB's spokesperson, the group said it had no hands in the murder of the soldiers, an incident it described as an abominable in Igbo tradition.

“No true Igbo will hurt an in-law, how much more a married daughter (Ada) in Igbo land. Even the ancestors will avenge such wickedness.

“Before the army jumped into their jaundiced conclusion that such an abominable act was masterminded by IPOB, what investigations did they carry out to substantiate their claims? When have gunmen or criminals recruited by evil politicians in connivance with the same security agencies in their desperation to demonise IPOB, become IPOB members?” the group queried.

It added, “The compromised Nigeria security agencies particularly the Nigeria military is behind the ongoing secret genocide in Biafra land under the guise of hunting for IPOB members while the real mass murderers are on the prowl in Northern Nigeria.

“They have always looked for an occasion to attack innocent Igbo youths. Who knows the number of innocent Biafrans they will rope in in the aftermath of this abominable act and tag them the suspects?

“The Nigeria Army should leave IPOB alone because we are not unknown gunmen and those who are pursuing them. The monster they created is now after them, yet they keep pointing accusing fingers at us.

“We cannot kill our sister who is about to marry but those who killed them were those Nigerian government and its security agencies, especially the military and DSS created to demonise IPOB and ESN but your evil deeds are now hunting you.

“These agents of death some of whom we have made their identities public severally are behind the killings of these soldiers, not IPOB or ESN operatives. We are letting the world know that Nigeria Army and police are confused institutions. They are beclouded to see the truth because of their bias against us and delivering good jobs correctly.

”IPOB is, and will remain a non-violent movement. No amount of blackmail by the Nigeria Government and its compromised security agencies can make us change our resolve to restore Biafra through non-violence.”