The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said it will not be part of the investigate panel constituted by the chief of army staff Tukur Buratai to review killings of some of its members.
The IPOB said the panel was only raised by the Nigerian army after it was compelled by reports published by international human rights organization Amnesty International on extrajudicial killing of its members by the military.
“For the purposes of straightening the records, it would be recalled that on the 26th November, 2016, the Amnesty International released a well –detailed and damning report (with an assemblage of hardcore exculpatory and over-powering evidence) on the most callous and blood-chilling butchery of the IPOB members by Nigerian state actors,” IPOB said in a statement signed by its spokespersons Ikenna Chinaka and Grace Ukpai.
The group also said that AI’s report painted a graphical image of the impunity allegedly committed by the Nigerian army against the IPOB and pro Biafra agitators. IPOB also said the report which has sparked global outrage was intended to be buried by the Nigerian army.
“If what the Nigerian Army Chief has set out to achieve is to bury the truth as graphically exposed by the AI, our position is that such a misconceived mission is dead on arrival,” the group said.
“Every norm of natural justice is glaringly against the method infamously deployed by General Buratai and the Government he serves. No less an instrument than the Nigerian constitution itself is eloquently against the Army Chief and his employers.
“The situation here is even worse and extremely mind-boggling as the very same Nigerian Army in the eye of the storm is now attempting to purportedly probe itself. There cannot be a better example of working from the answer to the question. It is indeed a misguided journey in self-deceit,” It said.
The IPOB further called on the Nigerian government and the army to abide by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended on the right to fair hearing in a trial matter.
“It is for the foregoing reasons that we IPOB have taken the firm position that we cannot be a party to the festival of absurdities being organized by Buratai and his paymasters in their kangaroo Panel. We have never been known for inanities and shenanigans so we do not have time for such at this point in our history,” IPOB concluded.