I have read the reactions from the IPOB/ESN terror group, including their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, regarding the recent killings allegedly carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Ebonyi. Let me state clearly: Ebonyians will prefer to defend themselves than to allow Kanu’s criminals to set foot in their state.
It should be recalled that when Kanu attempted to launch the Eastern Security Network (ESN), he initially planned to use Ebonyi as his main battleground. However, former Governor David Umahi and the people of Ebonyi firmly rejected him. Kanu then turned to Enugu, where he might have succeeded due to the weakness of former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, but the determined youths of Enugu refused to be recruited into ESN. With that failure, Kanu moved his operations to Imo and Anambra, recruiting Ebonyi youths and relocating them to Orsu and Ihiala. Yet, despite all this, he never established an ESN base in his home state of Abia.
The question remains: why did Kanu refuse to create ESN bases in Abia? That is a discussion for another day.
Interestingly, it was Kanu himself who introduced Ekpa to his followers. After Kanu’s arrest, Simon Ekpa took over IPOB/ESN operations. However, Ekpa realized that a large number of ESN members were from his state Ebonyi, and he was not pleased about it. In response, he attempted to expand his influence into Abia for revenge, but Governor Alex Otti firmly resisted him. Ekpa even went as far as threatening former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu with death if he refused to support Biafra.
My message to Kanu, IPOB, and ESN is simple: the South-East will prefer to defend itself than to allow you criminals who kidnap for ransom, commit murder, and engage in organ trafficking under the false pretense of fighting for liberation. You can shout all you want, but the terror you brought to our land will ultimately consume you all.
— Nkiruka Nistoran is a publisher of NN News Media
