NNEWI—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
thir youth never misread the visit.’’
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/biafra-pope-francis-urges-dialogue-negotiation/

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