The
Department of State Services has taken over Umuanyi Forest near Aba in Abia
State, where it said unidentified 55 shallow graves were discovered recently.
Not
less than 55 identified persons were said to have been allegedly buried in the
graves by members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra.
The
DSS on Saturday accused the members IPOB of engaging in kidnapping and
extrajudicial killings.
IPOB
is being led by the Director of guerilla Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who is
being prosecuted by the Federal Government for alleged treasonable felony.
The
secret service further accused IPOB members of the kidnapping and killing of
five Hausa-Fulani men whose remains it said were buried in the same forest.
But
the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, another
pro-Biafra group which rose in defence of IPOB, dismissed the allegations by
the DSS as lacking merit and evidence.
A
statement issued by DSS spokesperson, Mr. Tony Opuiyo, in Abuja on Saturday
read, “Service has uncovered the heinous role played by members of the
Indigenous Peoples of Biafra in the abduction/kidnap of five Hausa-Fulani
residents, namely Mohammed Gainako, Ibrahim Mohammed, Idris Yakubu, and Isa
Mohammed Rago at Isuikwuato LGA in Abia State.
“The
abducted men were later discovered at the Umuanyi Forest, Abia State, where
they were suspected to have been killed by their abductors and buried in
shallow graves, amidst 50 other shallow graves of unidentified persons.
“Arrests
and investigation conducted so far revealed that elements within the IPOB
carried out this dastardly action.”
With
this action, Opuiyo said it was pertinent to alert the general public that IPOB
was gradually showing its true divisive colour and objectives, while steadily
embarking on gruesome actions in a bid to ignite ethnic terrorism and mistrust
amongst non-indigenes in the South-East region and other parts of the country.
Following
this act, the DSS alerted that tension was currently rife among communal
stakeholders in the state, with possibilities of spillover to other parts of
country.
The
agency warned that it would not hesitate to act decisively within its statutory
mandate to ensure that the sponsors and perpetrators of “this action are
apprehended and prosecuted for their crime.”
Efforts
made to get IPOB to react to the allegation by DSS proved abortive, as the
telephone line of the Director of Information of the group, Emma Powerful,
which indicated that it was busy as of 8pm, indicated that it was switched off
by 8:08pm.
When
his alternative line was also called, it was switched off too.
However,
the new leader of MASSOB, Uchenna Madu, in his response via a text message to
one of our correspondents, stated that MASSOB and IPOB would remain undeterred
on their agitation.
He
said, “DSS allegation against pro-Biafra agitators lacks merit and evidence
because MASSOB and IPOB are non- violent organisations. This is the highest
frustration exhibited by Nigerian security agents against pro-Biafra agitators;
they want to blackmail us as violent or terrorist group in order to get
evidence against Nnamdi Kanu.
“MASSOB
and IPOB can never be deterred or get jittery because of frivolous and baseless
allegations by frustrated DSS. Why have they not raised eyebrow on several
killings and destruction of properties by Fulani herdsmen?
“We
advise Igbo governors to immediately summon a meeting of stakeholders on the
menace of Fulani fundamentalists.”
A
senior operative of the service, who was involved in the operation that led to
the discovery of the graves and the forest, said on Saturday evening that the
forest had become a no-go area for unauthorised people.
The
security agent said, “The forest has become a security zone. We have taken over
the place. It is an offence to see people who have no business in the area for
now.”
The
source said the operation was carefully planned and executed by the security
outfit.
“A
Good Samaritan blew the lid on the killings that happened there and how people
were hurriedly buried in the forest,” the source, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, added.
On
how the identity of those buried in the graves would be known, the agent said
the service might conduct an autopsy or find alternative ways to identify the
corpses.
“I’m
sure we would find a way of doing that (identification of corpses). If it
requires that (autopsy) may be we would do it,” the operative said.
The
source however refused to give the number of arrests that had been made, saying
operation and investigation were ongoing.
Meanwhile,
the Abia State Government on Saturday denied knowledge of shallow graves in any
forest in the state.
The
Chief Press Secretary to the Abia State Governor, Mr. Godwin Adindu, said that
the government would investigate the alleged discovery.
He
said, “We don’t have such a report; there is no such report here. The DSS has
not given us the report. We don’t have such information. Even within the
populace here, nobody has raised such alarm.”
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