Catriona Laing
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) yesterday urged the British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing, to be wary of the security situation in the Southeast should she be planning a visit.
In a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary Emma Powerful, IPOB said the advice followed an alleged plot to harm her by “those that are threatened by the Biafra restoration project.”
It also advised those planning to invite Liang to provide her with adequate security.
IPOB said it has intelligence about a plot to harm Liang if she visits, but the organisation did not give details nor could the claims be independently verified.
The statement reads in part: “We wish to advise the British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing, to be more conscious of her environment.
“We as well call on her to shelve her regular visits to different parts of the Nigerian countryside, especially the Biafraland otherwise referred to as Southeast.
“The reason for this sincere security advice is to save her life….We have optimal respect and value for the sanctity of life, especially for visitors to our land.
“Given the recently intercepted Intel by our M-Branch – the IPOB Intelligence Unit Department, there’s an orchestrated conspiracy to perform a sacrifice big and powerful enough to strengthen the potency of the British hatred against the Igbos and Biafra.
“Such high profile plan is zeroed towards using a highly placed person capable of making headline news globally as a scapegoat.
“The leadership of IPOB do hereby advise that Ms Liang must as a matter of life and death suspend all her planned activities involving travels within Biafran territories…
“We want to make it unequivocally clear to the international community that IPOB is a non-violent self-determination movement and we understand the usefulness of diplomacy and we respect diplomatic relations.
“In spite of…unprovoked attacks, arrest, torture…, IPOB has not changed our peaceful non-violent agitation into armed struggle.
“IPOB does not wish the British Envoy death or dead. However, if she ignores this advice and walks into the trap already set by the enemies of the Biafra struggle, that will be considered suicidal.
“We also want to let those masterminding the assassination plot of a British Envoy on Biafran soil understand that nothing will slow down let alone halt the Biafra restoration project.
“We, therefore, advise the British Envoy never to lose your guard even while we’ve successfully busted their plan.
“It is worthy to note that we had never attacked British persons, citizens, Institutions, investments and properties of any kind.
“We do not have such intention now or in the future…”
When The Nation could not reach the high commission spokespersons on phone yesterday for their comment, a computer-generated reply to an email sent to them reads: “The British High Commission Communications Team are away on training from Wednesday 13th to Friday 15th.”
A source told our correspondent: “We still don’t have anything for you right now. If you are under pressure for something, I think it would be best to say we have no comment.
