The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Thursday said the man arrested in Abia state is not an operative of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) as claimed by the Nigerian Army.
It described the claims as laughable, saying the man is too old to be recruited into the ESN and not the Second in Command to Ikonso.
In a statement issued by the Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group said the arrest of innocent Biafrans and labelling them ESN operatives could not make the army overpower its gallant ESN operatives.
It explained that investigations revealed that the suspect had issues with his traditional ruler who gave his contact to the security agents alleging that he belonged to ESN.
The statement partly read, “The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ably led by our great leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, read with utter amusement, media reports of claims by the Nigeria Army that it arrested Ikonso’s Second in Command in Aba.
“The said man is not an operative of ESN. Such a man is too old to be recruited into ESN let alone being Ikonso’s Second in Command.
“Our background check revealed that the said man had issues with his traditional ruler who gave his contact to the security agents alleging that he belongs to ESN. He is not our own.”