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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
As the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) celebrates the 5th anniversary of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), it has called on the United States and international bodies to confront head-on terrorist organisations in Nigeria, such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Lakurawa.
Spokesperson of the group, Emma Powerful, who gave the charge in a statement he released to journalists while also commending the ESN for its contribution to safeguarding lives and properties in the South East, emphasised that US support will guarantee the restoration of stability and saving a larger population.
His statement reads in part: “The Eastern Security Network was established by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on 12 December 2020 as a community-based vigilante force to confront the grave security vacuum that had left Biafraland exposed to marauding armed groups terror herdsmen from the Sahelian corridor and allied religious extremists who for years operated with impunity.
“ESN is composed of disciplined IPOB volunteers who willingly abandoned personal comfort and careers to defend their ancestral land.
“Before ESN’s formation, many Biafran communities lived under siege. Farms were destroyed, women violated, villages displaced, and lives taken without consequence patterns now tragically familiar across parts of the Middle Belt.
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“The intervention of ESN reversed this descent into lawlessness. While threats persist, it is undeniable that attacks have reduced significantly, and farmers today return to their lands with renewed confidence. This restored sense of security is a direct result of ESN’s vigilance and sacrifice.
“Despite sustained propaganda, intimidation, and coordinated assaults, ESN operatives have remained resolute. They have endured unprovoked attacks, media demonisation, and sabotage
often aided by desperate local collaborators covetous of Biafraland’s forests and farmlands.
“These individuals, having aligned with violent intruders and their enablers, sought to smear ESN’s image but failed. Our people can clearly distinguish their defenders from those intent on weakening communal cohesion.
“Some ESN operatives have been abducted, their families targeted, and others have paid the ultimate price in defense of our homeland. Yet, the mission has not wavered: not an inch of Biafra land shall be occupied or overrun.
“The IPOB family worldwide salutes the courage, discipline, and resilience of ESN operatives who continue to secure our forests and rural communities under extreme conditions. With limited resources and voluntary contributions from IPOB members globally, ESN has disrupted, dismantled, and contained armed threats that once terrorised our land demonstrating what is possible when communities defend themselves with purpose.
“IPOB calls on all Biafrans to continue supporting ESN through vigilance, intelligence sharing, and cooperation. We also urge the United States Government and the international community to recognise and confront the broader threat posed by jihadist and extremist networks operating in Nigeria, including Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru, Lakurawa, and allied armed groups. Supporting genuine community-based security efforts like ESN is essential to restoring stability and protecting vulnerable populations,” Powerful stated.
