Pecohub The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied involvement in recent attacks on police checkpoints in Enugu State that resulted in the killing of police officers, distancing both the group and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), from the incidents.
In the past three weeks, at least two attacks were recorded in Enugu.
The first occurred on December 27 at Zik Avenue, where two police officers were reportedly killed and their patrol vehicle set ablaze.
The second attack took place last Thursday near the Police Detective College on Agbani Road, with conflicting reports on casualties, though police confirmed the death of two officers.
The Enugu State Police Command, through its spokesperson Daniel Ndukwe, linked the attacks to IPOB and ESN.
However, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, dismissed the allegation, insisting that the group does not target Nigerian security personnel and has remained committed to a non-violent approach.
IPOB stated that ESN was established solely to protect communities in the South-East from armed criminal groups, particularly Fulani terrorists, and accused the Federal Government and security agencies of deliberately blackmailing the movement due to ESN’s activities.
The group further alleged that Nigerian security agencies were responsible for a significant portion of insecurity in the South-East, claiming that many crimes attributed to unknown gunmen were carried out by security operatives or criminal elements allegedly supported by them.
