Nigeria govt scoffs at Biafra leader's 'hollow outburst'

The Nigerian government on Tuesday officially responded to the resurfacing of pro-Biafra separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, dismissing him and talk that he was returning to the country with hell.

President Buhari’s official spokesperson, Garba Shehu in a series of tweets said the country under Buhari was strong enough to protect its territory against threats and that it was also in contact with friendly nations that respected its sovereignty.

Kanu, who went missing for over a year since September 2017 popped up in Israel over the weekend before issuing a broadcast that he was getting ready to return to Nigeria with hell.

The full government statement read as follows:

“The Presidency wishes to restate that Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is strong enough to defend its territory against any threat, assuring all Nigerians that there is no reason to worry about the hollow outburst by Nnamdi Kanu, the disputed leader of IPOB on returning to the country “with hell.”

“Instead, we see the re-enactment of his bizarre, episodic threat as a mere distraction which will not be allowed to detract from the existing cordial relationships between Nigeria and other countries.

“The Buhari administration is in constant touch with other friendly nations and has the best assurances that they would continue to reciprocate the respect Nigeria has for the sovereignty of their nations.

“Nigerians have nothing to fear from this,” the statement concluded.

Kanu was declared missing by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, after an army raid on his family home led to deaths and destruction of properties.

He was severally reported to have been in the custody of the army whiles some leading opposition members said he was being held on a naval ship.

A key message in his address to IPOB followers was for a boycott of Nigeria’s upcoming general elections in the South-East and South-South of the country. Previous attempts to call for poll boycotts have been largely unsuccessful.