3rd Mainland Bridge Bomber: Caught Lying Again! How Buhari and agents are defaming Biafrans - IPOB blows hot

3rd Mainland Bridge Bomber: Caught Lying Again! How Buhari and agents are defaming Biafrans - IPOB blows hot

Press Statement

MUHAMMADU BUHARI AND AND HIS AGENTS CAUGHT AGAIN LYING THROUGH THEIR TEETH

As Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari and his agents are running out of ideas on how to tag the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a terrorist organization in order to justify before the international community the laughable secret trial of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, they have once again been caught “pants down“ in one of their lying schemes. On this occasion, Buhari has paid media organizations to concoct a story on the arrest of a Biafran from the Igbo-speaking area who is planning to bomb a bridge in Lagos. Unfortunately, Buhari’s media client did a very poor job of his assignment, thereby leaving a gaping hole in the entire story that could make Buhari call for the return of the money he paid to the media organization.

On the 29th of December 2016, Ismail Akwei, a Ghanaian journalist, reporting for Agence France-Presse (AFP), titled his news as follows: “NIGERIAN POLICE SAY THEY HAVE FOILED A BIAFRAN SEPARATIST ATTACK.“ On the main news itself, Ismail Akwei stated that “Nigerian police said on Wednesday [December 28, 2016] that it had foiled a bomb attack on one of the main bridges in the economic capital, Lagos, planted by a separatist group. After a long and difficult surveillance, the main suspect, Abiodun Amos, alias Senti, leader of the group trying to bomb the Mainland Bridge in Lagos, was arrested on November 2, 2016 with two AK-47 assault rifles,” 

Continuing, Ismail Akwei also reported that “The main suspect is an Igbo, a native of the Ese Odo region of Ondo State. He is an expert in explosives, a specialist in the manufacture of large scale explosive devices for terrorist purposes.” He concluded his story by asserting that “The leader of the Igbo separatist group provided information leading to the confiscation of two cartons of explosives and 125 detonators in the trunk of a car ready to be driven towards the bridge.”

In the first place, it is horrifying that a respected media organization such as AFP (founded in 1944) will hire and retain the services of incompetent and unethical brown-envelope journalist like Ismail Akwei. It is also shocking that this story was not cross-checked by the Editorial Board of AFP before going public. Given the caliber of seasoned administrators at AFP such as Emmanuel Hoog and Michele Leridon, we expect them to hold their employees accountable for ensuring due diligence and exactitude in their reportage.

Caught Lying Again! How Buhari and agents are defaming Biafrans - IPOB blows hot

It is laughable that an Igbo “separatist group leader“ trying to bomb the bridge goes by the name ABIODUN AMOS. Also, this same Igbo “main suspect“ is a native of Ese Odo region of Ondo State. So, Igbos are now natives of Ondo state and, by inference, Ondo State is now a part of Biafra? I believe anyone reading this press statement is beginning to understand the schemes and lies of Buhari which he is using Ismail Akwei of AFP to perpetuate.

We continue to warn the world that Buhari and his Nigerian government is a bundle of congenital liars. Instead of finding a panacea to the deteriorating economic conditions of the British criminality and creation called Nigeria, Buhari is spending stupendous amount of resources cooking up new lies against IPOB and their leader, Nnamdi Kanu. For how long will he continue, unsuccessfully, to deceive the world? Is it not about time Buhari and his lying crew swallowed their pride and called for a Referendum and settle this matter once and for all? Why waste tax payers‘ money and other public resources in trying to chase a wild goose?

The IPOB strongly urge everyone to disregard this latest lie from the pit of hell which was unfortunately delivered through AFP. Muhammadu Buhari is desperate because he is running out of time, having realized that the restoration of the nation of Biafra is an unstoppable and irreversible process. We advice discerning persons to consign the AFP report to the dustbin which is its rightful place. IPOB is a peaceful, non-violent organization with a singular objective of the peaceful restoration of the nation of Biafra.

Signed

Barrister Emma Nmezu Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya

Spokesperson for IPOB Spokesperson for IPOB

Phil HAZLEWOOD <Phillip.HAZLEWOOD@afp.com>

5:36 PM (23 hours ago)

to Clifford, austin, chonyesoh, me, sjohanssen, madibachambers, joseph.abuku, thullih, onwujubac, amakabiachi, Emeka, osaro.odemwing., amnestyis, alphenwezeeze, amina.maikori, Titilayo, afplagos, okonkwoeze2005, nanonitsha, afubanimo, Ike, Hafsat, c_mario1, Mefor, Gpoobi

Dear Clifford Iroanya and Emma Nmezu,

Re your press release of December 30. Please be aware:

1/ AFP does not employ anyone by the name of Ismail Akwei in Nigeria, Ghana or anywhere else on the world, either as a staffer or on a freelance basis. 

2/ AFP did not accept money from anyone to publish this story nor is it ever remunerated for publishing any information. The details came from a federal police press release that was distributed widely to both Nigerian and international media on December 28. 

3/ The police press release (copied below) does not mention IPOB or Biafra 

4/ As a result the following paragraph you cite in your press release was not in the AFP copy: 

“The main suspect is an Igbo, a native of the Ese Odo region of Ondo State. He is an expert in explosives, a specialist in the manufacture of large scale explosive devices for terrorist purposes.”

Please find below the original copy as published on the AFP news wire on December 29 for your information. 

AFP Lagos had been on IPOB's press release distribution list for some time. You have our email address. Yet you failed to contact us with any grievance or to cross-check any of the information published before sending out this press release with multiple inaccuracies. You have also failed to provide a link to the article with which you take issue. 

Please let me know what steps you will take to address your error. I would expect a retraction and an apology at the very least. 

Yours sincerely,

Phil Hazlewood,

AFP bureau chief Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo

Sent from my iPhone

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Thursday 12/29/2016 - 08:41 | 274 words

Nigerian police say they have thwarted a plot to bomb a key bridge in the commercial hub of Lagos, arresting the alleged mastermind and seizing a cache of arms and ammunition.

Police arrested Abiodun Amos, the suspected leader of a "militant gang", on November 2 after "painstaking surveillance and monitoring," national police spokesman Don Awunah said in a statement late Wednesday.

Authorities suspect the target was the 13-kilometre (nine-mile) 3rd Mainland Bridge, which links the swanky business district of Lagos Island with the rest of the sprawling city of some 20 million inhabitants.

The attack would have caused "devastating" damage to Lagos and Nigeria, Awunah said.

The main suspect is an "explosive expert" with skills in assembling large-scale bombs, the police said, adding that they had seized two AK 47 rifles at his hideout in the Ikorodu area of the city.

Information obtained from Amos led police to other plot members and they found two cartons of explosives and 125 detonators in the boot of a car as the alleged conspirators were en route to the bridge. 

Police were now trailing fleeing members of the gang, he added.

Lagos, Nigeria's largest and commercial hub, has been on security alert following rumours of militant attacks in recent months. 

Recently, the authorities demolished some waterfront communities in a bid to rid the city of criminals using them as hideouts. 

Nigeria's oil-producing south has been plagued by renewed rebel attacks on oil pipelines and facilities that have crippled output at a time of global low prices, hammering government revenue.

Nigeria depends on oil for 90 percent of foreign exchange earnings and 70 percent of government revenue. 

joa/ric

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Ref No.CZ:5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.1/ 

The Director of News 

…………………………

FHQ ABUJA - DECEMBER 28, 2016:

PRESS RELEASE

ARREST OF NIGER DELTA MILITANT PLANNING TO BOMB THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE IN LAGOS, RECOVERY OF CARTONS OF EXPLOSIVE DEVICES AND DETONATORS AND TWO (2) AK 47 RIFLES

PRICIPAL SUSPECT:

i. Abiodun Amos (AKA) Senti (43) years 

Exhibits

i. Two (2) Cartons of Explosive Devices and 125 Detonators.

ii. Two (2) AK 47 Rifles. 

Working on credible intelligence at the disposal of the Nigeria Police Force indicating that criminal militant elements are planning series of attacks on government infrastructures and facilities in Lagos state, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris NPM, mni, directed the Intelligent Response Team (IRT) to use the Technical platform of the Force to trail and arrest the militant gang before they carry out the heinous crime. 

2. After a painstaking surveillance and monitoring by the police (IRT) team, the principal suspect Abiodun Amos alias SENTI who is the leader of the Militant Gang planning to bomb the 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos was arrested on 2nd of November, 2016 in a hideout at the bank of Majidun River in Ikorodu area of Lagos State and two AK 47 rifles recovered from his possession. The principal suspect is an Ijaw man and a Native of Ese Odo LGA of Ondo State. He is an Explosives Expert who specializes in assembling and modifying large scale Improvised Explosives Devices (IED) for terrorist act. The suspect also volunteered confessional statement to the Police and named other members of the militant group that are still at large. 

3. In the course of further investigation into the case, one of the suspects at large mentioned to the Police by the principal suspect as the person in possession of their explosive devices and the detonators was trailed by the Police (IRT) Operatives on the 26thDecember, 2016 while conveying in a Toyota Camry Car, two (2) Cartons of Galantine Dynamite Explosives and Hundred and twenty five (125) Detonators in the boot of the Car in a location in Ikorodu area of Lagos state on his way to link up with the other members of the militant gang to blow up the 3rd mainland bridge. The Suspect, on sighting the Intelligence Response Team Operatives jumped out of the Car and escaped into the nearby Bush. The explosive devices and the detonators were recovered by the Police IRT operatives and the Explosive Ordinance Department, and the attack that would have been a major devastating and colossus damage to Lagos state and Nigeria was averted. Further investigation is being intensified to arrest all the other members of the militant gang still at large.

4. The IGP is hereby assuring all Nigerians of adequate security and commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to work assiduously to nip in the bud militancy and other forms of criminalities that can throw the country into a large scale mayhem and massive loss of lives and properties. He urges every Nigerian to remain calm, be law abiding and see themselves as stakeholders with the Force in making the country safer.

DCP DON N. AWUNAH, fsi

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,

FORCE HEADQUARTERS,

ABUJA.