BEVERLY HILLS, April 10, (THEWILL) – The Department of State Services (DSS) has taken over Umuanyi Forest near Aba in Abia State, where it said unidentified 55 shallow graves, allegedly used by members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), were discovered recently.
A statement issued by DSS, signed by Tony Opuiyo, DSS Spokesperson, in Abuja, accused the members IPOB of engaging in kidnapping and extrajudicial killings mentioning the kidnapping and killing of five Hausa-Fulani men whose remains it said were buried in the same forest.
“The Service has uncovered the heinous role played by members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra in the abduction/kidnap of five Hausa-Fulani residents, namely Mohammed Gainako, Ibrahim Mohammed, Idris Yakubu, and Isa Mohammed Rago at Isuikwuato LGA in Abia State,” the statement read.
“The abducted men were later discovered at the Umuanyi Forest, Abia State, where they were suspected to have been killed by their abductors and buried in shallow graves, amidst 50 other shallow graves of unidentified persons.
“Arrests and investigation conducted so far revealed that elements within the IPOB carried out this dastardly action.”
The statement added that it was pertinent to alert the general public that IPOB was gradually showing its true divisive colour and objectives, while steadily embarking on gruesome actions in a bid to ignite ethnic terrorism and mistrust amongst non-indigenes in the South-East region and other parts of the country.
The agency warned that it would not hesitate to act decisively within its statutory mandate to ensure that the sponsors and perpetrators of “this action are apprehended and prosecuted for their crime,”
IPOB, being led by Nnamdi Kanu, the Director of Radio Biafra, who is being prosecuted by the Federal Government for alleged treasonable felony, is yet to respond to the allegations.
Story by David Oputah
