The founders of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have knocked the former military head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, over his 90th birthday interview, blaming the Southeast for an attempt to secede from Nigeria.
Naturenex reports that Gowon, in the interview, spoke about his supervision of the Biafra war between 1967 and 1970.
Reacting to Gowon’s interview, the founders and vision bearers of the original IPOB, slammed Gowon for supervising the country’s civil war, which led to the massacre of many Igbos.
In the statement issued, the founders said Gowon was the originator and cause of the unrest that claimed the lives of over three million Biafrans.
According to them, Gowon is labouring in vain to wash and launder his image tainted by the atrocities he and the Nigerian soldiers committed against the Igbos.
IPOB said, “I have always said that if there’s no secession, there wouldn’t be a breakout, and there wouldn’t be a question of civil war because it got to the stage that the situation was getting pretty clear that a part of the country, the Southeast, wanted to secede.
“I read General Gowon’s speech, where he decided to hide the truth about the real cause of the war between Nigeria and Biafra. He is labouring in vain to wash and launder his image tainted by the atrocities he and his Nigerian soldiers committed against the Biafrans.
“He has told us that he was sick after the meeting at Aburi in Ghana and could not announce the agreement reached between Nigeria and Biafra about confederation or regional autonomy so that every region would govern itself and develop at its own pace.
“Gowon said he did not prepare very well for the meeting and did not go with his secretary. He came back from Ghana and became sick because Odumegwu Ojukwu went to the meeting fully prepared and presented a superior argument on regional government. It was General Gowon’s failure to implement this agreement for the confederation that caused the war.
“General Gowon, with due respect, I want to address you as an elder. You are 90 and do not know when you will depart from this world to face your maker. We expect you to tell the truth.”
