IPOB: We didn’t ban burial ceremonies in South-East

The Indigenous People of Biafra has insisted that it did not place a ban on burial ceremonies in any part of the South-East, contrary to insinuations making the rounds in the region that the group had banned burial ceremonies on certain days.

There has been a circular circulating across some communities in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State and some parts of Imo State, purportedly issued by suspected members of the Eastern Security Network, stating a ban on burial ceremonies on certain days.

The circular, which emerged immediately after the Yuletide read, “ESN has directed all the villages in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State, which includes Amorka, Uli, Okija, Mbosi, Ubuluisiuzor, Isseke, Ihiala town, that there will be no burial ceremonies till after January 15, 2023. Any family who disobeys the directive, the eldest family member would be beheaded.”

This has created a lot of tension and panic in these areas as families who have already fixed burial ceremonies within the period mentioned are jittery and running helter-skelter.

But reacting to the situation when asked by our correspondent, on Sunday, the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, maintained that ESN did not issue any order to stop burials in any community, but that the pro-Biafran group only requested that the people should be burying their dead ones on time, instead of leaving corpses in the mortuary.

Powerful said those issuing such directives in communities of Anambra and Imo states are sponsored criminals and cultists recruited by government agencies to demonise IPOB before the people.

He said, “We wish to state unequivocally to all and sundry that ESN has not issued any order to stop burials in any community but IPOB has requested that the dead ones be buried on time. Punch