“IPOB in the past has raised alarms that the military and police checkpoints in the East are part of the insecurity of kidnapping and car snatching gangs’ activities.

“The presence of these soldiers and police officers at various checkpoints has not reduced insecurity. Instead, the Nigerian soldiers at the checkpoints are humiliating, intimidating, raping our ladies, extorting money, and passing information to kidnappers. They are working with the kidnappers, who deliver shares of ransom collected from kidnapped victims to them.

“IPOB is calling on the Nigeria Defence Headquarters and the Chief of Army Staff to withdraw and dismantle the military checkpoints in the East particularly the checkpoint at Ukwu Orji on Owerri/Onitsha expressway if they care to maintain their remaining integrity. The Nigerian soldiers deployed at that checkpoint are part of the insecurity in the South East Region.

“Therefore, IPOB demands that the Nigerian Army and Police dismantle all the indiscriminately positioned criminal military and police checkpoints in the South East Region and the South South Region with immediate effect. We believe that their personnel have turned the checkpoints into something else. These checkpoints are fueling the anger of the people. The Nigerian Army and Police in the East must not wait till the people’s anger gets to boiling point before they allow Ndigbo to breathe. The Nigerian Army should never underestimate the reactions of angry and wounded persons. Biafra people and Biafra territory have endured a lot.”