‘IPOB Member’ Threatens Asiwaju Media Publisher’s Life, Begs for Kola Money

An Enugu State-based man whom the Truecaller app identified as Sunday Kiell has been threatening to kill Alefia Friday James, a journalist and publisher of Asiwaju Media.

He claims that the journalist regularly reports against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

On Wednesday, Kiell contacted James and introduced himself as an IPOB member. He then said someone had reported that the journalist had been reporting against IPOB, therefore, he needed to be killed.

Kiell also claimed that he had the journalist’s pictures and home address, saying he was calling him to hear his side of the story before his group would take action.

“As I said initially, I have told you of the derogatory statements made against we the children of Biafra,” Kiell told James in a recorded phone conversation.

“Now listen to me attentively, a man brought information about you to us. This information contains details of your contact address and hometown. According to him, you spread defamatory information about us portraying us in the wrong light.”

Kiell claimed James had reported that IPOB members were killing people, destroying and stealing people’s assets. He added that those reports were counterproductive to the freedom of Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader detained by the government.

“According to his report, you said that we are thieves in Igboland, that the Monday lockdowns are only an avenue for us to steal from people. You also defamed us by saying that we kidnap our brothers, kill them and take their belongings,” Kiell said.

“We the children of Chukwuokike-Abiama are neither assassins nor kill(ers of) innocent people. When we receive reports of this type, we conduct verifications by putting a call across to the accused and also through divination to find out the truth.

“Kanu made it possible for us to have a diviner, whose divination helps us to know the truth. This is because if we kill all our people, who will then live in Biafra with us after its actualisation? Before now, we did not use to verify through phone calls. Once we received a report, we would go ahead and kill such a person.

“That has led us into killing some innocent people which led to complaints. This was why Kanu made a phone available to us for verification. My question to you is; why did you make defamatory statements against us, calling us thieves?”

James responded that he had never reported against IPOB, challenging Kiell or the unnamed person who reported him to the group to provide any evidence to the contrary.

“I have never said or written anything against Biafra or Nnamdi Kanu. I asked him to provide any evidence or mandate the person who made the claim to provide any evidence that I had reported about them before. As for me, I never said or posted anything of such nature,” Martins told FIJ on Monday.

Kiell could not provide any evidence. Instead, he told James to send N45,000 to OPay wallet number 6103185745 belonging to Ebuka Daniel Nwodo if he wanted a picture of the person who reported him to the group.

He described the payment as “kola money”. Kiell also said the money could help them fuel their three Sienna vehicles, enhancing their operational capacity.

“Alright, listen. Since you claim you never made any of these defamatory statements. How come your picture, personal information and contact address are with us since you claim innocence?” Kiell said.

“Listen to me, when reports are brought to us, we hold the person who reported while we put a call across for verification. If you bring wrong information to us we interrogate you and find out the truth. Because someone who is sentenced to death is given an opportunity to speak.

“I am asking because the person who reported you is someone who knows you very well and also knows all your activities. I would like to let you know the person. When I send his picture to you, I would want a confirmatory call from you, Identifying the person and stating your relationship with him. This will help us know how to handle him.

“Before we do this, you know we are one and we respect people by putting a call across to them. You are expected to reciprocate this respect by giving us kola, because our diviner has to get a share of the kola. Can you hear what I am saying?

“We accept N45,000. We have three Sienna vehicles, we would be grateful if you could fuel them for us. We do not go to petrol stations; sellers bring fuel to us and we will store it in black containers in the bush where we stay. We are on your case now. The coordinator asked me to call you. You will also have to speak with him now. I will forward an account number to you right away.”

When contacted on Tuesday, Kiell admitted to calling James. He said would “put things on hold and leave Martins alone to face his enemies”.

James said he had been advised not to report to the police yet, but to be security conscious.

IPOB has been accused of being responsible for so many killings and violent attacks in the southeastern region of Nigeria.

The group wants an independent country carved for the region from Nigeria.

When contacted, Emma Powerful, IPOB’s spokesperson, said the group “does not operate in such manner”.

“Tell the journalist never to give any kola money to anybody because IPOB doesn’t operate in such a manner,” said Powerful.

“Let the journalist also inform them that he has reported the matter to IPOB leadership and they asked him to report that these people are criminals terrorising the southeast region. No IPOB member or ESN operative can ask someone to bring kolanut money. We don’t operate in such a way.”

FIJ