‘Middle Belt, cry no more in 2024’ - Simon Ekpa threatens war after mass killings in Plateau

Simon Ekpa, the self styled leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) has promised his outfits Biafra Liberation Army and Biafra Resistance Fighters will be part of the security affairs in Plateau, the capital of Benue State after the killing of more than 100 residents in several communities.

Ekpa, who has been in the forefront of the fight for the independence of IPOB in post on X urged the people of the “Middle Belt not to cry no more.”

Sharing a news report on the murder of Rev Jonathan Daluk, District Superintendent of Assemblies of God, he said: “Middle Belt, cry no more in 2024. They will feel the heat of Biafra Liberation Army and Biafra Resistance Fighters”

His post has generated several reactions and comments.

Armed groups killed more than 100 people in a string of attacks targeting towns across central Nigeria, another deadly episode in a region with persistent religious and ethnic tensions.

Local officials on Monday said the toll of the weekend attacks by armed groups, sometimes called “bandits”, has risen to 113, increasing sharply from the government’s initial count of 16.

“As many as 113 persons have been confirmed killed as Saturday hostilities persisted to early hours of Monday,” Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos in Plateau State, told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Kassah said the “well-coordinated” attacks, which also injured more than 300 people, targeted at least 20 communities across the region.

“Proactive measures will be taken by the government to curb ongoing attacks against innocent civilians,” said Gyang Bere, a spokesperson for Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

Middle Belt, cry no more in 2024 they will feel the heat of Biafra Liberation army and Biafra Resistance fighters pic.twitter.com/WjhpXVQY99

— Simon Ekpa (@simon_ekpa) December 25, 2023