Biafra League subtly admits loyal BNL militia faction involved in attack on Bakassi Jetty  

The Biafra Nations League (BNL), a Biafra separatist movement in the coast of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Guinea, on Saturday reacted to the attack on Ikang Jetty in Bakassi, Cross River State by militants.  The National Leader of Biafra Nations League, Princewill Richards, subtly admitted that a loyal militia group to BNL may have engaged in the Friday attack but said that the BNL is still investigating reports indicating that its members were involved or carried out the attack on the jetty. Princewill Richards has been a victim of police detention on two occasions in Calabar, Cross River State.

A militia group, Black Marine, claiming to be a military wing of BNL agitators, on Friday confronted the police in exchange of gunfire. The militants killed one police officer and injured some others.

The Police Public Relations Officer of Cross River State Command, Irene Ugbo, had confirmed the gun battle between the militants and the police on Friday, acknowledging that one police personnel during the exchange of gunfire. The PPRO further disclosed that several other officers were injured but are receiving medical treatments. Irene declared that the attackers would be unraveled soon.

The BNL National Leader after the gun battle on Friday refused to respond to inquiries on the identity of the militia group that confronted the police. Princewill Richards had merely said that the League had commenced an investigation into reports linking BNL members to the jetty military operation.

Princewill Richard, however, acknowledged that several factions of militia groups in the Gulf of Guinea are affiliated and loyal to BNL. He admitted that one of the militia factions “must have carried out the attack in response to BNL demands;” though, he still exonerated BNL members from the attack.

Princewill Richards, accordingly, declared: “We are still investigating the reports that our members were behind the attack, but we cannot deny the fact that many armed factions in Bakassi and other areas in the Gulf of Guinea today have paid allegiance to BNL and have even proclaimed themselves as our military wing, such that they can do anything to respond to intimidations against us and the people, because we all need freedom.”

The Biafra Nations League had earlier raised an alarm that the Police were plotting to secretly execute 17 of its members from the Ejagham speaking extraction in Cross River State. The group protested that the members were arrested in Ikom. The BNL leaders had threatened to confront the police if the arrested members were not released.