Mr Fredrick Nwabufo, a reporter with The Clean online news portal and popular columnist, has been threatened by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over an interview he granted AFP Fact Check which seems to have displeased the group.
IPOB had issued a similar threat against Frederick in June 2019 as a result of an article he wrote asking the South-East to cooperate with Miyetti Allah on security.
During the interview he granted AFP Fact Check on August 14, 2020, Frederick had said the movement’s supporters saw President Muhammadu Buhari as an obstacle to the realisation of their separatist goals and employed the body-double narrative to “de-legitimise” the Buhari government. “The (Biafran) leadership needs the controversy to stay alive — to remain relevant,” the journalist said in the AFP report.
The group and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who were not happy with the statement, issued the fresh threats against AFP in a broadcast.
Reacting to the development, Frederick said he woke up to calls from family in the South-East, telling him IPOB was looking for him and also expressed fear for their own safety.
He said: “This is one threat too many. Members of IPOB had issued similar threats before but this is more targeted — with my photo and an insidious message which has been circulated on social media by agents of the proscribed group.
“I have decided to take it without reclining. The security agents will be involved this time.”
According to the journalist, he will be responding with a petition to the Department of State Services (DSS) over the threat.
