The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has dismissed claims linking it to rising insecurity in the South-East, insisting it is a peaceful self-determination group and not a criminal organization.
In a statement on Tuesday, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful accused security agencies of repeatedly blaming the group for kidnappings, armed robbery, and other violent crimes in order to mask their failures.
He alleged that the Department of State Services (DSS), the Army, and the Police use sections of the media to spread “lies and propaganda” against IPOB.
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“We are not kidnappers, we are not terrorists, and we are not criminals,” the statement read. IPOB further condemned recent reports by the Nigerian Army, which paraded a man identified as an “IPOB/ESN commander.” According to the group, the individual in question had already denied being a member.
The pro-Biafra group also linked its treatment to wider prejudice against the Igbo, pointing to violence against Igbo voters during elections in Lagos. It argued that the continued criminalization of IPOB is part of a deliberate campaign to demonize both the organization and the South-East.
Although IPOB was outlawed as a terrorist organization by the federal government in 2017, the group has consistently rejected the label. Its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), was set up to guard communities against herdsmen attacks, but authorities have accused it of violent clashes—claims IPOB continues to deny.
