The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has rejected the conviction of its convicted leader, Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that the judgment was founded on what it described as a deliberately manufactured wave of insecurity in Nigeria’s South-East region.
In a statement released on Wednesday, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, argued that Kanu could not logically be held responsible for violence in the region, given that he has been held in solitary confinement without access to communication or contact with the outside world.
The group maintained that insecurity in the South-East escalated only after Kanu’s extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021, a development it claims was exploited by political actors seeking to criminalise both Kanu and the pro-Biafra movement.
According to IPOB, the violence that followed Kanu’s arrest was not organic but intentionally orchestrated to justify his detention and subsequent conviction.
“Immediately after the extraordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in June 2021, desperate political actors unleashed violence and chaos across the South-East,” the group said.
IPOB claimed the objective was to associate the unrest with Kanu in order to frame him and the organisation as terrorists.
“Their aim was simple: create insecurity and blame it on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu so they could justify abducting, detaining, and jailing him,” the statement added.
The group argued that the narrative of insecurity was carefully constructed to shape public perception and provide legal cover for actions taken against its leader.
Claims of politicised proscription and past killings
IPOB revisited events leading up to its proscription, insisting that the organisation had previously been declared lawful by a Federal High Court.
“In March 2017, the Abuja Federal High Court ruled that IPOB is not a terrorist organisation,” the group stated.
It accused the government of later branding IPOB as a terrorist group through an ex-parte process driven by political convenience, particularly after mass rallies held in Aba and Ekwulobia that reportedly drew millions of supporters.
The statement also recalled the killing of IPOB members who participated in a pro-Trump solidarity rally in Port Harcourt in January 2017.
“Biafrans were killed without justification,” IPOB said.
The group further alleged that the military operation known as Operation Python Dance was aimed at eliminating Kanu and resulted in the deaths of unarmed civilians in the South-East.
Criticism of court judgment and attribution of blame
IPOB expressed shock that the trial judge reportedly linked Kanu to insecurity that occurred years after his detention.
“In his judgment, Justice Omotosho repeatedly cited insecurity in the South-East from 2022 onwards and blamed it on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the group stated.
It described the reasoning as illogical, given that Kanu had already been rendered to Nigeria and held in DSS custody without communication access.
“He had no phone, no visitors, and no contact with the outside world, yet he was blamed for events beyond prison walls,” the statement said.
IPOB characterised the judgment as legally indefensible.
“A man in total state custody was convicted for crimes allegedly committed while he was in chains,” it added.
Demand for evidence and accountability
The group insisted that no evidence exists linking Kanu to the killings and violence attributed to him.
“Who did Mazi Nnamdi Kanu kill? Where are the witnesses, bodies, or forensic proof?” IPOB asked.
It argued that no individual had testified in court claiming Kanu was responsible for the death of a relative.
“There is none. Absolutely none,” the statement asserted.
IPOB claimed that propaganda and fear were used to suppress scrutiny of the case.
“The public was confused, questions were silenced, and the truth was drowned in propaganda,” it said.
IPOB called on the international community, foreign governments, lawmakers, human rights organisations, and members of the legal profession to re-examine the conviction.
“This conviction is built on manufactured insecurity, absence of evidence, and the criminalisation of political dissent,” the group stated.
It concluded by warning that history would judge those involved.
“History will remember those who spoke the truth, and those who used chaos to silence a man,” IPOB said.
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