Politicians sponsoring insecurity in region, IPOB claims
The Igbo Women Assembly (IWA) has called on the Federal Government to demilitarise the South-East region and unconditionally release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

During a press briefing, IWA President, Lolo Nneka Chimezie lamented the state of the South-East, accusing security forces of exacerbating insecurity in the region.

She described the heavy military presence as counterproductive and harmful, alleging that security agencies were responsible for a significant portion of crimes committed in the area.

“After investigating activities of the military in the South-East, we discovered that 80 per cent of crimes in the region are committed by security agencies. This is not speculation; it is based on evidence,” Chimezie stated.

She further highlighted instances of harassment and excessive force by security personnel, citing a recent incident where an Igbo businessman was falsely accused of being a kidnapper and nearly shot by the military.

Chimezie also raised concerns about the engagement of militant leader, Asari Dokubo, in security operations within the South-East, questioning the Federal Government’s decision to contract him. She argued that this move, coupled with the military and police presence, has worsened the situation in the region.

“We had peace in the South-East before the military’s intervention. Now, we face rampant crime, harassment, and insecurity. The Federal Government has turned the region into a war zone,” she said.

The IWA President called for the dismantling of all military and police checkpoints in the region, alleging that they contribute to insecurity rather than address it.

MEANWHILE, IPOB has denied links to criminality, accusing politicians of orchestrating insecurity in Igbo land to tarnish the image of the group and undermine its mission.

A statement by the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, expressed the group’s readiness to collaborate with local security outfits to fight criminals allegedly sponsored by politicians.

The group also alleged that politicians are using insecurity as a weapon to discredit IPOB and its security wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), as well as to derail the movement’s leader, Kanu, from pursuing the restoration of Biafra through a United Nations-supervised referendum.

“The mission of these Igbo politicians, driven by envy and jealousy of Nnamdi Kanu’s popularity and global reach, is to collaborate with historic enemies of the Igbo race to destroy IPOB, disband ESN, and compel our leader to abandon his God-given mandate. Their plans will never work,” the statement read.

IPOB countered claims that ESN was linked to the wave of insecurity in the region. The group further accused politicians and security agencies of raising and funding criminal elements.