Get Guardian on Google• Ohanaeze youths warn against disparaging Igbo leaders
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has described the list recently published by the Federal Government, which included the group among terrorism sponsors, as laughable.
Responding to the allegation in a statement yesterday, IPOB said it had never been a threat to peace in Nigeria, stressing that the publication is not about security, but “about fear — fear of a people who refuse to be broken, silenced, or erased.”
The statement, signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, expressed displeasure with how a state that “has a documented history of unleashing violence on unarmed civilians now seeks to wear the cloak of moral authority.
“A system that has repeatedly turned its guns on peaceful citizens now presumes to define terrorism. This is not just hypocrisy; it is a grotesque insult to truth, justice, and human conscience.”
Dissociating the group from any threat to peace and human dignity, Powerful added that the “real tragedy lies in a system where those who wield state power deploy it without restraint against their own citizens, and then attempt to rewrite the narrative by labelling their victims as perpetrators.”
He said that IPOB is being demonised before international audiences in countries where the movement is lawfully recognised and operates within the bounds of the law.
He reiterated that the IPOB is not “a terrorist organisation,” stressing that it is a people-driven movement anchored on the inalienable right to self-determination.
Meanwhile, the youth wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, yesterday, warned against attacks on Igbo leaders, dismissing a statement by IgboayakaIgboayakaas baseless.
Igboayaka, who purportedly identified himself as President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), had criticised several leaders for endorsing President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He named prominent figures, including David Umahi, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Sullivan Chime, and Chris Ngige, accusing them of political betrayal.
Reacting in a statement, the National President of OYC, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, urged the public to ignore what he called “antics of an impostor.”
He said Igboayaka had also claimed to have declared former South-East governorspersona non grata.
While accusing Igboayaka of impersonation, Nnabuike said it was unjustifiable to declare anyone persona non grata for holding a political opinion.
He said: “It is within the rights of the former governors and, indeed, anyone else to decide who they want to support ahead of the 2027 general elections.”
