Former Southeast spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, Denge Josef Onoh, has described recent threats issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as counterproductive to efforts aimed at securing the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the Department of State Services (DSS) custody.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Onoh specifically addressed comments by IPOB’s spokesperson warning of “unimaginable consequences” and the potential “end of Nigeria” should anything happen to Kanu while in detention. Onoh labeled the rhetoric as inflammatory and said it risks undermining both public confidence and mediation efforts.
“It is the kind of bellicose posturing that has repeatedly sabotaged every glimmer of hope for Kanu’s release and poisoned the wall of constructive dialogue,” Onoh said. He further argued that IPOB’s enforcement of sit-at-home directives, described as a “weekly ritual of economic sabotage,” has already harmed the Southeast’s markets, schools, and households. “These are not acts of resistance. They are acts of collective punishment against the very Igbo whose cause you claim to champion,” he added.
Onoh highlighted his own long-standing advocacy for Kanu’s release on humanitarian grounds. On September 20, he publicly urged President Tinubu to consider transferring Kanu to the custody of Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta Mbata, as a means to de-escalate tensions and restore investor confidence in the region. “This was not empty talk. It was a pathway rooted in equity, aligning with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda of inclusive governance,” Onoh said.
He also pointed to the administration’s broader efforts in addressing threats from extremist factions, citing the conviction of Finland-based criminal Simon Ekpa, whose group has impersonated IPOB to carry out violent acts. “Yet, every time voices like mine, or those of our governors, Ohanaeze, and traditional rulers, gain traction for political solutions, IPOB unleashes a torrent of threats that drown out reason and embolden the hardliners in Abuja to dig in deeper,” Onoh said.
Onoh criticized IPOB for framing their agitation in apocalyptic terms, asserting that such rhetoric risks isolating the Southeast and further undermining economic activity. He cited Onitsha’s reduced trade volumes, idled factories in Aba, and quiet streets in Enugu as evidence of the impact of repeated sit-at-home orders. “Our GDP contribution shrinks while our people bear the brunt: empty pockets, shuttered businesses, and a generation radicalized into despair,” he said.
Onoh called on IPOB to adopt dialogue rather than threats, urging the group to engage with Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apologize to victims of IPOB-linked violence, and support political channels designed to secure Kanu’s release. “If you truly care for his health and freedom, join the chorus for dialogue, not division,” he said.
He concluded by warning that failure to de-escalate tensions could reinforce indefinite detention for Kanu and exacerbate divisions within the Southeast. “The Igbo spirit is one of resilience and ingenuity, not ruinous ultimatums. Choose wisdom over wrath, or history will record IPOB not as liberators but as the architects of our needless suffering,” Onoh said.
