The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Friday demanded that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu furnish concrete evidence for his assertion that the group and its Eastern Security Network (ESN) wing were responsible for 30,000 deaths in southeast, or issue a public apology for what it branded a “deceptive” smear campaign.
In a fiery statement, IPOB spokesperson Comrade Emma Powerful accused the Abia lawmaker and former state governor of political blackmail through unsubstantiated allegations of mass murder, vowing to pursue legal action if Kalu failed to back his words.
“Senator Orji Kalu must provide the proof of the 30,000 individuals killed by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB,” Powerful insisted. “Blackmail involving grave criminal allegations such as mass murder is not merely a political issue.”
Powerful further challenged: “If not, he ought to issue a public apology for his deceptive comments,” adding that the Nigerian government itself had offered no “incontrovertible evidence” tying IPOB or ESN to southeast violence.
Kalu, a prominent chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Abia North, reportedly levelled the accusation in recent media appearances, linking IPOB’s activities to widespread insecurity in the region since the group’s proscription as a terrorist organisation in 2017.
IPOB, which seeks a referendum for an independent Biafra encompassing southeast and parts of southsouth Nigeria, hit back by portraying itself as a “peaceful self-determination organisation operating within domestic and international laws,” with members “unarmed and nonviolent.”
The group described ESN, formed in 2020 to combat farmer-herder clashes and banditry, as a “vigilante structure” with “no proof of aggression against communities.”
Turning the tables, Powerful lambasted Kalu for allegedly exacerbating insecurity during his 1999-2007 governorship, claiming he “jeopardised the safety of Abia and Enugu States” by handing over the Lokpanta market – a key spot along the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway – to criminals “in exchange for political benefits,” fuelling kidnappings and unrest.
IPOB further alleged Kalu ran a “system of political godfatherism” marked by resource mismanagement and shoddy infrastructure, while manipulating the notorious Bakassi Boys vigilante group against rivals – including the purported 2001 killing of Ezeji from Mbaise in Umuahia.
“IPOB lacks a military force,” Powerful emphasised, distancing the group from splinter outfits like Autopilot and the Biafra Liberation Army, which IPOB claimed were propped up by politicians including Kalu to discredit the movement.
The exchange underscores deepening rifts in the oil-rich southeast, where separatist agitations, military crackdowns and tit-for-tat accusations have displaced thousands and stalled development.
Neither Kalu’s office nor Abia State officials responded to requests for comment by press time, though analysts warn such rhetoric risks inflaming ethnic tensions ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 polls.
IPOB, led in absentia by detained founder Nnamdi Kanu, reiterated its commitment to nonviolence while calling on international bodies to probe the claims.
