“We’ll Join Security Outfits to Eject ISWAP, Criminal Herdsmen from Igboland” — IPOB

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating criminal elements from Igboland, including ISWAP and armed herdsmen. The group declared its readiness to collaborate with local security outfits in the South East, just as it did in expelling violent herdsmen from the region.

In a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group emphasized that under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, it will take all lawful measures to protect the South East. Powerful praised the Eastern Security Network (ESN) for its role in securing Igboland, arguing that the absence of widespread insecurity in the region, compared to other parts of Nigeria, is proof of ESN’s effectiveness.

“The global family and movement of IPOB, under the command of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wish to reiterate that the fact that every region in Nigeria is presently under siege by killer herdsmen—except for Biafraland—is a testament to the effectiveness of ESN,” Powerful stated.

IPOB accused some Igbo political leaders of working against the interests of the region by attempting to disband ESN. The group claimed that these politicians, in collaboration with figures like a popular Islamic cleric and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, have been pushing for ESN’s dissolution to facilitate an invasion of Igboland.

“The Igbo governors have chosen to side with enemies of our people,” Powerful said. “They have fought tooth and nail since 2018 to have ESN disbanded, just to pave the way for the invasion of Igboland, as they are now doing in Yorubaland.”

The group dismissed allegations that ESN was responsible for insecurity in the South East, calling such claims baseless. It argued that insecurity in Igboland only became prominent in 2022—two years after ESN was formed—suggesting a coordinated effort to discredit IPOB.

“ESN was formed in 2020, and insecurity started in 2022. What was ESN doing between 2020 and 2022?” Powerful questioned. “Only the gullible and ignorant will be deceived by these state-sponsored propaganda efforts.”

IPOB reaffirmed its commitment to working with legitimate security forces to rid Igboland of criminals and maintained that it would resist any attempts to subjugate or conquer Biafraland. “Biafraland will never be conquered,” Powerful declared. “We stand tall to tell all of them today that the Igbo race will not be subservient to anybody, interest, or group—regardless of the human and material cost.”