The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has condemned recent killings in the Mbano area of Imo State, which the Nigeria Police Force blamed on the group and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network, ESN.
Several persons were reportedly killed when gunmen invaded Umualuaku community in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State on Wednesday morning. It was reported that the attack lasted for several hours as the gunmen fired indiscriminately, forcing residents to remain indoors.
Spokesman of the Imo State Police Command, ASP Henry Okoye, alleged that the attackers were suspected members of IPOB and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network.
However, in a statement on Saturday by its spokesman, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB condemned the attack. The pro-Biafra group equally distanced its members and the ESN from the attack.
IPOB blamed the incident on security agencies, alleging that the attack was part of what it described as ‘state-sanctioned’ mass murder and political manipulation.
The statement reads, “The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric massacre of innocent civilians in Mbano, Imo State, reportedly carried out by gunmen who the Nigerian security agencies, without evidence or investigation, have as usual rushed to blame on IPOB and the Eastern Security Network (ESN). This is a tired, manufactured narrative that now serves as a wicked cover for state-sanctioned mass murder and political manipulation.
“We assert without equivocation that this heinous act is not only tragic but also part of a recurring pattern: each time the legal arguments for the release of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, gain momentum in court and public discourse — as has been the case in recent weeks — the Nigerian state resorts to violence and bloodshed in the Southeast. These orchestrated killings are then cynically weaponised to discredit IPOB, divert public attention, and manufacture consent for continued illegal detention and persecution.
“This latest killing spree is not the work of IPOB. It is the handiwork of faceless fifth columnists—operatives embedded within the Nigerian security services—who slaughter our people to criminalise Biafra agitation and delegitimise the just struggle for our collective freedom. And make no mistake: their mission is aided and abetted by the complicit silence and active betrayal of a cowardly criminal political grouping in Igboland whose only legacy is the betrayal of their own people.
“To the governors of the Southeast and their Abuja handlers, we ask: how long will you mortgage the blood of your people for a seat at the table of oppression? How many more Igbo youths must be sacrificed before your envy, cowardice, and lust for federal favour is satisfied? Is it Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s popularity that threatens you so much that you would rather see your homeland burn than allow justice to prevail?
“Let it be known to the world: IPOB is not responsible for the killings in Mbano or anywhere else. The real criminals are those who profit from bloodshed, who fear justice, and who believe that power can only be maintained through lies, bullets, and blackmail. We reject these false attributions, and we challenge the Nigerian police to present evidence in a court of law—not press statements—if indeed IPOB or ESN is culpable as the Nigerian government and her agents in Igboland would like to have us believe.
This pattern of government-orchestrated killings followed by false flag accusations must stop. IPOB will not be deterred by these evil plots. We remain focused on exposing the sham prosecution of our leader and unmasking the judicial and prosecutorial rot that has turned Nigerian law into a tool of vendetta rather than justice.
“The Directorate of Media and Publicity will not be silenced. Every act of repression only strengthens our resolve. Every innocent life lost cries out for justice. And that justice will surely come.
“Let the world take note: the slaughter of the innocent in Igboland will never be forgotten. We hold the Nigerian state and its collaborators in the Southeast responsible.”
