The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has once again challenged Senator Orji Uzor Kalu to produce evidence supporting his claim that IPOB and its security wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), murdered 30,000 individuals.
In a strongly worded statement issued by IPOB’s spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, the group condemned Kalu’s allegations as baseless blackmail and demanded verifiable proof or a public apology.
According to IPOB, Kalu’s accusations are politically motivated and intended to discredit the movement. The statement described Kalu as a “fraud, betrayer, and treasury thief,” alleging that he plundered Abia State’s resources during his tenure as governor and entrenched a destructive system of godfatherism.
IPOB further accused him of compromising the security of Abia and Enugu States by granting Fulani herders access to Lokpanta market, which they claim became a hub for kidnappings and violence.
The group also criticized Kalu’s role in manipulating the Bakassi Vigilante, a community defense movement established before his governorship. IPOB alleged that Kalu turned the vigilante into political enforcers, using them to eliminate rivals and citing the killing of a young man named Ezeji as an example of his brutality.
They argued that his political ambitions, including aspirations for Senate President or Vice President, drive his willingness to malign IPOB and its leadership.
Emma Powerful emphasized that IPOB remains a peaceful self‑determination movement operating within international law.
He reiterated that IPOB supporters are unarmed, while ESN functions as a defensive vigilante force against violent attacks by Fulani militias in the Southeast.
IPOB insisted that neither the Nigerian government nor Kalu has presented credible evidence linking ESN to violence against Igbo communities.
Instead, they accused Kalu of sponsoring splinter groups such as Autopilot and the so‑called Biafra Liberation Army to tarnish IPOB’s image.
The statement concluded with a firm demand: Orji Uzor Kalu must provide the identities and evidence of the alleged 30,000 victims or retract his claims.
IPOB warned that failure to do so would expose his comments as deliberate falsehoods aimed at undermining the movement’s legitimacy.
