IPOB Says It Has Traced 83 Missing Members to Prisons in Northern Nigeria

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced that its legal team has located 83 of its members who were allegedly transferred secretly from the Wawa Barracks detention facility to correctional centres in Kuje, Keffi and Suleja.

The group said the detainees, who were previously presumed missing, had been traced through the efforts of its legal team, which is reportedly working towards securing their release.

Chris Nwaọgụ, Head of the Fourth Directorate of State (DOS) of IPOB, disclosed this during his weekly address, describing the development as a significant breakthrough in the group’s efforts to locate and secure the freedom of its detained members.

Nwaọgụ said the legal team had, through what he described as divine providence and persistent legal efforts, located several Biafrans who were previously feared dead.

He expressed appreciation to IPOB’s supporters in South Africa for their financial contributions towards sustaining the three defence attorneys handling the legal efforts to secure the release of the detainees.

“Every name matters, every life counts, and we will not rest until every single Biafran detainee walks free,” he said.

The IPOB official reiterated that the organisation’s Fourth Directorate had two major objectives: securing the immediate and unconditional release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and other detained members, and pursuing the restoration of an independent Biafran state.

IPOB Demands Hearing of Kanu’s Appeal

Nwaọgụ also criticised the Federal Government over what he described as delays in the judicial process surrounding Kanu’s conviction and appeal.

He alleged that the government had failed to take necessary steps to ensure the speedy hearing of the appeal challenging the November 20, 2025 conviction delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

According to him, legal analysts, including Christopher Chidera and members of a legal consortium led by Onyedikachi Ifedi, had raised several questions about the legality of the conviction.

He argued that the judgment contained numerous legal errors, alleging that the trial judge relied on a statutory provision that was not lawfully applicable and introduced offences that were not properly established in the proceedings.

Nwaọgụ further raised concerns over the alleged disappearance of the court file relating to Kanu’s detention without trial, which he said lasted 14 months following the October 13, 2022 Court of Appeal decision.

He described the alleged disappearance of the file as a serious matter requiring accountability from the relevant judicial authorities.

The IPOB spokesman also claimed that the appeal challenging Kanu’s conviction had yet to be listed for hearing, while alleging that the Federal Government had failed to file its respondent’s brief.

He maintained that the constitutional provisions on criminal offences, particularly Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution, should guide the determination of the appeal.

The IPOB official called on the judiciary to clarify the legal provisions under which Kanu was convicted and ensure that the appeal was listed and heard in open court.

Kanu was convicted on seven counts by the Federal High Court on November 20, 2025, and sentenced to life imprisonment on multiple terrorism-related counts. He subsequently filed an appeal challenging the conviction and sentences.

IPOB Renews Call for APC Boycott

Nwaọgụ also renewed IPOB’s call for its supporters and people of the South-East to boycott activities of the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of contributing to the suffering of the Igbo people.

He urged supporters to shun APC gatherings, reject the party’s symbols and withdraw their participation from activities that could confer political legitimacy on the party in the region.

Although he described IPOB as non-partisan, he maintained that the organisation would continue to advocate a boycott of the APC.

He added that the group was considering a wider boycott of the 2027 general elections unless Kanu’s appeal was listed and heard.

The IPOB official also criticised former Minister of Works, David Umahi, alleging that he had expressed plans to sponsor 4,000 social media influencers to promote APC interests and attack the image of the IPOB leader.

Nwaọgụ described the alleged plan as an attempt to discredit Kanu and strengthen support for the ruling party.

IPOB Questions Responsibility for South-East Insecurity

The IPOB spokesman also revisited the issue of insecurity in the South-East, citing comments reportedly made by former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha concerning political violence in Imo State.

He alleged that political conflicts and territorial battles among political actors had contributed to violence in the region, while IPOB and its security wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), were repeatedly blamed for incidents.

According to him, such allegations were used to justify security operations and increased militarisation in the South-East.

Nwaọgụ further claimed that insecurity in the region had reduced significantly following Kanu’s conviction in November 2025.

He questioned the circumstances surrounding the reported reduction in violence, arguing that the development raised questions about the identities and interests of those responsible for the insecurity.

The IPOB official called for an investigation to establish the perpetrators of the violence, those who allegedly enabled it and individuals who benefited from attributing the incidents to IPOB and ESN.

However, he insisted that the organisation rejected any return to political violence in the South-East.

“Our land will not be converted into a killing ground for politicians competing for power,” he said.

Nwaọgụ concluded by reiterating that IPOB would continue to demand Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release, insisting that his freedom was a matter of justice rather than a favour to be granted by the Federal Government.