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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has condemned public calls for the killing of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, warning that any attempt on his life would intensify rather than end the agitation for Biafra.
In an internal memo dated July 20, 2026 and signed by IPOB spokesman Comrade Emma Powerful, the group described recent comments by a businessman, Chigozie Nnabugwu, on News Central TV as “a desperate cry from the enemy camp.”
Nnabugwu had said on the television program that the extrajudicial killing of Kanu would “restore peace” to the South-East.
IPOB rejected the statement, calling Nnabugwu “a rented traitor” and “an APC card-carrying puppet” allegedly speaking for federal government interests. The group accused the Federal Ministry of Information of recycling “a worn-out playbook” of distractions each time IPOB records what it called “a monumental victory,” citing a recent appearance by IPOB representatives at the Israeli Knesset.
The memo accused the federal government of holding Kanu in “solitary confinement” in Sokoto with limited access to lawyers and family. It claimed insecurity in the South-East escalated only after Kanu’s rendition in June 2021, and alleged that it was created by “sponsored militias” to justify his continued trial.
IPOB also referenced a judgment by Justice Omotosho, saying it “lies in ruins” due to “abandoned cross-appeals” and the federal government’s “cowardly silence.” The group further cited former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, claiming he once said the government had “perfected plans to assassinate” Kanu but was restrained by an unnamed foreign country.
“Four times they offered him freedom in exchange for abandoning Biafra , four times he spat on their faces and chose Biafra or death,” the memo stated.
The spokesman warned that “even if they attempt to spill his blood through poison,” the consequences would be severe, and that “every politician and their cronies involved shall be hunted down like wild animals wherever they run to.”
IPOB said it would take legal action against News Central TV, Nnabugwu, and other public commentators including Reno Omokri, Bashir Ahmed and Nneka Chimezie, challenging them to “present in open court what the Nigerian government could not tender in over ten years of persecution.”
“You cannot kill an idea by threatening to kill its messenger,” the memo read. “Even if they spill his blood, it will only water the tree of freedom and produce a forest of unstoppable warriors.”
The memo urged IPOB members and “Biafrans across the globe” to “remain resolute,” expose alleged traitors, and “amplify the truth louder than their lies.” It described the push for a referendum as “non-negotiable” and ended with the slogans “Biafra or Death! No Retreat, No Surrender! Forward Ever! Backward Never!”
Kanu has been in federal custody since his rendition from Kenya in 2021 and is facing terrorism-related charges. Nigerian authorities have previously said his prosecution is a legal matter and have denied allegations of extrajudicial plots.
