The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has lashed out at governors, traditional rulers, and political leaders in the South-East, accusing them of betraying their detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday by its spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB condemned what it described as the “cowardly silence and shameful betrayal” of South-East leaders, despite Kanu’s discharge and acquittal by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The group argued that unlike leaders from other regions who have defended their agitators, South-East politicians have allegedly chosen political survival over justice. “While Northern politicians routinely shield terrorists, bandits, and mass murderers, and Yoruba leaders stood firmly to rescue Sunday Igboho and Omoyele Sowore from tyranny, the so-called governors of Igboland and traditional rulers have become cheerleaders of oppression,” the statement read.
IPOB likened the situation to the betrayal of ancestors who collaborated with slave traders, saying current leaders were “conspiring against their own son, the one man who has given voice, dignity, and courage to the Igbo race.”
The group hailed Kanu as “the embodiment of the Igbo spirit—unbendable and unbroken,” comparing his resilience to the defiance of the 1803 Eboe Landing tragedy, when enslaved Igbo in Georgia chose death over bondage.
IPOB further accused governors of prioritising political ambition over the welfare of their people. “They crawl on their bellies before Abuja, trading away our dignity for political survival and a second term in office,” the statement alleged.
Reiterating its position, the group insisted Kanu’s continued detention was “illegal and an abomination before man and God,” stressing that “no Supreme Court, no tribunal, and no dictator can overturn his acquittal.”
The separatist group warned that history would not forget today’s leaders, declaring: “The Igbo spirit will outlive these betrayers. As Onyendu himself always reminded us: ‘In the end, we always win.’”
