Present the proof – IPOB slams Sen. Orji Kalu over his claim that 30,000 South Easterners d!ed due to Nnamdi Kanu’s activities

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has pushed back hard against Senator Orji Uzor Kalu after he claimed that 30,000 people lost their lives due to the activities of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the movement in the South East.

IPOB is demanding evidence to back the senator’s allegation, insisting that neither the group nor Kanu is responsible for any deaths or destruction in the region. Instead, the organisation maintains that its members have been the victims, facing arrests, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and other attacks by state-backed security forces.

In a strongly worded statement issued by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB accused Kalu of peddling falsehoods for political gain and attempting to smear the group’s non-violent struggle. They claim insecurity in the region was engineered by the Nigerian government and some South East politicians to blackmail IPOB and the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

The statement also revisited Kalu’s past, alleging that despite IPOB’s earlier support for him, he has consistently aligned with those targeting Nnamdi Kanu. The group accused the senator of collaborating with federal authorities to keep Kanu isolated and misrepresented while facing trial.

IPOB further argued that Kalu’s record, from his conviction for financial crimes to alleged political manipulation, undermines his credibility. The group insists that the senator has long worked behind the scenes to weaken IPOB, including during Kanu’s 2015 detention and extraordinary rendition.

According to IPOB, evidence clearly shows that the movement has been the target of government-backed aggression, not the cause of insecurity. They claim the Nigerian government has repeatedly blocked independent investigations into killings and violence in the South East because political actors are involved.

The statement concludes by warning that Kalu’s “political manoeuvres” will eventually come to light, adding that posterity will judge his alleged role in fuelling insecurity and undermining the movement.