The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly condemned Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah over the disruption of rallies held by opposition parties in the state. In a weekly address by Mazi Chris Nwaọgụ, Head of the Fourth Administration of the Directorate of State (DOS), IPOB expressed concern over the increasing violence in Enugu's political landscape. On September 12, 2026, suspected political thugs attacked members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a rally in Ndiuno-Obuoffia community, Nkanu West Local Government Area.
IPOB described the development as unacceptable and warned that the use of criminal elements to intimidate political opponents would be put to an end. Nwaọgụ emphasized that IPOB is against every form of violence and advised that anybody who wants the election boycott called off should stop talking to IPOB and talk to the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government. He insisted that the boycott is not a threat but a promise, and that IPOB will boycott the general elections in January 2027.
The pro-Biafra group also reacted to recent developments in different parts of the country, including the death of 37 arrested suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State. IPOB condemned the incident, describing it as a demonstration of what the Nigerian state does when it holds young people and answers to nobody. The group stressed that the incident showed a lack of accountability and a disregard for human life.
Nwaọgụ further declared that only two things still matter to IPOB – the freedom of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and of all those detained at home and abroad, and the restoration of Biafra. He highlighted recent developments in the diplomatic campaign for Kanu's freedom, including a letter from a high-ranking member of the Israeli Knesset, MK Afef Abed, to the United Nations demanding the implementation of Opinion No. 25/2022.
The letter, according to Nwaọgụ, found that Kanu's detention is arbitrary and that Kenya and Nigeria must remedy it without delay. The proper remedy, he added, is immediate release, compensation, and investigation of the rendition from Kenya. IPOB stressed that the Fourth Administration of the DOS will take Biafrans into the promised land.
Nwaọgụ also warned that those manufacturing factions in IPOB are not building Biafra but are being sponsored traitors. While condemning what he described as the illegal proscription of IPOB, he added that the group is appealing the conviction and imprisonment of members, who are currently held in various jails across the country.
IPOB's decision to boycott the 2027 election follows the refusal of the Nigerian government to list and hear the appeal filed by its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, to challenge his conviction. The group emphasized that the method it will use to ensure compliance with the election boycott will be revealed nearer the time to prevent desperate politicians from hijacking the noble cause.
Key points
- IPOB will boycott the 2027 general elections due to the Nigerian government's inaction on Nnamdi Kanu's appeal.
- The group condemned the disruption of opposition rallies in Enugu State and the death of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State.
- IPOB emphasized its commitment to non-violence and its demand for the freedom of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the restoration of Biafra.
