•Seeks independent investigations

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called the attention of the international community, particularly the government of the United States of America (USA), to what it described as an escalating and well funded campaign of calumny and disinformation orchestrated by the Nigerian Government against its peaceful movement.

It urged the US government to dispatch an upright and impartial team of investigators to conduct a thorough, on-the-spot assessment in the Southeast region, saying that the essence is for the independent team to probe and ascertain the root causes of violence in the area and determine whether IPOB, a non-violent self-determination movement, is responsible or if the blame lies squarely with insecurity agents.

IPOB in a press release made available to journalists in Awka on Tuesday cited that in a desperate bid to deflect from its abysmal failure to secure the lives and properties of its citizens, the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration has resorted to baseless accusations, pinning the widespread insecurity in the Southeast on IPOB while shielding the true perpetrators—merchants of insecurity within the APC, who often operate through compromised Igbo politicians that prioritize personal gain over the welfare of the people.

It added: "The Nigerian government’s recent claims, amplified by biased state media and figures like Senate President Godswill Akpabio, are nothing but a smokescreen to internationalize their incompetence and suppress legitimate agitation for Biafran freedom.

“It is no secret that, in their unrelenting quest to dismantle the formidable IPOB, the Nigerian authorities have unlawfully detained our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, holding him hostage in violation of court orders and international human rights standards.

“This abduction has been strategically used to foment killings, abductions, and mayhem in the region, as the government knows fully well that a free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu would swiftly restore peace and end the insecurity from which corrupt officials and their enablers feed fat.

“The bloodletting continues unabated because it serves their interests—allocating billions in security votes that vanish into private pockets while innocent Biafrans suffer. These same politicians, some of them Igbo are wholeheartedly in support of negotiating with murderers and killers called bandits in the north but the same politicians are saying Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should be locked-up. This is the hypocritical contraption the British created without our consent and named Nigeria.

“IPOB stands ready to abide by the truth. We demand urgent U.S. intervention to dismantle this reign of lies and bring accountability to the fore. If, through this impartial investigation, IPOB is found culpable in any acts of insecurity, we pledge to disband immediately and without reservation.

“However, if—as we are confident—the probe exposes the Nigerian government and its proxies as the architects of this terror, eternal shame shall befall these merchants of falsehood, and the world will witness the hypocrisy of a regime that preaches unity while engineering division and death.”

While noting that the plight of Christians in Nigeria mirrors the historical tragedy of Biafra, the group stressed that thousands are dying daily in targeted attacks, yet those elected to defend their constituents—many of whom are Igbo politicians aligned with the APC—are busy shielding the enemies of the people and perpetuating their suffering.

It stated, "This must end. The United States, as a beacon of justice and human rights, has a moral imperative to act now, before more lives are lost to this web of deceit.

We urge all well-meaning Nigerians, the global Igbo diaspora, and international observers to support this call for transparency. Biafra will rise through truth, not tyranny.”