The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied any involvement in the recent killings in Mbano, Imo State.
IPOB labelled the violence as a “barbaric” act of terror allegedly orchestrated by elements within Nigeria’s security establishment to discredit the group and its ongoing campaign for the release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement issued to journalists on Sunday in Abuja by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB condemned the massacre, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday and left several civilians dead and many others injured.
Eyewitnesses recounted how gunmen stormed parts of the Mbano area, shooting indiscriminately.
While no official death toll has been confirmed, early police reports pointed fingers at suspected IPOB or Eastern Security Network (ESN) operatives.
IPOB, however, categorically rejected these claims, calling them “baseless” and “part of a tired, manufactured narrative.”
“These orchestrated killings are cynically weaponised to discredit IPOB and manufacture consent for continued illegal persecution,” the statement read.
“Each time the legal arguments for the release of our leader gain traction, the Nigerian state resorts to violence and bloodshed in the South-East,” Powerful alleged in the statement.
Powerful further accused the Nigerian security agencies and political leaders in the region of enabling and covering up what the group described as false-flag operations designed to destabilise the region and tarnish IPOB’s reputation.
“The real criminals are those who profit from bloodshed, who fear justice, and who believe power can only be maintained through lies, bullets, and blackmail,” the statement added. “Let it be known to the world: IPOB is not responsible for the killings in Mbano or anywhere else.”
The group went further accused an unnamed “fifth columnists” within Nigeria’s security structure of orchestrating violence against civilians and then pinning it on IPOB and ESN to justify a crackdown.
IPOB also lashed out at of the governors South-East geopolitical zone and political elites, accusing them of betraying their people for political favours from Abuja.
“To the governors of the South-East and their Abuja handlers, we ask: ‘how long will you mortgage the blood of your people for a seat at the table of oppression?,” IPOB spokesman asked.
He reaffirmed IPOB’s commitment to non-violence and called on the Nigerian Police to provide verifiable evidence before making public accusations. “If you have evidence, show it. Otherwise, stop this trial by press release,” it said.
As tensions rise in Imo and surrounding areas over the development, IPOB warned that continuous loss of innocent lives will not go unaddressed, pledging that justice will eventually prevail.
“The slaughter of the innocent in Igboland will never be forgotten,” the statement said.
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