IPOB Leadership Rejects Kanu’s Sentence , Warned Members Against Violent

IPOB Leadership Rejects Kanu’s Sentence , Warned Members Against Violent 

In an unusual late-night emergency broadcast monitored by GlintNews, a senior official of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Chinasa Nworu, sharply criticized the life sentence handed down to the group’s leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, calling it “unjust, politically driven, and strategically timed.”

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Nworu, a ranking member of the IPOB Directorate of State (DOS), read a statement signed by the head of the directorate, outlining IPOB’s formal position on the ruling delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court. The group also says it has received confirmation that Kanu has been transferred to a maximum-security facility in Sokoto State.

The Nigerian government has not publicly commented on the emergency broadcast, but authorities have repeatedly denied claims of political interference in Kanu’s trial.

Throughout the broadcast, Nworu offered a lengthy account of IPOB’s internal struggles since Kanu’s first arrest in 2015. He accused unnamed lawyers, some of Kanu’s relatives, and splinter pro-Biafra groups of undermining the movement’s central leadership.

According to him, alleged divisions and contradictory actions—including—created confusion and insecurity in parts of southeastern Nigeria. Nworu argued that these incidents were later used by the prosecution to strengthen the case against Kanu.

He also alleged that the confusion were created created by some greedy former IPOB member who are sponsored by the  Nigeria government

In what appeared to be an attempt to reassure international observers, the IPOB official repeatedly distanced the organization from violent activities recorded in some southeastern communities over recent years.

Nworu insisted that IPOB and its security wing, ESN, were not responsible for criminal acts attributed to armed groups, instead alleging that infiltrators and opportunistic gangs exploited regional tensions. He urged affected communities to avoid retaliatory anger and called for reconciliation.

He also warned IPOB supporters not to react violently to the life sentence or to emerging social-media provocations, which he described as potential traps designed to portray IPOB as disorderly ahead of international diplomatic engagements.

IPOB’s claims have not been independently confirmed, and Nigerian authorities continue to accuse the group of links to unrest—an allegation IPOB strongly rejects.

Nworu reiterated IPOB’s long-standing allegation that the Nigerian government seeks to frame the movement as a security threat. He cited the 2020 EndSARS protest-era diplomatic alerts—issued by foreign embassies as a routine safety measure—as an example of statements that, according to IPOB, were misinterpreted during the trial.

He also accused government agents of attempting to engineer “provocations” or staged incidents in the coming months. None of these allegations have been substantiated through independent investigation.

Human-rights observers have previously raised broader concerns about fair-trial standards in Nigeria’s terrorism-related cases, though the government maintains that all proceedings follow legal and constitutional requirements.

The group announced that all official statements going forward will be issued exclusively through Radio Biafra and its verified communication channels, citing the spread of misinformation and competing narratives from unofficial actors.

Nworu urged IPOB members and sympathizers to “remain peaceful, disciplined, and focused,” adding that the movement intends to challenge the judgment through legal and diplomatic channels.

He also expressed expectations that Kanu’s legal team will now provide “more frequent and transparent updates” on his situation in the Sokoto correctional facility.

The emergency broadcast ended with a commitment to intensify global advocacy, with the IPOB leadership framing the sentencing as a political act designed to influence international perceptions and domestic security debates.

“We are moving forward,” Nworu said, insisting that IPOB will pursue what it describes as a peaceful campaign for self-determination and justice for its detained leader.

As of press time, there has been no official response from Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice or the Nigerian Correctional Service regarding the allegations raised in the broadcast.

GlintNews will continue monitoring reactions from the government, legal representatives, and international stakeholders as this story develops.