IPOB Criticises Akpabio Over Remarks on Biafra Movement

 

By: Jane Ephraim 

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reacted strongly to comments attributed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio regarding the Biafra self-determination movement, describing them as misleading and provocative.

Akpabio was reported to have made the remarks during the burial of a former administrative secretary of the defunct OMPADEC, Sir Albert Nnamani, in Ikem, Enugu State. At the event, he urged leaders in the Southeast to discourage youths from pursuing secession through violence, warning that any attempt to achieve independence through armed struggle would fail.

“A situation whereby you try to assert independence through armed struggle from the federal government will fail. The state power will always overwhelm you,” he said.

In response, IPOB accused the Senate President of issuing what it described as a veiled threat and misrepresenting the group’s activities. In a statement by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group insisted that its agitation remains non-violent and focused on the demand for a referendum.

“IPOB is not engaged in armed struggle against Nigeria. Our position has always been a referendum—nothing more, nothing less,” the statement read.

The group argued that Akpabio’s comments portrayed its activities as violent, a claim it rejected, describing its campaign as a legitimate political demand grounded in democratic principles.

IPOB further maintained that the call for self-determination is protected under relevant legal frameworks, including provisions within the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

It also accused political actors of deliberately framing the movement as militant in order to undermine its legitimacy, insisting that its objective remains unchanged.

“A referendum is not war. It is the most democratic expression of political will,” the group added.

The exchange highlights ongoing tensions surrounding the Biafra question, with differing views on the nature and approach of the movement continuing to generate debate within Nigeria’s political space.