The legal team representing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has rejected claims by the Nigerian military that security has improved in the South-East due to intensified operations and Kanu’s continued detention.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Global Defence Consortium, and signed by Onyedikachi Ifedi, Esq., the lawyers described the military’s position as false and misleading, accusing it of attempting to rewrite history.
The defence team was reacting to comments credited to Michael Onoja, who reportedly linked relative calm in the region to sustained military action and the detention of the IPOB leader.
According to the lawyers, insecurity in the South-East did not begin with separatist agitation, arguing that long before IPOB emerged, unarmed civilians were allegedly targeted by security forces, creating deep mistrust and resentment in the region.
They cited what they described as documented incidents, including the Nkpor killings, the shooting of unarmed youths at National High School in Aba, the Trump Solidarity Rally incident in Port Harcourt, and the 2017 military invasion of Kanu’s residence in Afara-Ukwu, which they claimed led to multiple deaths.
The statement also referenced incidents outside the South-East, such as the 2015 Shiite killings in Zaria, the Odi and Zaki-Biam military operations, and the 2020 Lekki Toll Gate shootings, alleging a pattern of excessive use of force against civilians by security agencies.
The lawyers further rejected attempts to blame IPOB or Kanu for criminal violence in the region, alleging that cult clashes, political militias and criminal networks were driven by politicians and compromised security operatives.
They pointed to past remarks by former Chief of Army Staff, T. Y. Danjuma, who had accused elements within the military of colluding with armed groups, saying such comments raised serious questions about official security narratives.
Questioning claims of improved security, the defence team argued that peace cannot be measured by fear, repression or prolonged detention, insisting that silence enforced by military presence does not amount to stability.
The lawyers called for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, independent investigations into alleged killings by security forces across the country, and an end to what they described as the criminalisation of peaceful political expression in the South-East.
They warned that without accountability and justice, official claims of security gains would remain unconvincing to both Nigerians and the international community.
