The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has insisted that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu must present evidence to support his claim that IPOB and its security outfit, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), killed 30,000 people in the South-East.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group demanded “proof of the 30,000 individuals allegedly killed by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB,” insisting that such a grave allegation cannot be dismissed as mere politics.
IPOB accused the senator, a former Abia State governor, of blackmail and challenged him to either substantiate the claim or publicly apologise.
The group went on to level several accusations against Kalu, including claims of political manipulation, misgovernance, and enabling criminal elements during his administration. It alleged he endangered Abia and Enugu States by allowing criminal groups to dominate the Lokpanta market along the Enugu–Port Harcourt expressway, contributing to kidnapping incidents in the region.
IPOB also accused Kalu of mismanaging Abia’s resources, entrenching political godfatherism, and benefiting from poor-quality infrastructure contracts—issues it claimed affected subsequent administrations until Governor Alex Otti.
The group further referenced long-standing allegations that Kalu manipulated the Bakassi Vigilante Group for political gain, dating back to his first term in 1999—although these allegations remain unverified. It cited an alleged killing of an individual named Ezeji from Mbaise in Umuahia, which it claimed was linked to political motives.
IPOB stressed that none of these counter-accusations should overshadow its main demand: proof of the alleged 30,000 killings.
The group maintained that it is a peaceful self-determination movement operating within national and international law, insisting its members are unarmed and nonviolent. It defended the ESN as a community-protection vigilante network established to counter attacks on rural areas, adding that no credible evidence links ESN to killings in any community.
IPOB also distanced itself from armed factions like Autopilot and the so-called Biafra Liberation Army, claiming such groups are influenced or funded by political interests, including Kalu.
The group said the senator must present the identities and evidence of the alleged 30,000 victims, insisting that both Nigerians and the international community are waiting for proof.
Failing that, IPOB said, Kalu must issue a public apology for what it described as a false and damaging allegation.
