The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused Nigerian politicians of being the true sponsors of terrorism in the country, pointing to revelations from Sahel leaders and a Canadian court ruling as evidence.
In a statement released on Friday by its spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB asserted that disclosures from Sahel leaders, along with findings upheld by a Canadian court months ago, “conclusively identified Nigerian politicians and political parties as complicit in terror financing.”
The group maintained that these revelations uncovered those orchestrating the activities of Boko Haram, ISWAP, Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, and other armed organisations in the region.
Wizopa, in August, reported that the Federal Court of Canada, in a landmark decision casting a damning light on Nigeria’s political sphere, upheld a ruling declaring both major political parties guilty of conduct amounting to terrorism and subversion of democratic institutions.
Justice Phuong T.V. Ngo delivered the judgment on June 17, 2025, dismissing the asylum application of Douglas Egharevba, a Nigerian national and admitted PDP member. The court ruled that his party membership alone rendered him inadmissible to Canada under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
The court further upheld the Immigration Appeal Division’s (IAD) detailed findings that both the PDP and APC have been involved in political violence, ballot rigging, voter intimidation, and even killings to seize and retain power, according to court documents obtained.
In his statement, Powerful alleged that the same political figures accused of financing terrorism were the ones who proscribed IPOB in 2017.
“These are the shameless men who trade in blood and destruction, yet call themselves political leaders,” the statement read.
“They ganged up to proscribe IPOB without a fair hearing, not because IPOB is guilty of terrorism, but to create a scapegoat and deflect attention from their own crimes.”
The group further accused Nigerian courts and parts of the mainstream media of enabling what it described as a propaganda war against IPOB and its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
According to IPOB, the judiciary failed in its duty to protect constitutional rights when it issued an ex parte proscription order against the movement, while the media echoed “propaganda lines” instead of probing politicians’ alleged roles in terrorism financing.
“That had Mazi Nnamdi Kanu been released in line with numerous court orders, there wouldn’t be insecurity in the South-East,” the statement added, referring to Kanu’s pledge that unrest in the region would end within 48 hours of his release.
IPOB also accused Nigerian politicians of double standards, arguing that while terrorists receive stipends and amnesty, its leader remains in detention for calling for self-determination.
“They cry ‘national security’ while actively bankrolling insecurity,” Powerful said.
“The Sahel leaders’ exposé and the Canadian court’s affirmation have removed all doubt: IPOB is not the enemy of Nigeria.
“The real enemies are in Abuja and in state capitals, politicians who thrive on death, profit from blood, and weaponise justice and media to silence dissent.”
The group alleged further that politicians and security agencies profit from “bloated security budgets” and lucrative contracts under the guise of fighting terrorism.
Reaffirming its stance, IPOB insisted that Kanu’s continued detention is “not about law or justice,” but part of a plot by alleged terror sponsors to prevent the truth from being exposed.
“We insist that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s continued incarceration is a conspiracy by shameless terror sponsors,” the statement declared.
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