Substantiate claim of 30,000 deaths in Southeast, IPOB challenges Kalu

By : 'Sola Akinsanmi

Date: 25 November 2025 6:27pm WAT

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[FILES] Political activist and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, Nnamdi Kanu (L), wearing a Jewish prayer shawl, speaks to veterans of the Nigerian civil war in his garden at his house in Umuahia, southeast Nigeria, on May 26, 2017, before commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the war on May 30. The war was triggered when the Igbo people, the main ethnic group in the southeast, declared an independent breakaway state, the Republic of Biafra. / AFP PHOTO / STEFAN HEUNIS

[FILES] Political activist and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, Nnamdi Kanu (L), wearing a Jewish prayer shawl, speaks to veterans of the Nigerian civil war in his garden at his house in Umuahia, southeast Nigeria, on May 26, 2017, before commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the war on May 30. The war was triggered when the Igbo people, the main ethnic group in the southeast, declared an independent breakaway state, the Republic of Biafra. / AFP PHOTO / STEFAN HEUNIS

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has disputed claims made by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu that over 30,000 people have died as a result of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s activism in Nigeria’s South-East region, describing the claim as “false” and “irresponsible.”

Senator Kalu, the lawmaker representing Abia North, had on Sunday stated during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today that secessionist agitations linked to the activities of the convicted IPOB leader had caused extensive fatalities and economic losses in the South-East.

He said, “Do you know that over 30,000 Igbos were killed? People who have shops have lost their businesses. I used to sell my own manufactured products in Aba. I know what the numbers were.”

Reacting in a press statement on Tuesday, IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful rejected the figure, demanding evidence to support the Senator’s claims.

He stated, “The worldwide family and movement of the IPOB denounces the irresponsible and false claims from Senator Orji Uzor that 30,000 individuals lost their lives due to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s activism in the South-East region. This declaration arises from a malevolent spirit and a person who has chosen to barter his kin for selfish political gain.”

Powerful added that IPOB and its leader had remained non-violent despite military operations targeting their members.

He said, “The insecurity, fatalities, and devastation that occurred in the South-East were orchestrated by the Federal Government and certain South-Eastern politicians to blackmail IPOB and ESN. The evidence shows that IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu have consistently been targets of military aggression, violence, and killings backed by the state.”

The group also called for impartial investigations into the violence in the South-East since 2015, asserting that the Federal Government had yet to allow an independent inquiry.

“IPOB urges Orji Uzor Kalu to present proof of his assertions. As far as Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB are concerned, we bear no responsibility for the death of any Igbo individual or the damage to businesses in the East,” the statement read.

Senator Kalu’s comments come shortly after Kanu’s conviction on terrorism-related charges.

The former Abia governor stressed the need for political solutions rather than continued public agitation, urging a holistic approach to resolving the crisis in the region.

He said, “Just as the theory Bianca Ojukwu and Mascot Kalu propounded, they should stop the noise and focus on the settlement with the Federal Government. I have been working with the Federal Government on how to solve this issue.”

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