The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has firmly denied recent claims by Minister of Works, David Umahi, that negotiations are underway for the release of its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, labeling the remarks as “reckless, false, and contemptuous.”
In a statement issued on Monday, July 7, and signed by the group’s spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB described Umahi’s comments as “laughable propaganda” and “insulting narratives” aimed at misleading the public into believing Kanu is seeking conditional release from the Nigerian government.
“There is no negotiation whatsoever that involves Mazi Nnamdi Kanu accepting any so-called ‘conditions’ from the Nigerian government. None. Absolutely none,” the group declared.
The statement emphasized that Kanu, who has been in detention since 2021 after being “extraordinarily renditioned” from Kenya, is not seeking compromise or rehabilitation but remains committed to the demand for a United Nations-supervised referendum on Biafra’s independence.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a political mercenary, not a job seeker, and not a saboteur. He is a freedom fighter whose only demand is the right of Biafrans to determine their future through a plebiscite,” IPOB stated.
The group highlighted Kanu’s prolonged suffering in detention, including alleged years in solitary confinement, the loss of his parents, and what it described as “judicial terrorism” through endless legal battles. IPOB insisted that such a man “will not grovel for release under ridiculous conditions.”
The statement also criticized Simon Ekpa, a controversial self-proclaimed Biafra agitator, saying his claim to lead a “Biafran government in exile” had collapsed after he admitted in a Finnish court to being merely a content creator.
“Let no one be deceived—Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will never abandon the struggle. His freedom must come through justice, not media manipulation or political gimmicks,” IPOB stressed.
IPOB warned Minister Umahi and other government officials to desist from spreading “false hopes,” reiterating that only a UN-supervised referendum could offer a lasting solution to the Biafran agitation.
“The Nigerian state is only deepening its crisis by continuing the illegal detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Injustice will only breed more resistance,” the statement concluded.
