IPOB Accuses DSS Of Disinformation Ahead Of Kanu’s Court Appearance

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of sponsoring a disinformation campaign ahead of the court appearance of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, on May 21, 2025.

IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a statement on Tuesday condemned what it described as a coordinated effort by the DSS to manipulate public opinion and weaken Kanu’s legal fight through the media.

The statement criticised the DSS for what it called a “well-worn strategy” of flooding news platforms with “manufactured arrests,” reports of “phantom IPOB camps,” and sensationalised stories about Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based online commentator often linked to IPOB in the media.

“On the eve of every crucial court appearance by our leader, (the DSS and their media allies) spring into action to flood the media space with toxic lies,” the statement said.

IPOB also accused unnamed Lagos-and Abuja-based media outlets of amplifying false narratives designed to confuse the public and paint the group in a bad light.

Kanu, who has been detained since June 2021 following his controversial arrest and repatriation from Kenya, faces charges including treasonable felony and terrorism-related offenses.

His legal team has consistently challenged his detention as a violation of his human rights and Nigeria’s constitution, noting that several court orders for his release have been ignored by the government.

The group further distanced itself from Simon Ekpa, calling him a “YouTube activist” with “no organic link” to IPOB, and criticized his role as opportunistic and cowardly in legal matters.

“The only recognised leader of IPOB is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whose unparalleled courage, sacrifice, and legitimacy are unmatched,” IPOB declared, emphasizing there are no factions or rival leaders within the movement.

IPOB accused the DSS and its “compromised media allies” of deliberately linking Ekpa to the group to sow division and undermine their legal case.

“The desperate attempt to forge a link between IPOB’s internal matters and Simon Ekpa’s self-serving theatrics will fail, just like every other psychological operation they have attempted since 2015,” the statement asserted.

With less than 24 hours before Kanu’s next court appearance, IPOB warned the international community and diplomatic groups in Nigeria to anticipate a flood of “fake news and planted reports” designed to distract from the proceedings and shield the DSS from what the group predicts will be a courtroom setback.

“The Nigerian state is aware that its so-called witness will be exposed under cross-examination,” IPOB claimed, adding that the media narrative is being manipulated in anticipation of legal embarrassment.

“To the DSS and your media hirelings: we are not distracted. You cannot bury the truth with lies. You cannot break IPOB with propaganda. And you will never succeed in rewriting history,” the group concluded.

IPOB Accuses DSS Of Disinformation Ahead Of Kanu’s Court Appearance is first published on The Whistler Newspaper