The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused some interests of deliberately suppressing positive reports about its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, while amplifying narratives intended to discredit him.
In a statement issued on Friday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the pro-Biafra group alleged that the suppression was part of a calculated campaign to influence public opinion ahead of the October 10 ruling in Kanu’s trial before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has observed with deep concern and absolute clarity the unfolding propaganda designed to condition the minds of the international community ahead of the October 10, 2025 ruling in the case of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Powerful said.
According to IPOB, recent developments in Kanu’s legal battle, including the filing of a Magnitsky Sanctions lawsuit in Washington against what it described as “corrupt Nigerian judges,” have been deliberately downplayed, while outdated prosecution claims continue to dominate the media space.
“Reports that vindicate our leader are deliberately suppressed. What the public sees are recycled stories built on discredited prosecution evidence, giving the false impression that a strong case exists against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, when in reality, the prosecution’s case has collapsed irretrievably,” Powerful alleged.
The group described the trend as a form of “calculated censorship” that mirrors the pattern of events preceding Kanu’s extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021.
It recalled that prior to the 2021 abduction, attempts were made to misrepresent Kanu’s identity and status, a move IPOB claimed was used to justify the operation that brought him back to Nigeria.
“This follows the exact template of 2021 before Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s illegal abduction in Kenya. Manipulated information was used to distort his identity and create a false narrative. Once the rendition was executed and it was too late, corrections were quietly made,” the statement read.
IPOB insisted that such deliberate distortions are paving the way for what it called a “pre-arranged judgment” against its leader in October.
“We state unequivocally that this systematic blackout of favourable reports is an active tool in the persecution of Kanu and the Biafran people. IPOB will not remain silent while information is manipulated to aid tyranny and bury justice,” the group warned.
The group called on the United Nations, the U.S. Congress, the Human Rights Council, and international media organisations to take note of what it described as a dangerous trend, insisting that history would hold all those responsible accountable.
