IPOB says ESN operatives will continue operations against security threats in Nigeria’s Southeast

Crime Diary

INTERNATIONAL (NPA) — The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has declared that its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), would continue operations across communities in the Southeast which it claims are threatened by armed groups and criminal elements.

In a press statement dated April 30, 2026, and signed by Mazi Chikadibia Ezeoziem, the group accused Fulani herdsmen, jihadist groups and other armed actors of posing what it described as an existential threat to communities in the region. The group further alleged that the Nigerian government and security agencies had failed to adequately protect lives and property in the Southeast.

IPOB also accused political leaders, governors, traditional rulers and community leaders in the region of abandoning their responsibilities to safeguard local communities from insecurity.

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According to the statement, the Directorate of State of IPOB said it derived its mandate from what it described as the Biafran people and therefore possessed the authority to deploy ESN operatives to communities facing security threats.

The separatist movement stated that it would not seek approval from politicians, traditional rulers or community leaders before deploying ESN operatives to areas it considered vulnerable.

The group also claimed that its intelligence units were monitoring alleged threats from armed groups and gathering information for what it described as proactive security operations.

IPOB further alleged that some individuals within communities in the Southeast were collaborating with the Nigerian state and external armed actors to destabilize the region.

“The DOS want to assure them that we have unassailable intelligence on who they are and their activities of sabotaging ESN operations and betrayal of our land,” the statement said.

The organization, which is headquartered in Germany, remains proscribed by the Nigerian government. Its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was convicted by a Nigerian court on charges related to terrorism-linked offences, unlawful broadcasting and incitement under Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act and the Criminal Code. His legal proceedings, however, have continued to generate political and legal debate within and outside Nigeria.