IPOB Claims Suspects' Identities Clear Members of Blame

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) responded to the release of identities of five suspects involved in the abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps members along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State. The suspects, identified as Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, Mohammed Ali, Aminu Haliru, and Ibrahim Jiji, were arraigned in connection with this incident.

IPOB's Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, stated that the identities of these suspects vindicate IPOB's position that its members and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) have been unjustly blamed for crimes in the South-East. The group called for a thorough investigation into the incident, emphasizing that had the suspects not been apprehended, innocent Igbo youths and ESN members could have faced wrongful accusations.

IPOB urged authorities to conduct evidence-based investigations into criminal activities rather than relying on ethnicity or unverified allegations. They also criticized the continued detention of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and called for enhanced security measures in rural communities.