SUMMARY
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was a separatist armed group active in the southeast region of Nigeria. The group called for the creation of an independent Republic of Biafra and was the first pro-Biafran group in modern times to wage armed conflict against the Nigerian government. In early 2021, following clashes in Imo state, IPOB declared that the Nigerian government had initiated the second Biafra war. Shortly after, the armed conflict between IPOB and the Government reached the 25 battle-related deaths threshold and became active in UCDP data.
IPOB was founded in 2012 by Nnamdi Kanu and Uche Mefor with the aim of, through peaceful means, settling the issue of Biafra through a referendum. The group has its roots in the Nigerian civil war, which circulated around the status of the Biafra territory in the southeast region of the country. Pro-Biafra sentiments lingered long after the war ended in 1970, ultimately paving the way for the creation of modern separatists advocating for an independent Republic of Biafra. The narrative of IPOB asserts that the Igbo people peoples descended from the Jews of the Middle East, and that Biafra was in fact an ancient Kingdom, pre-existing colonialism, which was suppressed by British colonial rule in order to give Hausa-Fulani control of the future Nigeria.
Prior to the creation of IPOB, Kanu was largely unknown. It was first in the late 2000s that he rose to the public stage and gained recognition through his vocal efforts for the Biafran cause through his broadcasts on Radio Biafra. Kanu became increasingly vocal in his cause for an independent Biafra and IPOB gained more popular support over the years. In 2015, Kanu was arrested on counts of “criminal conspiracy, intimidation, and membership of an illegal organization”. The arrest of the highest leader of IPOB did not, however, weaken the group. On the contrary, popular support grew even stronger. IPOB’s demonstrations had previously been peaceful and controlled. However, after the arrest of Kanu, several large-scale protests were held that demanded Kanu’s release. Many of these protests resulted in several people killed and wounded.
IPOB’s activities were mainly funded through member commitment levies and contributions from sympathizers, especially those living outside Nigeria. The group became infamous for their use of ‘media warriors’ –followers spreading hate speech and instigating violence online in the name of IPOB. In 2017, IPOB was dubbed a terrorist organization by the Nigerian government.
During their clashes with government forces, IPOB mostly used pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns with pistol grips, mainly originating from transnational smuggling networks, as well as locally fabricated shotguns and pistols acquired from blacksmiths. The group also made frequent use of homemade improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and grenades.
In December 2020, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) was formed by IPOB. ESN was the paramilitary wing of IPOB, or in the words of IPOB “a vigilante group aimed at protecting civilians against terrorists and occupation by herders”. IPOB accused the governors in the southeast of being unable to tackle regional security and argued that the creation of ESN was a necessity to ensure security for the population in the southeast. The spokesman for IPOB, Emma Powerful, stated that “IPOB is a peaceful movement but ready to defend our land and people no matter the cost”.
During the same time period, at the end of 2020, Kanu abolished the position of ‘second-in-command’, strengthened his own superiority over the group, and subsequently sacked co-founder Mefor. Another account of the events was that Mefor was forced to resign after having repeatedly warned Kanu to respect human rights in the struggle for an independent Biafra. The superiority of further Kanu was illustrated through the command structure of ESN, as the military wing was organized in such a way as not to take instructions from any other than the “supreme leader” Kanu himself.
In June 2021, Kanu was re-apprehended after having fled since his initial arrest in 2015. On 30 July, IPOB ordered that every Nigerian living in the southeast would remain in their homes every Monday pending the release of Kanu. The group severely punished people who did not comply with the sit-at-home order.
With its centralized structure and sole authority under a ‘supreme’ leader, IPOB was not prepared for the sudden arrest of Kanu. IPOB was formed in such a way that no other person within the hierarchy of IPOB, other than Kanu, could give orders to the group.
Over the years, IPOB has split into several smaller factions – some more violent than others. Ultimately, the wider support among the Igbos was diluted. Co-founder of IPOB, and previous second-in-command, Uche Mefor joined ex-militant leader Asari Dokubo in March 2021. Mefor announced the formation of the Biafra defacto Customary Government (BCG) and stated that Dokubo should be viewed as its leader. Mefor further identified himself as BCG’s spokesperson and cited the injustice of the Igbos by Kanu’s IPOB as the reason for creating the new government.
Two main factions can be crystalized following Kanu’s re-apprehension in June 2021: Directorate of State (DOS) led by Chika Edoziem, and Autopilot led by Simon Ekpa. Both factions claimed to have Kanu’s support and accused each other of working with the Nigerian government. Autopilot had a reputation for being more brutal than DOS, regularly imposing sit-at-home orders and ruthlessly enforcing them. Despite these tensions and various smaller splinter groups, due to a lack of information regarding the identity of the specific separatist groups, the majority of the violent events taking place in the South-east are attributed to IPOB.
IPOB’s violent activities were largely centered in the southeast of Nigeria, and mainly affected states such as Anambra, Enugu, and Imo. IPOB has been involved in the intrastate and one-sided violence categories of UCDP organized violence.
