Legal counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, has criticized the Nigerian government’s designation of the Indigenous People of Biafra as a terrorist sponsor, describing the move as flawed and unjustifiable.
Ejimakor made his position known in a statement shared on his X account on Wednesday, following the recent release of a government list naming 48 individuals and groups allegedly financing terrorism.
The list was published amid growing security concerns across Nigeria, where attacks by armed groups have continued to claim the lives of security personnel and civilians.
Reacting, Ejimakor argued that the classification of IPOB as a terrorist sponsor fails to reflect the group’s broader ethnic identity. According to him, every native of the former Eastern Nigeria, commonly referred to as Biafra or Ndịgbo, is inherently linked to IPOB by heritage.
“This truth is self-evident: every native of former Eastern Nigeria/Biafra (or Ndịgbo) is ethnically a bona fide member of the Indigenous People of Biafra,” he stated.
He further contended that designating IPOB as a terrorist sponsor is comparable to labeling other regional socio-cultural identities as terrorist organizations, insisting that such a characterization is a misnomer that cannot be sustained.
Ejimakor drew parallels with groups representing other parts of the country, noting that tagging IPOB in such a manner would be akin to branding Arewa or Oduduwa entities as terrorist sponsors.
His comments come amid ongoing legal and political debates over the status and activities of IPOB in Nigeria.
