Picure: Barr Ejiofor
Human rights lawyer and lead counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has warned criminal elements in the South-East against using the Biafra agitation as a cover for violence, kidnapping, extortion, and other crimes.
In a statement titled “The South-East Must Never Bleed Again,” Ejiofor said the region had paid a heavy price for insecurity and must not be dragged back into another cycle of bloodshed.
He lamented that some individuals had turned the legitimate quest for self-determination into a criminal enterprise, misleading vulnerable people with false promises while communities suffered deaths, displacement, and economic losses.
Ejiofor also cautioned against indiscriminately branding every criminal as an IPOB member, stressing that such assumptions only shield the real perpetrators and undermine effective security efforts.
According to him, criminals should be identified and prosecuted based on credible evidence, regardless of the ideology or cause they claim to represent.
He praised the combined efforts of community leaders, traditional institutions, the Directorate of State (DOS), and security agencies for restoring relative peace to the South-East, but warned that recent threats by suspected criminal groups should not be ignored.
As the 2027 general elections approach, Ejiofor urged Nigerians to remain vigilant against politicians who may exploit insecurity for political gain, insisting that innocent lives must never become tools of electoral manipulation.
He called on residents, community leaders, religious bodies, and security agencies to work together to preserve peace, declaring that “Alaigbo must never again become a theatre of organised violence disguised as liberation.”
Tags: South-East, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, IPOB, Security, Biafra
