The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has fiercely criticised Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, accusing him of using threats and intimidation against Biafrans exercising their rights on social media.
In a statement released on April 25, 2025, and signed by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group declared that even Canada, which recently denied Musa a visa, officially recognises the IPOB family abroad.
IPOB accused Musa and the Nigerian Army of attempting to suppress the fundamental rights of Biafrans to free speech and self-determination. “Musa’s reckless call for Southeasterners to stop promoting IPOB activities is a desperate attempt to silence the Biafran consciousness,” the statement read. “We will not be cowed or silenced.”
The group also condemned the Nigerian Army’s human rights record, citing historic and recent atrocities. IPOB pointed to the killings of Biafran youths at Nkpor in 2016, the attacks in Aba and Port Harcourt, and the military invasion of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s residence during Operation Python Dance, which allegedly resulted in the deaths of 28 individuals, including Kanu’s parents.
“An army that has orchestrated massacres since 1966 has no moral authority to lecture us,” IPOB asserted.
The group also criticised traditional rulers in the Southeast for hosting General Musa during his recent visit, calling them “cowards” and “agents of oppression.”
Defending its social media activism, IPOB reminded Musa of its role in stopping the RUGA settlement scheme and the controversial Waterways Bill, actions the group claims protected indigenous lands and rights across Nigeria.
“Instead of showing gratitude for IPOB’s efforts to protect indigenous peoples, Musa parades ignorance by vilifying the very movement that safeguarded his own community,” the group said.
Rejecting claims that IPOB is an unlawful organization, the statement pointed out that apart from the Nigerian government, no other nation has proscribed IPOB. “Canada, which denied Musa a visa, hosts one of the largest IPOB families globally,” it said.
IPOB concluded by urging its members to intensify their social media campaigns and warning traditional leaders against supporting figures it describes as “agents of genocide.”
“Your intimidation will not bend us. Your massacres will not break us. Biafra will rise, and no force on earth can stop it,” IPOB declared.
