The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has dismissed a purported police intelligence report alleging that the group and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), planned to resume enforcement of the Monday sit-at-home order across the South-East from October 12, 2026, describing the allegations as fabricated propaganda intended to discredit the movement and blame it for escalating insecurity in the region.
IPOB made its position known in a statement issued on Monday, October 12, through its Directorate of State (DOS) and signed by its spokesperson and Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful.
The group challenged the Nigeria Police Force to produce verifiable evidence supporting the allegations contained in the purported intelligence report dated October 9, 2026, insisting that neither IPOB nor ESN had issued any directive to reinstate the Monday sit-at-home order or compel residents of the South-East and Imo State to comply with it.
IPOB described the purported document, which reportedly bears reference number CB:4089/FID/INTLAB/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.14/231 and is attributed to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Department, as a fabrication.
“The so-called ‘Intelligence Report’ dated 9th October 2026, bearing reference CB:4089/FID/INTLAB/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.14/231 and signed under the name of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Intelligence Department, is a fabrication pure and simple,” the group said.
According to IPOB, the alleged report was designed to divert public attention from the position of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, on the forthcoming elections and the group’s political demands.
The group also linked the controversy to Kanu’s reported address at the annual convention of the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), alleging that the purported intelligence report was intended to distract Nigerians from what it described as his clear position on the group’s political direction.
IPOB maintained that it had not authorised any fresh sit-at-home order and denied plans to enforce restrictions on movement or compel residents to stay indoors.
“There is no voice note. There is no order from IPOB or ESN to resume any sit-at-home. There is no plan by this movement to enforce anything on the people of the South-East or Imo State,” Powerful stated.
The group reiterated that its struggle was political and said it had no intention of enforcing directives on residents of the region.
“IPOB has repeatedly stated, and we restate today with absolute clarity: we have no business with enforcement. Our struggle is political, lawful, and directed solely at the realisation of Biafran self-determination through peaceful means,” the statement added.
IPOB further accused security agencies, politicians and individuals it alleged were former members of its Directorate of State of working together to circulate false intelligence and unverified audio recordings to portray the movement as responsible for insecurity in the South-East.
The group alleged that the purported intelligence report emerged following the withdrawal or redeployment of security personnel and the circulation of an anonymous voice recording allegedly attributed to unidentified individuals.
According to IPOB, the sequence of events was intended to create the impression of an impending security threat, potentially followed by violence that would subsequently be blamed on the organisation.
“What the public is witnessing is the familiar pattern: Withdrawal or deliberate redeployment of security personnel. Fabrication of a ‘threat’ document. Circulation of an anonymous voice note attributed to ‘unidentified individuals.’
“Then the stage is set for the usual wave of insecurity that the same security agencies and their political sponsors later attempt to pin on IPOB,” Powerful alleged.
The group claimed that it had previously expressed concerns that the withdrawal of security personnel from parts of the South-East could precede another outbreak of violence.
It argued that the emergence of the purported intelligence report reinforced its suspicions about what it described as attempts to associate IPOB with security incidents in the region.
However, the group did not provide independently verifiable evidence establishing that the police or any political actors fabricated the document or coordinated the alleged activities.
IPOB also criticised the administration of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the government and its alleged collaborators in Imo State of devoting public resources to propaganda rather than addressing the economic and security challenges confronting residents.
The group cited hunger, unemployment, insecurity and Kanu’s continued detention as issues requiring urgent attention, arguing that the allegations against it would not resolve the difficulties facing people in the region.
IPOB subsequently demanded that the Nigeria Police Force establish the authenticity and provenance of the purported intelligence report and disclose the evidence on which its allegations were based.
It specifically requested the original audio recording allegedly linked to the planned resumption of the sit-at-home, details about the recording’s source, the identity of the speaker where ascertainable, and evidence connecting the alleged message to IPOB or ESN.
“We question the authenticity, provenance and evidential basis of this report,” the group said.
“The Nigeria Police Force must produce verifiable evidence supporting its allegations, including the original recording, its source, the identity of the speaker where ascertainable, and the basis for attributing the alleged message to IPOB or ESN.”
The group insisted that residents of the South-East would not be deceived by what it described as repeated attempts to associate the movement with activities it had not authorised.
“The people of Biafra are not fools. They know this script by heart. They will not be deceived,” Powerful added.
IPOB also reiterated its position on the forthcoming elections, declaring that it would maintain its planned boycott despite the controversy surrounding the purported police intelligence report.
“IPOB remains focused on our stated course of action: total boycott of the elections. No amount of fabricated documents, voice notes, or media theatrics will alter that decision,” Powerful stated.
The organisation concluded by accusing the Nigerian state and its alleged agents of spreading falsehoods about the movement, warning that the public would ultimately judge their actions.
The allegations concerning the purported intelligence report, the redeployment of security personnel and the alleged coordination of propaganda were presented by IPOB in its statement. The police’s response to the group’s challenge and any independently established evidence concerning the document’s authenticity were not included in the information available for this report.