“Every Igbo Is IPOB Member” — Nnamdi Kanu’s Lawyer Reacts to FG’s Terrorist Label

Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to detained pro-Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu, has stirred fresh controversy over the Federal Government’s classification of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation.

The lawyer, in a statement shared on his social media page on Wednesday, argued that the label unfairly targets an entire ethnic group, particularly people of South-East origin.

“This truth is self-evident: Every native of former Eastern Nigeria/Biafra (or NDIGBO) is ethnically a bona fide member of the Indigenous People of Biafra,” Ejimakor declared.

He went further to fault the government’s decision to include IPOB among terror-linked groups, insisting that such a move is misleading and cannot stand legal scrutiny.

“So, naming IPOB a terrorist sponsor is akin to naming Arewa or Oduduwa terrorist sponsors. It’s a misnomer that cannot stand,” he added.

Ejimakor also accused the administration of Bola Tinubu of acting in defiance of the judiciary. He maintained that the issue of IPOB’s proscription is still pending before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“The recent publication by the Federal government naming the IPOB amongst terrorist sponsors is contempt of Court, because the case is still pending before the Supreme Court, and therefore subjudice,” he wrote.

“I know this for a fact, because I personally signed and filed the appeal.”

The development follows the recent release of a terrorism financing list by the Nigeria Sanctions Committee, which operates under the Office of the National Security Adviser. The list reportedly named dozens of individuals and corporate entities allegedly linked to terror activities in the country, including associations tied to IPOB.

The Nigerian government had, in 2017 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, declared IPOB a terrorist organisation after rising tensions and clashes between security forces and members of the group in the South-East. The declaration was backed by a court order from a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Authorities have since defended the decision, citing alleged attacks on security personnel and separatist activities as justification for the ban.

However, the legality of that proscription has remained a subject of legal battles. In October 2023, an Enugu State High Court ruled that the designation was unconstitutional and violated rights under the African Charter, declaring it null and void.

Despite that ruling, conflicting judicial decisions have continued to shape the controversy. In November 2025, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Kanu on terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment, affirming his role as leader of a proscribed organisation.