Introduction.
In September 2017, the Nigerian government officially proscribed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and declared it a terrorist organization. This move has been heavily criticized as politically motivated and disproportionately harsh, especially given the group’s initial strategy of nonviolent agitation for the self-determination of the Igbo people and other Eastern Nigerians. The proscription followed years of mounting tension, systemic marginalization, and a militarized crackdown on civil dissent. Today, as U.S. officials meet openly with groups like Miyetti Allah, a Fulani socio-political group linked to several farmer-herder conflicts, it raises a fundamental question: Why has there never been a parallel diplomatic engagement with IPOB?
I. ROOTS OF THE IPOB AGITATION
The IPOB movement traces its roots to historical grievances dating back to the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), also known as the Biafran War. The war, sparked by the secession of the Eastern Region under the leadership of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, resulted in the death of over 3.5 million Igbos, primarily due to starvation and systematic blockades. No serious national reconciliation or reparation effort followed this devastating conflict.
Since then, Igbos have voiced growing concerns over:
Political marginalization (no Igbo presidency since 1966),
Deliberate exclusion in national security appointments,
Underdevelopment of the South-East despite its human capital,
Military occupation and extrajudicial killings in the region.
Founded by Nnamdi Kanu in 2012, IPOB quickly gained traction, especially after the 2015 election of President Muhammadu Buhari, under whom appointments heavily skewed towards Northern interests (according to a Premium Times review of top-level appointees, over 80% were from the North by 2016).
II. OPERATION PYTHON DANCE: A TURNING POINT
In August–September 2017, the Nigerian Army launched Operation Python Dance II in the South-East. The operation, ostensibly aimed at curbing crime and maintaining public order, took a militarized approach toward the civil agitation of IPOB the rest is history and what has brought us to where we are today.
Key timeline and events:
August 2017: Army launches Python Dance II.
Sept 10–14, 2017: IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu’s home in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, is raided. Reports from Amnesty International claimed over 250 IPOB members were killed between August 2015 and August 2017.
Sept 15, 2017: Southeast Governors Forum in a show of self interest, sycophancy and hypocricy declares IPOB illegal.
Sept 20, 2017: The Federal High Court in Abuja officially proscribes IPOB.
Instead of fostering peace, Python Dance forced many IPOB supporters into exile, pushing the group underground and radicalizing a once largely peaceful movement.
III. DOUBLE STANDARDS IN TERRORISM LABELING
IPOB, unlike Boko Haram or ISWAP, has never launched a nationwide bombing campaign, kidnapped schoolchildren, or seized territories. Yet it remains tagged a terrorist organization, while:
Miyetti Allah, linked to armed Fulani militias responsible for over 100,000 deaths between 2001–2021 (Global Terrorism Index), is not proscribed.
Bandits in the Northwest, including those behind the Zamfara and Kaduna massacres, are dubbed “mere criminals.”
Even more glaring is that U.S. diplomats and foreign envoys recently met with Miyetti Allah representatives, groups that openly defend armed herders, without public outcry or military invasion.
So we ask: Is it not time the U.S. and international community also initiate dialogue with IPOB to better understand the root of their grievances, as opposed to allowing only one side of Nigeria’s crisis narrative to be heard?
IV. IPOB IN CONTEXT: DATA AND REALITY
Population of Igbo People: ~75–85 million (including diaspora).
Percentage of Nigeria’s economy contributed by Igbo enterprise: ~62% (SMEDAN/BOI MSME report, 2019).
Number of IPOB members killed (Amnesty International): 350+ (2015–2017); 115 killed in 2021 alone (according to Human Rights Watch and SBM Intelligence).
Nnamdi Kanu has been held in detention since June 2021 under harsh conditions, in violation of several court orders for his release.
V. THE CALL
The Nigerian government must rescind the IPOB terrorist designation and adopt a reconciliatory approach rooted in truth, justice, and open dialogue.
We call on:
- The U.S. Embassy and international bodies to initiate diplomatic channels with IPOB as a legitimate voice of a marginalized region.
- The Nigerian state to demilitarize the South-East and allow genuine self-expression under the law.
- Civil society and thought leaders to end the hypocrisy of selective engagement and address the festering wounds of injustice.
- Nigerians to demand fairness, not just silence because the whip isn’t currently cracking on them.
ULTIMATELY
Proscription without introspection only deepens mistrust. Peace cannot be imposed through force, it must be built through equity, dialogue, and respect for human dignity. IPOB’s agitation is not the disease, it is the symptom. The real illness is decades of marginalization, disdain, and exclusion.
To proscribe a voice crying out against injustice, while emboldening groups with blood on their hands, is a disservice to peace, unity, and democracy. Now is the time to reverse course and engage IPOB, not as enemies of the state, but as fellow citizens seeking justice.
By Hon. Chima Nnadi-Oforgu
Duruebube Uzii na Abosi
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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