IPOB Denies Military Claims of Arresting ESN "Explosives Experts" in Abia State

IPOB Denies Military Claims of Arresting ESN "Explosives Experts" in Abia State The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongl...

IPOB Denies Military Claims of Arresting ESN "Explosives Experts" in Abia State

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly rejected reports circulating in Nigerian media that troops of the Nigerian Army and Department of State Services (DSS) arrested suspected IPOB/Eastern Security Network (ESN) explosives experts in Umuene community, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.

In a public briefing released on July 13, 2026, by the IPOB Directorate of States (DOS), headed by Mazi Chikadibia Edoziem, the group described the reports as “false, misleading, and [to] be disregarded in its entirety.”

The statement, signed by DOS Press Secretary Dr. C. Okadigbo, asserted that no IPOB or ESN members or personnel were arrested in the community in connection with the manufacturing of explosives, arms, or ammunition.

The IPOB briefing outlined several points:

1. No Arrests Linked to IPOB/ESN: “No IPOB/ESN member or personnel was arrested in the said community… in connection with manufacturing of any kind of explosives or arms and ammunition.”

2. Recycled Evidence Claims: IPOB maintained that images and videos often shared with such reports are “recycled from unrelated incidents in different locations and occasions.” It described the modus operandi of the ESN as remaining “an unsolvable puzzle” to Nigerian security agencies.

3. Pattern of Propaganda: The group claimed this fits a recurring tactic used to justify heavy military presence and operations in Biafraland, which it says leads to the criminalization of communities and the arrest or disappearance of innocent Igbo youths.

IPOB reiterated that the Eastern Security Network was established as a community defense force in response to attacks on farmlands and villages, particularly by Fulani herdsmen. It accused the Nigerian government of deflecting attention from “the actual perpetrators of violence” in the region while attributing criminal activities to the “non-violent IPOB and the Eastern Security Network.”

IPOB challenged the Nigerian military to provide “verifiable facts” regarding any arrests and to allow independent media, human rights organizations, and civil society groups unrestricted access to investigate claims without bias.

“Our people in Abia State and the entire Biafraland deserve the truth, due process and genuine security not propaganda,” the statement concluded.

The denial follows reports from security sources on July 12 claiming a joint Army-DSS operation in Umuene community resulted in the arrest of a suspected explosives-making specialist linked to IPOB/ESN, with mobile phones reportedly recovered.

This is not the first time IPOB has dismissed similar security operations as fabricated or propagandistic. The group has repeatedly denied involvement in violence while positioning ESN as a defensive network.

As of the time of this report, the Nigerian military has not issued a detailed public response to IPOB’s latest denial. The situation in parts of the Southeast remains tense amid ongoing security concerns as Biafra agitations continue to dominate discussion. 

Family Writers Press International.