IPoB alleges secret transfer of 68 detainees

By Steve Oko UMUAHIA—The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, has alleged that 68 detained Biafrans were secretly transferred from Wawa Barracks to correctional facilities in Kuje, Keffi and Suleja, accusing the Federal Government of using the justice system to prolong the detention of its members. The group also alleged that the Court of Appeal had yet to list an appeal challenging the conviction of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, despite the compilation and transmission of the record of appeal. IPOB made the allegations in its weekly address issued on Sunday by the Head of its Directorate of State, DOS, Mazi Chris Nwaogu. Nwaogu said the group’s legal team had identified the 68 detainees and was working to secure their release. He urged supporters to sustain legal efforts on behalf of those in custody. He further alleged that a separate fundamental rights suit concerning Kanu’s detention had suffered a setback after the presiding judge reportedly announced that the court file was missing. According to him, the suit concerns Kanu’s detention for 14 months following his discharge by the Court of Appeal on October 13, 2022. The IPOB spokesman also challenged the legal basis of Kanu’s conviction by Justice Omotosho on November 20, 2025, alleging that the judgment relied on a repealed law. He cited Section 36(12) of the Constitution, which provides that a person cannot be convicted of a criminal offence unless the offence and its penalty are prescribed in written law. Meanwhile, IPO

Reporting from Vanguard news wire services. Full analysis by The Abuja Times editorial desk.