Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has marked the eighth anniversary of his parents’ passing with fresh allegations against the Nigerian government and military.
In a statement issued through his legal team following a routine visit to his detention facility, Kanu recalled the September 14, 2017, military invasion of his family home in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Abia State. He attributed his parents’ deaths to the trauma they suffered from the attack, which he claimed was an assassination attempt on him.
“Eight years ago today, I lost my precious parents, Their Royal Majesties, Eze Sir Israel Okwu Kanu (JP) and Lolo Ugoeze Sally Nmeme Okwu Kanu,” Kanu stated. “They sustained injurious trauma from which they never recovered, while 28 other innocent souls were killed because the Nigerian Army, without provocation, launched a deadly assault at our royal home with the sole intention of killing me.”
The IPOB leader accused the federal government of labeling his group a terrorist organization to cover up the attack. He also condemned individuals within the Nigerian security apparatus and certain figures in Igboland, whom he alleged were complicit in what he described as a “cold-blooded massacre.”
“The Abuja-based murderers and their accomplices in Igboland that ordered this heinous cold-blooded massacre of these innocent souls are still peddling their lies against my legitimate right to freely agitate for Biafra as recognized by the laws of Nigeria,” he declared.
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The 2017 military operation, known as Operation Python Dance II, led to heightened tensions in the Southeast and ultimately forced Kanu into exile. He was later re-arrested in 2021 under controversial circumstances and has remained in detention, facing treason-related charges.
His latest statement comes amid ongoing legal battles over his detention, with domestic and international human rights groups advocating for his release.
As reactions continue to trail his remarks, the Nigerian government has yet to respond to the latest accusations. However, security agencies have consistently maintained that the 2017 operation was aimed at quelling IPOB’s activities, which they viewed as a threat to national unity.
Kanu’s message serves as a stark reminder of the lingering tensions between the federal government and pro-Biafra agitators, even as calls for dialogue and a political resolution to the crisis persist.
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