PRESS STATEMENT
20 MAY 2025

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the supreme leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has once again observed with contemptuous amusement the well-worn strategy of the Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS) and their collaborators in gutter journalism, who, on the eve of every crucial court appearance by our leader, spring into action to flood the media space with toxic lies, manufactured arrests, Simon Ekpa trial and phantom “IPOB camps.”

Ahead of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s court hearing on 21 May 2025, the Nigerian media ecosystem—led by government-aligned outlets like the BBC and certain Lagos and Abuja tabloids—has predictably returned to its old playbook:

Recycling long-dead stories about Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based self confessed content creator with no organic link to IPOB,
Resurrecting discredited security reports to deflect attention from the fact that DSS has no case and no credible witness, and
Trying to create the false impression of factionalism in IPOB to mislead the public and discredit our legal fight for justice.
Let it be stated clearly for the umpteenth time:
IPOB has no faction and no rival leadership. The only recognised leader of IPOB is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whose unparalleled courage, sacrifice, and legitimacy are unmatched. Simon Ekpa, a YouTube activist whose courtroom cowardice in Finland betrays his lack of commitment, is neither a leader of IPOB nor affiliated with our internal command structure.

The desperate attempt by DSS and their compromised media allies to forge a link between IPOB’s internal matters and Simon Ekpa’s self-serving theatrics will fail—just like every other psychological operation they have attempted since 2015.

While they parade paid editorial mercenaries masquerading as journalists, IPOB remains focused on the legal battle for the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whose extraordinary rendition remains a stain on Nigeria’s international image and legal system.

As 21 May approaches, we alert the global community and the diplomatic corps to expect a flurry of fake news and planted reports meant to muddy the waters. The Nigerian state is aware that its so-called witness will be exposed under cross-examination, and as usual, they are seeking a media smokescreen to deflect public attention.

To the DSS and your media hirelings: we are not distracted. You cannot bury the truth with lies. You cannot break IPOB with propaganda. And you will never succeed in rewriting history.

COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL MEDIA AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB.