IPOB denies involvement of group, ESN operatives in assault on, killing of police officers in Enugu, accuses Enugu State Police Command of ‘fabrication’
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied the involvement of its operatives or those of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), in the Thursday, January 15 assault on and killing of two police officers in Enugu, the Enugu State capital.
Two police officers were killed on Thursday, January 15 night after gunmen attacked a Police Distress Response Squad (DRS) patrol team along Agbani Road in the Enugu metropolis.
According to the Enugu State Police Command, in statement issued by its spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the officers sustained severe gunshot injuries during a gun-battle with the assailants, and were rushed to a hospital for emergency medical attention where they were later pronounced dead by medical personnel.
The attack was said to have occurred on the night of January 15, 2026, when the gunmen reportedly opened fire on the patrol team “without provocation”, prompting the police operatives to return fire and forcing the attackers to flee with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.
In a statement issued on Sunday – earlier today, January 18, 2026 – by the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, the pro-Biafra group said it “categorically rejects the misinformation and fabricated propaganda spread by the Nigerian government and its compromised Police in Enugu State, claiming that IPOB and ESN operatives assaulted and killed two Nigerian Police Officers on January 15, 2026.”
Insisting that “IPOB and ESN operatives do not target Nigeria Security Forces, although the compromised and corrupt Nigerian Security Forces have upheld their deceit and slander against the peaceful movement for over a decade,” the Nnamdi Kanu-led self-determination organisation pointed out that “since its inception, IPOB has upheld a peaceful strategy while safeguarding Biafra land from state-backed jihadists and terrorists.”
“ESN was established to combat the deadly Fulani terrorists that were devastating Biafra territory before ESN’s creation. The Nigerian government is distressed as the ESN, created and financed by the IPOB worldwide movement, has hindered their jihad plans in the Biafran territory. This frustration is evidenced by orchestrated blackmails targeting IPOB and ESN for years, which have consistently been ineffective. Consequently, the Enugu State Police ought to prioritize safeguarding citizens rather than attributing their shortcomings in protecting lives—including those of their inadequately trained officers—to IPOB and ESN.”
The group accused the Nigerian government “and its lethal security forces” of “executing numerous false-flag operations to make scapegoats of certain officers in order to intimidate IPOB and ESN,” warning officers “routinely used to do government’s dirty job against peaceful self-determination agitators like IPOB” that “working for the Nigerian government can dangerous, as you could be used as a pawn in terrorism schemes, political blackmail, or to serve political agenda.”
“The Nigerian Security Forces contribute to 80% of the insecurity in the South East and Nigeria overall,” IPOB charged. “The majority of the unsolved murders, arson incidents, and damage attributed to the unidentified murderers; arson and damages attributed to unidentified gunmen were most likely executed by the Nigerian State using its security forces personnel, or the criminals they supported. Picture this: the so-called unknown gunmen in the South East have vanished completely without a sign!”
IPOB contended: “At the same time, the South East is extensively militarized and monitored, yet the unidentified gunmen remain unexposed. Who is tricking whom? In a bid to blackmail IPOB and seek terrorism proof against IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Nigerian government fabricated and equipped false Biafra agitators. They utilized those criminal organizations partnering with the Nigerian Army and Police to inflict significant devastation on the South East.
“Following their use in searching for proof regarding the false terrorism allegations against our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, they dismantled the fabricated armed factions. Nonetheless, IPOB remains strong due to their authenticity and peaceful nature in our self-determination initiative. IPOB and ESN operatives were not established to harm innocent people or government institutions, but criminals associated with the Nigerian government’s attempts to use the name of ESN for their violent covert activities. The reality is that ESN stayed dedicated to safeguarding the lives of people and assets in Biafra region.
“We urge the Nigerian security forces, particularly the Nigerian Police, DSS and other security agencies, to publicly present conclusive evidence that IPOB and ESN were accountable for the killings of the two Police officers in Enugu State or anything happening anywhere in Biafraland, rather than relying on their typical media statements. The Nigerian Police is an extraordinarily corrupt and infamous organization. The Nigerian populace views the Nigerian Police as the primary adversary of the citizens. The Nigerian Police are fortunate that gun-ownership is illegal in Nigeria; otherwise, many infamous officers known for harassing, intimidating, and framing individuals would have faced backlash from the outraged public
“IPOB has repeatedly urged an independent inquiry into the insecurity in the South East; if the Nigerian Government is not complicit in this insecurity, they should back IPOB’s call. IPOB and ESN are not guilty of any of the allegations. We have no secrets to conceal; therefore, we wholeheartedly back the international community and President Donald Trump’s inquiry and action regarding the genocide against Christians and the insecurity faced by Indigenous Peoples in Nigeria.”
“The Nigerian government is complicit in the insecurity in Nigeria; this is why they lobbied US lawmakers to minimize the ongoing Christian Genocide and persistent insecurity in the country,” IPOB insisted.
