Home Back

How Bandits Are Hiding Behind Biafra Agitation to Cause Chaos in Southeast Nigeria

opera.com 2025/2/9

According to vanguard, A recent report by experts from Nextier SPD has revealed that the majority of kidnapping incidents in Southeast Nigeria are carried out by bandits disguising their activities as part of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its military arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). The research highlights that these criminals exploit the ongoing secessionist agitation to engage in profitable criminal enterprises, including kidnapping and extortion.


“Most kidnapping incidents in the South East are carried out by bandits who cover the entire range of violent crimes, extort money from innocent citizens, and have no commitment whatsoever to secession. To sum it all up, it’s about profit from lucrative criminality,” stated the report authored by Dr. Ben Nwosu and Dr. Ndu Nwokolo.


While acknowledging the presence of legitimate secessionist agitators, the report emphasized that many violent crimes attributed to IPOB and ESN are actually perpetrated by criminal groups. These groups take advantage of the heightened tensions and lack of effective security measures in the region.


The report also documented incidents of violence, including attacks on security personnel, kidnappings, and the destruction of property, often under the guise of Biafran struggles. For example, on January 9, 2025, Fulani herders reportedly kidnapped three soldiers and over 30 passengers on the Enugu–Nsukka road.


The experts highlighted a history of criminality in the region, pointing to notorious figures like Derico Nwa Mama and Obioma Nwankwo (alias Osisikankwu), whose activities terrorized Southeast communities before being suppressed. This legacy of organized crime, they argue, has now merged with the narrative of secessionism to operate with impunity.


Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State was quoted in the report, saying, “Hoodlums behind the attacks in the South East are criminals who have hijacked the Biafra struggle and are hiding under the agitation to undertake lucrative criminality.”


The Nextier SPD report urged the Nigerian government to reclassify the security challenges in the Southeast, distinguishing between secessionism and banditry. It called for intelligence-driven operations, community engagement, and better equipping security forces to combat these issues.


By clarifying the true nature of the region’s insecurity, the report argued, authorities could better address the root causes of violence and restore peace to the Southeast.

People are also reading