The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called for a thorough investigation into the identities and origins of five suspects arraigned over the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.
The group made the call while reacting to the arrest and arraignment of the suspects by the Department of State Services (DSS), describing the development as support for its long-standing claims about insecurity in the South-East.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, identified the suspects as Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, Mohammed Ali, Aminu Haliru and Ibrahim Jiji. They were allegedly involved in the abduction along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway.
IPOB alleged that criminal elements had infiltrated forests, bushes and major highways across the South-East, warning that the development required a more comprehensive security response from governments in the region.
The group argued that the arrest had challenged what it described as attempts to associate IPOB and its Eastern Security Network (ESN) with criminal activities in the region.
According to the statement, the group believed that without the arrest, the incident could have been blamed on Biafra agitators and ESN members, potentially leading to the wrongful targeting of innocent youths.
IPOB maintained that the ESN was established to protect farmers and defend the region against perceived external security threats. However, the allegations made by the group concerning the suspects’ backgrounds and the wider security situation were not independently established in the statement.
The organisation commended the DSS leadership in Imo State and the prosecution team for handling the case without, according to IPOB, wrongly linking the incident to the group or its security outfit.
It also urged South-East governors to strengthen security arrangements and ensure that investigations establish the suspects’ full identities, origins and alleged connections.
IPOB further linked the incident to the security concerns that informed its leader, Nnamdi Kanu’s, establishment of the Eastern Security Network.
The case has renewed attention on the security challenges facing the South-East, particularly the safety of travellers and young Nigerians moving across the region.
