The remarks, attributed to Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Public Communication and Orientation, Chief Sunday Dare, sought to differentiate the cases of the two figures, describing Kanu's activities as involving insurrection and armed confrontation, while portraying Igboho's as defensive and peaceful activism.
In a statement released on February 18, 2026, IPOB's Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, described the comparison as "misleading," "ethnically biased," and reflective of deeper inconsistencies in Nigeria's judicial and political handling of self-determination struggles.
IPOB emphasized that any attempt to equate or contrast the two leaders in a manner that justifies the prolonged detention and terrorism conviction of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is intellectually flawed and driven by selective application of justice. The group highlighted that Kanu's prosecution and conviction stem from politically motivated charges, aimed at suppressing the legitimate Biafran restoration movement.
"We agree with the Tinubu aide on one point only: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho are NOT in the same league," the statement read in part. "One is a towering liberator fighting for the restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra; the other is an ordinary self-determination agitator whose activities never posed any existential threat to the Nigerian state."
IPOB further pointed to the role of its Eastern Security Network (ESN) in protecting South-East communities from external threats, contrasting this with ongoing security challenges in other regions, including the South-West. The group rejected characterizations of Kanu's movement as terroristic, insisting that IPOB remains a non-violent freedom-fighting organization committed to self-determination through peaceful means, despite provocations and state aggression.
The organization reiterated its call for the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing his continued incarceration as a grave injustice that fuels regional tensions and undermines national stability.
IPOB urged Nigerians and the international community to recognize the ethnic double standards in how self-determination advocates are treated, depending on their region of origin.
IPOB remains steadfast in its commitment to the restoration of Biafra and calls on all well-meaning individuals to support the release of its leader and the recognition of the Biafran people's inalienable right to self-determination.