THE IPOB QUESTION: SEPARATIST AGITATION AND STATE REPRESSION IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper interrogates the Nigerian state’s heavy-handed approach towards the

Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a predominantly nonviolent separatist movement in the

South-East. Despite IPOB’s pacifist tactics, which include rallies and diplomatic advocacy, the

state has deployed disproportionate repression such as arbitrary arrests, military raids, and

extrajudicial killings. Under the guise of counter-terrorism, security operations have ravaged

communities, destroying properties and claiming civilian lives, including perceived IPOB

sympathisers. Analysing secondary data through the lens of national security theory, this study

reveals how the state’s securitised response stems from three factors: The South-East’s economic

significance (particularly its oil reserves), historical anxieties rooted in the Biafra war legacy, and

IPOB’s effective mobilisation of collective grievances. Far from quelling dissent, the state’s

repression has amplified the separatist movement, exposing the folly of militarised solutions to

political discontent. The paper argues that Nigeria’s refusal to engage accommodationist strategies

such as dialogue, constitutional reforms, or fiscal federalism has only entrenched mistrust and

exacerbated grievances. As IPOB’s support grows despite state crackdowns, the study underscores

the urgency of a multifaceted approach in addressing structural inequities, revisiting the 2017

proscription, and prioritising justice for victims of security excesses.