The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly responded to remarks made by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Public Communications and Orientation, in which he drew comparisons between the legal ordeals of detained IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Yoruba nation activist Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho).
In a statement released on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and signed by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group described Dare’s comments as “ignorant, mischievous and deliberately divisive,” accusing him of attempting to equate two completely different situations for political gain.
IPOB’s : “Sunday Dare’s attempt to compare the unjust, illegal and internationally condemned extraordinary rendition and ongoing detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu with the case of Chief Sunday Igboho is not only factually wrong but also an insult to millions of Biafrans who know the truth.”
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was abducted in Kenya in June 2021 by Nigerian agents in violation of international law, extraordinary rendition, denied access to his lawyers for months, and is still being held despite multiple court rulings granting him bail and ordering his release. This is not the same as Igboho’s case, where he faced trial in Benin Republic, was granted bail, and has since returned home.”
“We reject any attempt to use Igboho’s name to justify or normalise the continued illegal detention of our leader. The two cases are not comparable in law, process or context.”
“Sunday Dare should stop playing cheap politics with serious matters of justice and human rights. If the Tinubu government wants peace in the South-East, the first step is unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and all detained Biafrans.”
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IPOB reiterated its earlier call for Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release, describing his continued detention as “the single biggest obstacle to peace in the South-East.”
Background to Dare’s Comments In a recent interview and social media post, Sunday Dare had said both Kanu and Igboho were arrested for self-determination agitations but noted that Igboho “cooperated with the process” and was released, while Kanu and IPOB have continued to “defy the law.” Dare urged IPOB to follow a similar “peaceful and legal” path.
The comment drew sharp backlash from IPOB supporters, who accused Dare of trivialising Kanu’s extraordinary rendition and ongoing trial on terrorism charges.
Yoruba Nation Groups: Some Igboho supporters distanced themselves from any comparison, insisting their struggle is non-violent and different from IPOB’s approach.
Civil Society: HURIWA and other rights groups called for caution in public commentary on ongoing legal cases involving self-determination leaders.
The renewed verbal exchange has once again highlighted the delicate intersection of self-determination agitations, federal government responses and ethnic tensions in Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of 2027.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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