The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has expressed strong opposition to what it calls a “demonic” Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp project in Imo State, vowing to stop the initiative. The group accused the Nigerian government, in collaboration with Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, of using the IDP camps as a cover for a land-grab scheme aimed at dispossessing the Igbo people of their ancestral lands.
IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, in a statement on October 1, 2024, emphasized that the IDP camps, reportedly located in Nzu, Amafor, and Agbala communities, were part of a broader agenda to bring in displaced persons from Northern Nigeria, potentially infiltrating the region with terrorists and bandits under the guise of humanitarian assistance. The group believes the Federal Government’s real intention is to alter the demographic structure of the Southeast and urged the people to resist the establishment of these camps.
Pointing to past projects like RUGA, which were resisted in the Southeast, IPOB claimed that similar land-grab attempts have resurfaced under different names, threatening the sovereignty and security of Biafra land. The group further questioned why the government has not prioritized skills acquisition programs for unemployed youths in the region but is eager to establish IDP camps instead.
This controversy arises as the Federal Government continues its efforts to manage displaced persons across Nigeria, amid growing tensions in the Southeast. IPOB’s latest stance signals further unrest, with the group determined to prevent what it sees as an encroachment on Igbo heritage.
