The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a scathing response to recent remarks by former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), branding the retired military leader a “war criminal” and accusing him of presiding over the mass starvation and deaths of civilians during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970).
In a statement released by IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group rejected Gowon’s recent media reflections on the civil war as a “coordinated propaganda campaign” aimed at sanitising his wartime legacy. The group claimed that Gowon’s administration orchestrated a humanitarian catastrophe that resulted in the deaths of millions of Biafran civilians, particularly children, through starvation, aerial bombardments, and systemic blockades.
“Gowon presided over the starvation and murder of more than five million Biafrans as a calculated war strategy,” the statement alleged. “That tragedy places him among the most notorious figures in modern African history.”
Gowon served as Nigeria’s military head of state from 1966 to 1975 and led the federal side during the civil war, which erupted after the Eastern Region—largely populated by the Igbo ethnic group—declared independence under the banner of the Republic of Biafra. The war, which lasted 30 months, was marked by heavy casualties, severe famine, and widespread displacement.
IPOB condemned the former leader’s portrayal of himself as a peace advocate, citing his post-war stance and the federal government’s military tactics. The group argued that actions such as the bombing of civilian facilities, the rejection of peace accords like the 1967 Aburi Accord, and the blockade of humanitarian aid to Biafra were inconsistent with any claim to moral or national reconciliation.
“It is morally offensive that a man whose administration authorised the bombing of hospitals, schools, and refugee shelters now seeks to be remembered as a statesman and peacemaker,” IPOB said.
The group also linked the instability in today’s Middle Belt and northern Nigeria to the unresolved legacies of the war, describing the security crises as a form of “historical retribution.” IPOB asserted that the very forces used against Biafra have “turned their daggers on his own people.”
Further, the group accused the British government of shielding Gowon from international scrutiny to protect its economic interests in Nigeria, particularly oil. It claimed that international relief workers and humanitarian agencies at the time described the Biafran crisis as a “deliberate extermination campaign,” reinforcing IPOB’s argument that the suffering inflicted was intentional.
“Unlike other historical figures who were brought to justice, Gowon was protected—not exonerated—by foreign powers seeking to maintain control over Nigeria’s natural resources,” the statement claimed.
While Gowon is often lauded in official circles for his post-war policy of “No Victor, No Vanquished” and his later work with the interfaith initiative Nigeria Prays, IPOB dismissed such actions as “moral posturing,” stating they do not address the injustices or the trauma experienced by Biafran families.
“We are not driven by vengeance, but by justice and the truth,” IPOB stated. “Biafra is not an idea that can be erased. It lives on in our collective memory and identity.”
Founded in 2012, IPOB is a separatist organisation advocating for the re-establishment of an independent Biafran state. The Nigerian government has designated it as a terrorist organisation, a label the group continues to vehemently reject.
The group concluded by asserting that history would vindicate its stance: “Ojukwu will be remembered as a man who sought to protect his people. Gowon, on the other hand, must reckon with the legacy of a war that decimated millions.”
