Aloy Ejimakor, legal adviser to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has taken a swipe at the Federal Government over reports linking United States airstrikes in parts of Sokoto State to intelligence allegedly supplied by a trader in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Reacting to an investigative report by The New York Times, Ejimakor described the narrative as damaging to Nigeria’s credibility, insisting that the government had publicly contradicted itself on the source of the intelligence that preceded the military action.
According to the report, the intelligence that informed the US operation was traced to an Onitsha-based screwdriver seller, identified as Emeka, who also reportedly runs a small non-governmental organisation. The individual was said to have relied on unverified online searches to claim documentation of about 125,000 Christian deaths, figures which were later questioned.
Ejimakor argued that the development sharply conflicts with earlier official positions. He recalled that Nigerian authorities had initially taken responsibility for providing the intelligence that led to the airstrikes, only for that stance to change following international scrutiny.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the IPOB lawyer faulted the apparent reversal, suggesting it exposed the country to ridicule on the global stage. He queried why a government that once claimed ownership of the intelligence would now be associated with attributing such a sensitive security operation to an individual trader.
The controversy has reignited debate around intelligence gathering, inter-agency coordination and the handling of sensitive security information, particularly in a region grappling with persistent security challenges.
