Breaking: Lolo Chimezie Raises Alarm Over State Complicity in South-East Crisis

“No right-thinking Igbo person, in good conscience, can campaign for a second tenure of a government that has kept Nigerians in such a deplorable condition. Anyone doing so raises serious questions about motive, because it is difficult to understand how any rational and self-respecting individual would openly endorse an administration widely criticized for hardship and suffering. This sentiment is even stronger among those who believe that the government’s actions have disproportionately harmed the Igbo people,” she stated.

The War Of Narrative Against IPOB

An aspect of her statement focuses on the Indigenous People of Biafra, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and the controversy surrounding their peaceful drive for self-determination.

Lolo Chimezie maintains that IPOB, under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, did not at any time pursue armed confrontation, despite all efforts to force them to, including dehumanizing ordinary members of the public by soldiers.

She confirmed that after heavy military deployment in late 2021 and early 2022 failed to produce evidence of an organized armed insurgency, a parallel faction was fostered by the government to create that narrative.

She specifically named the Finland convicted terrorist Simon Ekpa, describing him as never at any point being a registered member of IPOB and asserting that he never represented Kanu.

According to her, confusion around Ekpa’s platform and public endorsements by Aloy Ejimakor, one of Kanu’s lawyers contributed to the wrong perception that he spoke on behalf of the illegally detained IPOB leader.

“They are trying to project the narrative that there are Highly armed militia groups in Igboland fighting for self-determination. That was why in late 2021 to early 2022, the army came into Igboland in droves, blocked the roads, began harassing our people.”

She added that “when they realized that IPOB was not interested in carrying arms, they decided to create their own IPOB that will carry arms, and these people began to call themselves autopilot led by Simon Ekpa. It is them that gave Nigerian government leverage.”

“The U.S. government is not investigating the killings in Igboland as part of the ongoing Christian genocide investigation because of the criminality of Simon Ekpa. The burning down of Eke Ututu market by the Nigerian army is a genocidal action. Such attacks are openly carried in various parts of Igboland,” which is about 93% Christian, with the remaining 7% accounting for Traditionalists and others.

“The Nigerian government needed to create an evidence that there is a militia group operating in Igboland to cover their atrocities, and they used Simon Ekpa.”

“Some people are still unaware that Ekpa was never a registered member of IPOB, and the platform he was using to communicate was not Radio Biafra, but because Aloy Ejimakor, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s personal lawyer acknowledged him, many thought Ekpa was representing Kanu.”

Lolo Chimezie reiterated that she personally visited Kanu and was informed by him that the convicted terrorist Ekpa did not represent him at any time. This narrative was supported by Kanu’s public statements, including his letter to Ekpa to desist from terrorising Biafrans, and to desist from using his name and the name of IPOB in his criminal activities.

Criminal Networks In South-East

“They have began stage two in their genocidal agenda.”

Lolo Chimezie, intensified her criticism of the Federal Government, exposing that criminal elements operating in parts of the South-East are being manipulated to reinforce a narrative of armed insurgency in the region.

She questioned official accounts surrounding the arrest of a criminal figure popularly known as “Gentle the Yahoo,” who had previously been described by authorities as a criminal actor in the region.

According to her, a national broadcast in December announced that security forces had apprehended Gentle and killed his alleged associate, “Angel Makeup.”

“It was in December that the government informed us on a National broadcast that they had caught Gentle The Yahoo,” a well known criminal. During the broadcast the army said they had killed Angel Makeup, Gentle’s assistant. Suddenly, Gentle the Yahoo and his assistant has reappeared and is speaking on Social media without any explanation by the army, raising troubling questions about the credibility of official statements.”

“What the Nigerian government want to use these criminals they had arrested to do is to allow them speak and commit more crimes so as to give them evidence that there is a terrorist group in Igboland,” she reiterated naming Gentle the Yahoo, Ngozi Orabueze, and Simon Ekpa as part of the group the government “created and funded, so as to help sell the narrative that their is an armed group in Igboland.”

Recall that Gentle the Yahoo had before his arrest by the Nigerian army exposed his relationship with the Nigerian government. He had confessed that the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, had contracted him to kill his political opponents, insisting that the governor later tried to dispose of him.

In her statement, Lolo Chimezie also referenced criminal figures such as the militant leader Asari Dokubo, stating that individuals like him, aligned with government interests of violence in South-East were later abandoned and some are killed by the same government as soon as investigations from serious organisations intensify. 

“The government’s mode of operation is to kill anyone whom they have finished using to perpetrate their attrocities in Igboland, an example is Asari Dokubo who was used by the government to kill many people in Igboland, but when we began to investigate and expose the killings in our land, they found out that we would be able to narrow down the investigation to Asari Dokubo, so they decided to eliminate him.

According to her this “prompted Dokubo to run to Channels Television where he was granted an interview, as a strategy to save himself from being killed. It was there on this TV station that Dokubo exposed that the Nigerian government had contracted him, and had given him EbubeAgu militia as an outfit to use for his vicious killings in Igboland.”

She publicly criticized Joe Igbokwe, a man who is prominently described as a “saboteur” of the Igbo people. She accused him of amplifying federal narratives that portray the ESN as responsible for the insecurity in the region. Such cases suggest the deliberate manipulation of criminal actors to project the existence of a terrorist structure in the South-East.

These allegations have intensified in the region, IPOB has in the past called for independent investigation into the criminality in the region. However, the Nigerian government have worked to discourage any independent investigation by any international body.

Orsu and Local Vigilante Calls

Lolo Chimezie placed particular emphasis on Orsu Local Government Area in Imo State, stating that armed criminal groups operate openly in forested areas while security forces remain present in nearby communities, sometimes using these criminals as an excuse to kill innocent civilians and destroy their properties.

She questioned why violent incidents often occur in areas heavily monitored by security agencies and government-backed militia outfits such as Ebubeagu. She urged communities in Orlu, Ideato and Orsu to strengthen local vigilante structures and actively safeguard their territories while urging those believing the criminals to have a rethink.

“This warning is to the few gullible ones who are believe their lies that they have setup an army that will fight against government sponsored terrorism, their is no army anywhere. These criminals are now shooting sporadically in different communities, putting people on the run.”

She also called on the Nigerian military to vacate South-east, maintaining that the army contributes immensely to the insecurity in the region.

“Their is war levied against us in Igboland. Any reasonable person should advice the Nigerian army to leave Igboland. They have been in our land for over 4 years without bringing any positive contribution against insecurity.”

She acknowledged that “the only positive impact on insecurity is as a result of different communities that raised their local vigilant groups to safeguard their communities,” pleading with more communities to empower their vigilantes.

“The entire Orsu local government in Imo state should wake up, so that the bushes of Orsuihiteokwa will be combed to find out where the criminals are. How big is orsu that we all cannot safeguard it from the criminals. As I am speaking, they have completely captured Orsuihitteokwa with the knowledge and consent of the leaders of that community.”

Lolo Chimezie challenged the Orlu-Zurume group to clarify its position and take decisive action against rising insecurity. Questioning the organization’s role, insisting that if it had no involvement in the violence, it must prove its innocence by mobilizing the people.

Her call for community mobilization highlights growing frustration among citizens who are caught between criminal violence of heavily armed actors sponsored by the state.

Media and Narrative Control

“This is a psychological war, it is important that we expose them for the world to hear and realise that truly there is on-genocide here in Igboland, one or two people have joined them to be used and are highly armed.”

In her message, she criticized sections of the Nigerian media, accusing them of attributing violent incidents to IPOB’s Eastern Security Network without conducting any form of investigations.

“The worst is the behaviour of the Nigerian Press, blaming ESN right from their homes, without conducting any investigation whatsoever.”

“This is how they bombed Eke Ubahaeze market and blamed IPOB for it, while Ebubeagu militia and the army are stationed at this market, extorting and abusing our people. Now, what were the soldiers and Ebubeagu militia stationed there were doing for over 4 years?”

“Why is it that the so-called unknown gunmen operate only where the soldiers and Ebubeagu militia are stationed?” she inquired. “They are doing all of these thing to put us in fear.”

She compared ESN to regional security outfits such as the Oduduwa Peoples Congress (OPC) and Amotekun in the South-West, arguing that regional self-defense structures in South-West, the Nigerian president’s region are not automatically be criminalized, however, the same cannot be said of the South-East.

“We cannot deny what we are supposed to protect, because of fear. Yorubas have a lot of touts, in addition to OPC and Amotekun, if there is war, they will have those who will fight for them, if there is war who will fight for you Igbos?”

“No community has ever said ESN attacked them, neither have anyone seen ESN committing any criminality, yet we have allowed the Nigerian government together with their paid agents and media to keep spreading a very dangerous propaganda.”

Fundraising Controversy

Lolo Chimezie also addressed controversy surrounding diaspora-based groups that claims to be advocating for Nnamdi Kanu’s release, stating that organizations such as AVID and Rising Sun were not authorized by IPOB leadership to raise funds on its behalf.

She denied claims that she opposed fundraising for Nnamdi Kanu’s welfare, clarifying that her objection was to unauthorized representation.

“Nnamdi Kanu has been dumped, no one is discussing about him anymore, rather they have busied themselves with dragging the DOS, the leadership of IPOB,” she submitted.

“I have said it countless times that the groupd AVID and Rising Sun are not supposed to be raising funds on behalf of IPOB, because IPOB did not tell them they lack funds to take care of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. They turned around to spread the misinformation that I said no one should raise funds for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. If they want to raise fund they can do so on their own.”

A Call for Vigilance and Unity

Throughout her statement, Lolo Chimezie identified part of the current situation as a psychological warfare aimed at instilling fear and fracturing unity in Igboland.

Her message calls for vigilance, internal accountability and grassroots organization. She maintains that exposing criminal collaborators and confronting misinformation are necessary steps to counter what she describes as an existential threat to the region.

Nigeria’s South-East, a Christian region, has faced insecurity in recent years, marked by attacks on security roadblocks and enforcement of sit-at-home orders by the convicted terrorist Simon Ekpa and his group including Gentle the Yahoo, Angel Makeup, etc.

The criminality has given rise to civilian casualties and served as an excuse for military operations. However, the Federal Government has repeatedly denied allegations of Christian genocide or state-sponsored destabilization, claiming that its operations are aimed at restoring law and order.

Lolo Chimezie’s statement reflects the deep mistrust that exists between Nigerians and the government. While her allegations are serious and require independent international verification, the government is clear that no independent international investigation is allowed into the region.

As tensions persist, the challenge remains how to separate criminal violence from state violence, how to ensure accountability on all sides, and how to rebuild trust in a region long shaped by historical trauma. Historically, from 1966 to 1970, the region suffered huge genocide at the hands of the the state to the proportion of over 7 million lives killed.

Her voice joins a growing chorus demanding transparency, justice and clarity in a crisis that continues to shape the political future of Nigeria’s South-East.

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