Nworu Raises Alarm Over Alleged Release of Terror Suspect, Warns of Renewed State-Backed Violence in South East
Citing documented confessions and official military briefings, he accuses authorities of shielding violent actors and recycling insecurity to criminalise IPOB.
Imo, Nigeria – January 22, 2026
A member of the Directorate of States of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Chinasa Nworu, has issued a stark warning of an impending resurgence of government-sponsored terrorism in Nigeria’s South East, following reports that a notorious terror suspect linked to mass violence in Imo State has been released by the government without trial.
Nworu drew attention to widely circulating allegations that a criminal figure Ifeanyi Eze Okorienta, popularly known as “Gentle the Yahoo,” accused of orchestrating killings, kidnappings, and widespread mayhem across the Okigwe and Orsu axis of Imo State between 2022 and 2025, is alive and has reportedly been released, and has been seen moving freely in Okigwe.
The individual was earlier said to have been arrested by the Nigerian Army on terrorism-related allegations as confirmed by the Nigerian army and media reports.
“The story making the rounds that Gentle the Yahoo is alive and openly seen in Okigwe is something Governor Hope Uzodinma and the Nigerian military must answer,” Nworu said, questioning why a man publicly linked to extreme violence would be released without trial or accountability.
He referenced press briefings by the Nigerian Ministry of Defence and multiple media publications that had previously confirmed the arrest of those responsible for the Imo violence, describing their alleged release without prosecution as evidence that “more troubling developments are yet to unfold.”
Before his reported arrest, the suspect had released several videos openly claiming responsibility for attacks in Imo State, asserting that he was acting in the name of Biafra.
In those recordings, he further alleged that he operated under the direction of Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based Nigerian politician who tried to usurp leadership of IPOB following the abduction of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB, by the Nigerian government.
While Ekpa was claiming to lead IPOB despite never being a member of the organization at any point, the Nigerian media was used to prop him up, often referring to him as IPOB leader.
IPOB has repeatedly disowned both individuals, maintaining that criminal gangs were being deliberately branded as pro-Biafra actors to justify state-sponsored crimes they commit and the repression on innocent citizens in the disguise of fighting IPOB.
Although Ekpa has since been convicted in Finland for terrorism-related offences, the foot soldiers he used to unleash violence in Southeast such as Ifeanyi Eze Okorienta, AKA Gentle the Yahoo and others are still walking freely.
In one particularly explosive video, the suspect directly accused Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma of sponsoring him to eliminate political opponents, stating that meetings were facilitated through the governor’s deputy.
These allegations, though as always never independently investigated by Nigerian authorities, raising serious questions about state complicity in the violence that devastated several communities.
Despite these public confessions and accusations, it has been noted that Nigerian authorities continued to attribute the crimes to IPOB, using them as part of the justification for the prolonged illegal detention and unlawful prosecution of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
This persisted despite multiple court rulings in Nigeria and a decision by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found Kanu’s detention unlawful and ordered his release.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has repeatedly called for an independent and internationally supervised investigation into the persistent criminality and violence in Nigeria’s South East, arguing that the region has become a theatre of deliberate misinformation, selective justice, and state-enabled impunity.
In a subsequent social media post, Nworu revisited a warning he issued in 2025, predicting that a “bigger battle” awaited IPOB and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the first quarter of 2026.
He expressed his frustration that while crime and killings in the South East had been significantly reduced in recent years, those who profited from insecurity were regrouping.
Nworu cautioned that the plan is to renew violence and once again blame it on IPOB, but vowed that this time, “the world will know those hiding under the Biafra struggle to commit crimes in Biafraland.”
Beyond Imo State, critics argue that the alleged release of terror suspects fits into a broader national pattern.
The Nigerian government has long been accused of failing to decisively confront terrorism, while deploying overwhelming force against civilians and community defence groups.
Recent outrage followed the swift arrest and death sentence of a man identified as Jackson, who reportedly killed an armed Fulani attacker in self-defence, contrasting sharply with what many describe as the effective immunity enjoyed by terrorist groups.
Former kidnap victims have publicly said they were held near military installations, while villagers across the Middle Belt and South East have repeatedly accused the military units of withdrawing shortly before attacks, or even transport armed groups after operations.
Reports of mass releases of terror suspects, including the widely criticised release of dozens of detainees in Katsina State, have further fueled public suspicion.
Against this backdrop, Nworu’s warning has intensified fears that the alleged release of violent actors is part of a deliberate strategy to destabilise the South East, criminalise self-defence movements, and suppress calls for accountability.
As communities await clarity from the authorities, the central question remains unresolved: why alleged perpetrators of mass violence walk free, while those demanding justice and security continue to face the full weight of the Nigerian state.
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