IPOB Labels Gowon a War Criminal, Alleges Mass Atrocities During Biafran War
ABUJA, NIGERIA – The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a searing condemnation of former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), branding him a “war criminal” and accusing him of overseeing the starvation and slaughter of millions during the Nigerian Civil War.
In a strongly worded statement released by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group slammed recent comments by Gowon in which he reflected on his role during the war, accusing him of attempting to rewrite history and whitewash what they call “one of Africa’s worst genocidal atrocities.”
“Let us be clear: Gowon is a war criminal. He presided over the starvation and murder of over five million Biafran civilians, mostly children, as a deliberate weapon of war,” the statement read.
War Memories, Unhealed Wounds
Gowon, who served as Nigeria’s military ruler from 1966 to 1975, led the federal war effort during the 30-month civil conflict (1967–1970), sparked by the secession of the southeastern region under the banner of the Republic of Biafra. The conflict, driven by ethnic tensions, political instability, and deep-seated marginalisation of the Igbo people, left lasting scars on Nigeria’s history.
While Gowon has consistently defended the war as a necessary step to preserve national unity, IPOB and other critics argue that the conduct of the federal forces, including the use of blockades that led to mass starvation, amounts to war crimes.
IPOB accused Gowon’s administration of rejecting peace opportunities such as the 1967 Aburi Accord and deliberately targeting civilians. “Hospitals, schools, and refugee camps were bombed. Relief supplies were blocked. Children died in their thousands every day,” IPOB stated.
The group also lambasted what it called Gowon’s “moral posturing” through his interfaith initiative, Nigeria Prays, calling it an attempt to launder his image without accountability.
Calls for Historical Reckoning
While Nigeria has long moved on with a narrative of “No Victor, No Vanquished,” IPOB says the pain and injustice of the war have never been properly addressed. The group drew parallels between the past and Nigeria’s present state of insecurity, calling it “a karmic backlash” for the atrocities of the past.
“The same forces he unleashed on Biafra are now ravaging the Middle Belt and northern Nigeria,” IPOB said. “Gowon is now a refugee in Abuja, a ghost in a country he helped destroy.”
The statement also accused the British government of shielding Gowon from international accountability, citing the West’s economic interest in Nigeria’s oil reserves as a major factor.
“Unlike Hitler, who faced the Nuremberg Trials, Gowon was spared not because he was innocent, but because he was protected,” IPOB claimed.
From Memory to Movement
Founded in 2012, IPOB has emerged as one of the loudest voices advocating for the restoration of an independent Biafran state. Though the Nigerian government has proscribed the organisation as a terrorist group a designation IPOB rejects it continues to gain sympathy across the Southeast for its push for justice, historical truth, and self-determination.
“We are not driven by revenge,” IPOB concluded, “but by the pursuit of justice. Biafra is not dead it lives in our minds, in our bones, and in our collective memory.”
A Divisive Legacy
General Yakubu Gowon remains a deeply polarising figure. Celebrated by some for keeping Nigeria united during its darkest hours, he is condemned by others who see his wartime decisions as unforgivable.
As the country prepares to mark over six decades of independence, the wounds of its civil war remain unhealed. And as IPOB’s latest statement shows, the battle over how history is remembered and who gets to tell it is far from over.
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IPOB Labels Gowon a War Criminal, Alleges Mass Atrocities During Biafran War