The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly refuted a report published by The Punch newspaper on Thursday, September 4, 2025, which claimed that police operatives, in collaboration with other security forces, dismantled an “ESN/IPOB camp” in Aguluezechukwu, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB described the report as “malicious falsehood” and “fabricated propaganda” aimed at discrediting the group. The organization accused The Punch of acting as a mouthpiece of the Nigerian government by publishing unverified claims without conducting independent investigations or seeking clarification from IPOB or residents of the affected community.

“If the Nigerian Police or their partners in the media have any credible evidence, they should tender it in a competent court of law,” IPOB said. “Instead, Punch has chosen to insult the intelligence of Nigerians and the global community with this disgraceful hatchet job.”

The group criticized the newspaper for allegedly abandoning investigative journalism and recycling government handouts. According to IPOB, it is ready to sponsor investigative teams from Punch, Daily Trust, The Nation, and Premium Times to travel to the Southeast and verify the realities on the ground, if truly interested in factual reporting.

Describing the publication as “reckless propaganda,” IPOB said such reports contribute to ethnic profiling and the demonization of the Biafra cause. The group stressed that no amount of misinformation could derail its struggle for justice and self-determination.

“The shameful report by Punch Newspapers is not journalism. It is ethnic propaganda, it is dangerous, and it exposes Punch as complicit in the wider agenda of demonizing Biafra and IPOB,” the statement continued.

IPOB maintained that it remains committed to its ideals, insisting that its cause is rooted in justice and fairness, regardless of attempts to discredit it through what it called “lazy journalism.”