Human rights lawyer, Barrister Christopher Chidera, has condemned a recent article accusing Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), of using propaganda to win over people in the South East.
The legal practitioner faulted the opinion piece titled “How Nnamdi Kanu Sought to Please South-Easterners with Hilarious Propaganda”, published by Marvel Chukwudi Pephel in an online newspaper on July 16, 2025.
Pephel, in his article, criticized the IPOB leader for promoting a conspiracy theory that late former President Muhammadu Buhari had died while he was still alive and replaced by a Sudanese clone named Jubrin.
He described the idea as absurd propaganda that manipulated the emotions of south-easterners frustrated with Nigeria’s failures. While he acknowledged the desire for secession, he warned against spreading fiction as truth.
Responding, Chidera described the piece as a “malicious falsehood” and an “example of cowardly journalism wrapped in ignorance and deceit.”
According to the lawyer, the publication was not only misleading but designed to damage Kanu’s credibility and alienate him from the people he represents.
“It’s a deliberate attempt to demystify him and paint him as a conspiracy theorist,” Chidera said.
He argued that the article reflects fear, especially among foreign interests, about Kanu’s growing influence and his ability to awaken political consciousness among the Igbo people.
“This smear job reeks of British-sponsored panic. Kanu’s ideas challenge the carefully maintained deception of the Nigerian state,” he said.
“He has been abducted, tortured, and renditioned, yet he remains unbroken. He has sacrificed more for the cause of freedom than all these anonymous critics combined,” he added
The lawyer also questioned the credibility of the government’s response to Kanu’s statements. He wondered why the most controversial of his claims, such as the allegation that former President Muhammadu Buhari died in 2017 and was replaced by an impostor, was never included in the charges against him.
He said, “If the claim was mere propaganda, why didn’t the government charge him with it? Why did the then Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, settle for accusing him of insulting Buhari, but ignore the more sensational allegations?”
“To the Efulefu Igbos who cheer this kind of garbage, understand that your cowardice is why our land is militarized, our youth massacred, and our rights denied. Kanu is not your enemy. Your silence is,” he added.
He further dismissed the article’s author as a fraud hiding behind a fake identity.
“The name ‘Pephel’ is not rooted in Igbo culture. It’s either a foreigner pretending to speak for Igbos or one of those tragic Efulefu who have sold their heritage for crumbs. Either way, the piece is a failure.”
“Our real problem isn’t colonialism—it’s mental laziness. We conform, we fear, but we do not question. Until we begin to reason critically and demand truth backed by evidence, we will continue to be lied to, looted, and led in circles,” he added.
