WARRI — The Nigerian security apparatus has intensified its campaign against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), launching a series of coordinated midnight raids across Warri, two days ago that resulted in the arrest of approximately twenty-five members.
The operation, which caught many of the group’s adherents in their sleep, has sent shockwaves through the region.
Reports indicate a climate of fear has taken hold, with families of the detainees reportedly abandoning their homes and fleeing for safety to avoid being caught in the crosshairs of security operatives.
While twenty-five individuals are currently in custody, security agencies have officially declared three high-ranking members “wanted.” These individuals are described by intelligence sources as “die-hard” loyalists essential to the group’s regional operations:
Ovie Gift Ebrakeme Identified as the Coordinator of the Delta State wing. Authorities allege Gift is a primary sponsor of IPOB activities, with a network spanning Warri, Asaba, Onitsha, and Port Harcourt. Chinedu Sonny is the group’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), responsible for the organization’s communication and outreach while Emma Emeka, characterized as a core operative within the proscribed organization’s local hierarchy.
The crackdown is tied to allegations of treasonable felony. The federal government maintains that the activities of these individuals—specifically their efforts to cede territory from the Federal Republic of Nigeria to form an independent Biafran Republic—constitute a direct threat to national sovereignty.
The current whereabouts of Gift, Sonny, and Emeka remain unknown. Security forces have ramped up surveillance at state borders and known hideouts, while the twenty-five members already apprehended are in detention at Okere Prison in Warri, Delta State,pending formal charges.
