The judge ruled that Kanu, who also holds British citizenship, had used his Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group to incite attacks on security officials and civilians.
A native of Ihiala Town, identifying himself as Asoegbwu, has publicly detailed how the actions and influence of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu allegedly destroyed the peace and security of the South East, transforming the region from the nation’s safest to a hotbed of violence.
In an impassioned post shared on his Facebook handle, Asoegbwu described five years of witnessing kidnappings and terrorism affecting cousins, friends, and relatives in his community.
While he has not personally lost a known family member, he grieves for the countless others who have lost loved ones to the “carnage Nnamdi Kanu unleashed on Igbo land.”
The post starkly contrasts the present volatility with the relative peace of the past. “Before Nnamdi Kanu, South East was the safest region in the Country,” Asoegbwu wrote, recalling a time he could travel freely between Ihiala and Owerri, even late at night, without issue. Major routes like the Onitsha-Owerri expressway had little to no army checkpoints.
He reminisced about an idyllic past in his hometown: “The entire Ihiala Town, Lilu, Azia, etc., were places we went to eat with cousins in the evening… Nothing happened to us, no police, no army, no UGM. Nothing!”
Asoegbwu asserts that “Nnamdi Kanu happened and took away all these things from us.”
Today, the town is heavily militarised, with army units stationed at key locations like Total and Abbot Boys. Travellers crossing into Imo State are now reportedly forced to disembark and walk with their hands on their heads, all “because of Nnamdi Kanu.”
He described a journey through the town of Orsu, a once “bubbly” community now eerily quiet and “dead! Like totally dead.”
This destruction, he states, is “the legacy of Nnamdi Kanu.” The resident claims that for the first time since the Civil War (1967-1970), Igbos have lost more people to violence, with young people killed, parents butchered, and priests murdered in a tragic reality he calls “Igbo kills Igbo.”
The writer notes that Ihiala suffered disproportionately, becoming a high-risk zone where “It was more of a risk to go to Ihiala than to go to Iran.”
This fear caused people to stop returning for holidays. Asoegbwu himself has missed four Christmases in Ihiala since 2020, having previously attended every celebration since 2012.
The violence, spearheaded by Kanu-inspired groups like the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and the dreaded “Unknown Gun Men” (UGM), has fundamentally disrupted the local economy and traditional social life.
Asoegbwu concluded with a forceful demand for the separatist leader to remain incarcerated: “Left to us in Ihiala, Nnamdi Kanu should never be released. He deserves to rot until he leaves this Earth.”
His wish for justice was formally addressed by the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20, 2025, when Justice James Omotosho sentenced Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment after convicting him on all seven counts of terrorism and treasonable felony.
The judge ruled that Kanu, who also holds British citizenship, had used his Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group to incite attacks on security officials and civilians.
The life term was specifically applied to four counts, including conspiracy to commit terrorism and inciting violence through “Sit-at-Home” orders, which have been blamed for significant economic losses and death.
Despite the conviction, the volatile security threat remains. Ihiala LGA is still flagged in risk assessment reports as one of the most volatile hotspots in Anambra State, with recent violence claiming the lives of security operatives and civilians.
