Imo Police Deny Torture Allegation, Say Suspected IPOB Financier Died of Illness

The Imo State Police Command has dismissed reports circulating on social media that its operatives tortured a suspected sponsor of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Magnus Ejiogu, to death.

Police spokesperson Henry Okoye described the allegations as “false, unfounded, and malicious,” insisting that Ejiogu, also known as Emu, died from an illness while in custody—not from torture.

Ejiogu, aged 49, hailed from Obudi Agwa in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State. According to Okoye, he was identified as a major financier of the outlawed IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

Police claim he had been linked to several deadly attacks, including the 2022 assassination of the traditional ruler of Abudi Agwa, Eze Ignatius Asor, and the assault on Agwa Police Station, which left five officers—among them a pregnant policewoman—dead.

Okoye said investigations into Ejiogu’s case had been concluded and approved for prosecution on October 20, 2025, but the arraignment was delayed due to the ongoing judicial workers’ warning strike.

He further explained that the suspect “suddenly took ill” on October 23, 2025, while awaiting arraignment, and died despite medical attention.

“The claim that he was tortured to death at Tiger Base is completely untrue,” Okoye stated, emphasizing that the report was designed to tarnish the image of the Nigeria Police Force.

The police have urged the public to disregard what they called a “false narrative” and await the official post-mortem report to determine the exact cause of death.