Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has revealed a startling perspective on the rising insecurity in Nigeria’s South-East, claiming that politically sponsored cult groups — not the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) — are the true menace destabilizing the region.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Odinkalu acknowledged that IPOB has contributed to the insecurity, but insisted that it is “ridiculous” to attribute every violent incident in the region to the group.
“Let me tell you this: the biggest single issue, in security terms, confronting the South-East, in my estimation, based on the work I have done on this, is, I regret to disappoint you, not IPOB — it is one word: cults, financed by politicians,” he declared.
According to him, cult groups have grown into a far more dangerous force than many realize, deeply rooted in political structures and shielded by those who fund them.
“All right? Now, the cults are the biggest single issue, and you don’t have a clue how terrible the problem of cults in the South-East is at this particular time,” Odinkalu warned.
The former NHRC boss described the rise of politically backed cultism as an “alarming and escalating” crisis, explaining that such groups have become emboldened by state neglect and political protection, thereby intensifying the wave of violence across the region.
While acknowledging that there might be “a connection between cultism and IPOB,” he stressed that the latter has been overstated as the central cause of unrest.
“Cults financed by politicians — that is the biggest single security challenge confronting the South-East at this time,” Odinkalu maintained.
He also argued that IPOB’s influence does not extend across all communities in the South-East, suggesting that its reach and impact have been “overblown.”
“Unquestionably, there is an IPOB issue, but the IPOB issue is overblown,” he reiterated.
Odinkalu’s comments come amid a fresh surge of attacks on security checkpoints, police personnel, and civilians in various South-East states — incidents that are routinely attributed to IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
He called on security agencies and policymakers to shift focus toward dismantling politically motivated cult networks and confronting their financiers, which he described as the “biggest single security challenge” facing the region today.
