Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel representing Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), responded on Saturday to reports suggesting that the group is financed through sports betting and crowd-funding. Ejimakor dismissed these claims as false and amusing.

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) recently disclosed that terrorist organizations in Nigeria, including Boko Haram, ISWAP, IPOB, bandits, and similar groups, receive funding from global crowdfunding, online transactions, and sports betting.

In its newsletter, the NFIU revealed that IPOB and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) have received funds through affiliates in 22 countries, with at least 27 registered entities operating under the group’s name. The NFIU noted that seven of these entities were registered in the United States, and six in the United Kingdom.

According to the NFIU, over $160,000 raised through crowd-funding by IPOB was channeled to transmission, media, and broadcasting companies in Bulgaria, South Africa, and the UK.

Dismissing the report, Ejimakor expressed disbelief and stated that someone was stirring up trouble.

In a post on X, he wrote, “It’s incredible to claim that IPOB, which is legally recognised globally, is funded through sports betting and crowd-funding. The sports betting aspect is false and laughable. The notion of crowd-funding sounds like something from GoFundMe, which has never happened. Someone is deliberately causing trouble. #FreeMNK”