Ignore fake quote about carrying guns attributed to Nigerian Igbo leader John Mbata
IN SHORT: Facebook posts claim that John Mbata, leader of a prominent Igbo organisation, told Igbo youths 18 and older to arm themselves. But the quote is fabricated, a spokesperson said.
"Every Igbo man from age 18 up must get a gun, stack weapons. Igbo land is under terrorist siege and must be defended. A war is coming in days," a Facebook post quotes John Mbata as saying.
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Mbata is the president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a prominent Igbo socio-cultural body claiming to protect the interests of Igbo communities in Nigeria and abroad. A former senator and public administrator, Mbata was appointed president of the group in January 2025.
Insecurity has been a persistent problem in Nigeria. In February 2026, over 160 people were killed in attacks on two villages in western Nigeria, the deadliest up until that point in the year.
A community in Ebonyi state in southeastern Nigeria was also attacked by gunmen in January.
The quote attributed to Mbata was repeated in other Facebook posts.
Mbata has spoken openly about his views. During a widely reported clash between Rivers state governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike, Mbata said that Fubara was the only governor of the state, insinuating he did not recognise Wike.
But did Mbata urge Igbo men to arm themselves, a statement that could escalate national tensions and raise security concerns?
Fabricated quote
The Facebook posts give no details on when or where Mbata supposedly made this statement. Such vagueness is a red flag, commonly seen in misinformation.
Africa Check searched Google using keywords from the claim and found that several Nigerian media outlets had published a rebuttal from the group, stating that the quote had been made up.
Nigeria's Nation newspaper also published a response from the Igbo Youth Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly, which said the quote was wrongly attributed to Mbata.
We also noted that some of Mbata's controversial remarks were covered by mainstream media. This indicates that if the claim about guns were true, Mbata is unlikely to have denied it and there would likely be no reports of a denial in mainstream media.
Igbo-majority states, like the rest of Nigeria, do face terrorism. But there's no evidence that Mbata told every Igbo man to arm themselves.
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On 7 February, the national publicity secretary for Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr Ezechi Chukwu, told a national newspaper that the claim was "false, malicious and incendiary".
There is no evidence for the quote attributed to Mbata.
