The Presidency on Sunday said the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was using false allegations of persecution of Christians against the Nigerian State.
A presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement issued Sunday, said a “very deep and wide investigation” by an agency of the Nigerian government working with international partners, had revealed that the IPOB was concurrently running two of such “interconnected misleading campaigns”.
The Nigerian military had in September, 2017 branded the IPOB as a “militant terrorist organisation’’ and urged parents to dissuade their wards from joining the group.
Shehu said both campaigns were using the cover of Christianity and calling for a US Special Envoy to be appointed to stop the “genocide” of Christians in Nigeria.
He said the real purpose of the campaigns was to drive a wedge between the Nigeria government and its US and UK/European allies.
The statement advised Nigerians and the international community to be wary of the divisive campaign, which available evidence showed was being funded with a monthly spending of $85,000 USD since October 2019, with no records of the source of this largesse.
The statement read: “IPOB leadership…claims to have an interest in the welfare of Christians – but this is a ruse: the case for independence, the leader believes, is strengthened by ‘proving’ the government of Nigeria is ‘autocratic’, engaged in a ‘silent slaughter’ of their own citizens along religion and ethnic lines – and that therefore the only viable option for the unique religious and ethnic minority is a sovereign Biafra separate from Nigeria…
“The campaign consists of producing articles in the names of the alleged Christian NGOs’ leaders (of campaign groups created at the time this PR contract with a US lobbying firm was signed) and letters to and from members of Congress to the White House.
“Unfortunately, some Members of Congress have clearly been persuaded there is indeed a “Christian persecution” underway in Nigeria – and do so quoting the campaign – and they are known to be taking up the case directly with the White House to appoint the special envoy.
“The American charity secured a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and has made presentations to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.”
The statement added: “There is also a UK and European angle of the Campaign, which is more opaque than its US sister campaign – given there is less legal requirement for public filings – but what is known of this at the moment is that their Budget is sufficient to hire four PR firms in the UK, Belgium, France and the US (the latter additional to the above).
“They have founded an ‘NGO/Charity’ and a linked web-based campaign named ‘Stop the Silent Slaughter’ which is well designed and complete with video ‘evidence’-completely concocted.
“Members of the alleged Christian NGO have had multiple Op-Ed articles in conservative news websites promulgating their message of a ‘Christian Genocide’.
“Some of those articles have also been used as ‘evidence’ in the sister US campaign.
“Two of those conservative news websites were co-founded by the owner of the UK PR firm they have hired to generate their publicity as well as an OP-Ed article in the name of a British MP who may have been convinced by their campaign under false pretences.
“They have secured additional coverage in France, EU and Germany.
“They secured a MPs debate on the ‘Christian Genocide’ in the House of Commons in which staff member of the UK PR was referenced as the ‘private secretary’ to the leader of the UK-based Charity.
“It is clear from all of the above that the IPOB’s extraordinarily and dubiously well-funded campaign in the US and UK/Europe is misusing the issue of the welfare of Christians purely to further their own political ends, and it seeks to damage inter-religious dialogue in Nigeria as well as to damage the international reputation of Nigeria.”
The presidential aide further advised Nigerians and the international community to ignore the campaign as they had disregarded similar past campaigns originated by the group which had been designated as a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian State.
The presidency expressed readiness to welcome international groups and societies to send representatives to Nigeria and give a lie to the false claims made by these terrorist groups who were duping them of their money and involving them in conduct and activities disguised to destroy the harmonious relationships existing between their home countries and Nigeria.
About IPOB
IPOB is a Biafran separatist organization in Nigeria.
Its main aim is to restore an independent state of Biafra in the former Eastern Region of Nigeria through an independence referendum.
The group was founded in 2012 by Nnamdi Kanu, a British Nigerian political activist known for his prominent advocacy of the contemporary Biafran independence movement.
Supporters of IPOB primarily include people from the Igbo, Anang, Igbanke, Igala, and Idoma ethnic groups within the former territory of Biafra, though it has also gained significant support among the Biafran diaspora.
IPOB has criticized the Nigerian federal government for its poor investment, inequitable resource distribution, ethnic marginalization, and heavy military presence in the Biafran region.
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