Religious Blacklist: U.S misled by political CAN, terrorist groups – Igbo group

The Igbos in Nigeria Movement (INM) has blamed “political” Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and groups that have purportedly showed incurable bias and sympathy for terrorist organisations for the inclusion of Nigeria in the United States’ blacklist for religious intolerance.

The group said it came to this conclusion after a thorough review of the circumstances that led to the inclusion of Nigeria.

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In a statement signed by its President, Mazi Ifeanyi Igwe, the Igbo group said the U.S. was misled by the ‘political wing’ of CAN and groups affiliated to terrorism.

The INM noted that the U.S’ report was extracted from NGOs and international news reports that are totally out of tune with the reality in Nigeria.

According to the group, the United States’ blacklist could ultimately incite Christians against their Muslim neighbours in parts of the country that have till date remained peaceful and free of ethno-sectarian crisis

The INM, however urged that the United States discards its report listing Nigeria as a country that promotes religious persecution “as it is lacking in facts while it is a product of misleading reports by the political wings of supposed religious groups.”

“The wild categorization of Nigerians as sharply divided along ethnic and sectarian lines is something that the US also has to desist from doing forthwith because experience has shown us that these concepts of identity war that is projected into the consciousness of Nigerians amount to a kind of subtle war that is meant to make Nigerians kill themselves.” the statement read.