The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has welcomed the decision of the United Kingdom government to finally accept Nigeria’s classification of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as a terrorist organisation.
“We recall that following widespread killings, destructions and other acts of lawlessness, the Nigerian government had designated IPOB a terrorist group in 2017,” said CNG’s Spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman in a statement on Friday.
Suleiman also asked authorities both local and foreign to consider moving against the so called Igbo leaders who have been asking President Muhammadu Buhari for the release of the terror group leader Nnamdi Kanu as accomplices.
He noted that some foreign countries, including the UK, where IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, holds its passport, did not acknowledge the declaration at the time.
“Though the UK withheld action all this while until recently the outlawed group beheaded an army couple, who were on their way to Imo State for their traditional wedding. We welcome its acknowledgement of IPOB as a terrorist organisation and directing that it should be excluded from its asylum programme, very encouraging and reassuring, ” Suleiman said.
He recalled that for sometimes now the CNG had sustained concerted campaigns that led to the prescription of IPOB and members of the group and its paramilitary wing – the Eastern Security Network (created in December 2020) as a terrorist group by the Nigerian government and international authorities have for committing human rights violations in Nigeria.