IPOB to UK: We want referendum, not asylum

By Deborah Hassan

365Daily – The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reacted to the asylum offer by the United Kingdom (UK), saying while it is grateful for the offer, what it would ”cherish” is a referendum.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, said the members of the group were tired of living in Nigeria and would love their children to not grow up sharing the same geo-political space ”with those that reward terrorists and criminalise law abiding citizens.”

It read: “We the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by our great and indomitable leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, have noted with satisfaction the news that the United Kingdom has agreed to grant asylum to persecuted Biafra agitators resident in the UK.

“While we commend them for this bold initiative, we wish to most graciously remind them that what we Biafrans need and cherish the most is referendum and not asylum in the UK.

“We are tired of living in bondage in the devilish contraption called Nigeria they single-handedly created.

“We would not wish our children, now and generations unborn, to share the same geo-political space with those that reward terrorists and criminalise law abiding citizens.

“We particularly thank the UK government for confirming what the rest of the civilised world already know that the great IPOB worldwide family are not terrorists but peaceful agitators and freedom fighters.

“That Nigeria is a country run by terrorists for the benefit of terrorists has been confirmed by this noble move by the United Kingdom.

“Aso Rock, the seat of power in Nigeria is a terrorist haven with serving ministers who are openly sympathetic to terrorists and their activities coming and going as they please, while freedom fighters are languishing in jail. We want freedom not asylum.”

Commenting on the development at a forum organised by NAN on Tuesday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, said the decision amounts to sabotaging the fight against terrorism.

The Federal Government has since reacted to the decision by the asylum granted by the UK, saying it is unacceptable and disrespectful and undermines Nigeria’s national security.

Reacting, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, stated: “Let me say straightaway that this issue is within the purview of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and I am sure he will handle it appropriately.

“But as the Spokesman for the Federal Government of Nigeria, I will say that if indeed the report that the UK will grant asylum to supposedly persecuted IPOB and MASSOB members is true, then something is wrong somewhere.

“Against the background of the fact that IPOB is not only proscribed but also designated as a terrorist organisation here in Nigeria, the UK’s decision is disrespectful of Nigeria as a nation.

“The decision amounts to sabotaging the fight against terrorism and generally undermining Nigeria’s security.

“It is not only unconscionable, it is inexplicable.

“For the UK to choose this time to give succour to IPOB beggars belief and calls to question the UK’s real intention.

“If we could go down the memory lane, what the UK has done is like Nigeria offering asylum to members of the IRA before the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement.”

 

 

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One thought on “IPOB to UK: We want referendum, not asylum

  1. This liar mohammed is not just daft, he is dubious and mischievous. The Uk is merely calling you to come off your lies and face facts. As Emma Powerful said, it is liar mohammed’s evil camp that embraces terrorist illegally carrying AK-47 and taking pictures with Fulani governors and Islamic clerics while criminalizing people who are peacefully seeking for self-determination.

    Liar mohammed is unbelievable.

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