“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 a referendum and not asylum in the UK.”
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said what the group wants is a referendum on self-determination for the south-east of Nigeria, not asylum offered by the government of the United Kingdom.
The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) had recently released new guidelines on how to treat asylum applications by members of Biafran secessionist groups.
According to the new guidelines, asylum is to be granted to “persecuted” members of the proscribed IPOB and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
The Federal Government on Tuesday in reaction to the UK offer had expressed that the reported decision of United Kingdom to grant asylum to “persecuted” members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is disrespectful to Nigeria as a nation.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also maintained that the decision amounted to sabotaging the fight against terrorism and generally undermining Nigeria’s security.
Comrade Emma Powerful, the media and publicity secretary for IPOB, however, in a statement made available to newsmen, stated that the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, “has 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 geopolitical space with those that reward terrorists and criminalize law-abiding citizens.
“We particularly thank the UK government for confirming what the rest of the civilized 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.”
NEWS: IPOB/MASSOB asylum: UK offers to protect those who need it, British High Commission replies FG
