IPOB is a terrorist group, Buhari insists
By Aisha Abass
The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, (IPOB) is a terrorist organisation, the Presidency insisted on Wednesday.
The position of the Presidency was reiterated at a time Yoruba, other Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt leaders are calling for self determination.
In statement on Wednesday, the President’s Senior Special Assistant, (SSA) Mallam Garba Shehu and made available to Irohinoodua asked Nigerian diaspora groups to use the world’s largest platform – the United Nations General Assembly – to focus on issues that unite the country.
He said it was, however shocking, to see “Yoruba Nation” advocates yesterday unequivocally throw their lot in with Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Garba said “IPOB is a designated terrorist organisation. It has now publicly revealed a 50,000 strong paramilitary organisation. It regularly murders security services and innocent civilians, with a significant uptick of violent attacks this year. And it is currently attempting to hold Nigerian states hostage with orders to stay at home under threat of terror.”
He said without doubt, Nigerians and the entire world will judge Yoruba Nation by the company it keeps.
“No one can take seriously this organisation if it continues its IPOB association. When their allies systematically trample human rights, it raises sober questions about their claims to uphold the values of the UN.”
He said the cooperation is a worrying development, once parsed with Yoruba Nation’s increasingly violent rallies in Nigeria.
“Actions and associations speak louder than words. Yoruba Nation’s talk of human rights promotion must therefore be ignored,” Garba said.
Meanwhile, he said the Nigerian government will continue its work at the UN- to fight against corruption and illicit financial flows, and international cooperation.
“If we want to see stolen funds returned to their rightful home in Nigeria, the government must continue to campaign for and coordinate global action on asset recovery,” He said.
The government will remain the leading regional actor in the fight against global terror – particularly against threats emanating from the Sahel. Through the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps programme, the country also shares technical expertise with countries from the Caribbean, Africa and the Pacific.
At the same time, the administration is implementing a programme of environmental sustainability to combat developments which destroys Nigerian communities in vulnerable regions.
Only through the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development can we secure a prosperous future for Nigeria.
As the largest country in Africa, the government takes seriously its leadership role and will continue to strive for continental unity, cooperation, and shared prosperity.
Our expectation is therefore for the media to work with the government to focus attention on the core issues the President, the leader of the country has on his programme.