This a rejoinder to reporting about IPOB by some media houses on the 6th of May 2022, which includes Sahara Reporters and Channels Television. I will start from the summary of what my rejoinder will eventually be. The reason for this approach is informed by the grievousness of the report and the certain chaos and harm the report is capable of triggering. Therefore, the news that UK has designated IPOB as a terrorist organization is false and must be disregarded as fake news that it is.
Do not be deceived, IPOB has not been designated as a terrorist organization by any worthwhile country except the rogue state that birthed IPOB in the first place. Nigeria is today a rogue state not by design but by choice of leadership. Whether deliberately or simply due to a very avoidable oversight these media houses have chosen to mislead their teaming readers and the general public.
First things first. I will clarify the UK position on IPOB very shortly, which is certainly contrary to what was reported by these publishers and trending in some section of the Nigeria press within the last 24 hours. But first, let me set some issues straight about IPOB, ESN and the issue of violence in the pursuit of Biafran self-determination. It is important to get this out of the way because there are lots of misinformation out there, which needs to be corrected.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is an organization whose aims and objectives are very clear and widely known. IPOB was not founded as a violent organization and never went about their activities in any violent manner. This is notwithstanding the relentless provocations from some sections and interests in the Nigeria and from people in leadership positions whose singular objective is to suppress and massacre the Igbos.
When in the 30th day of May, 1967, the General Odumegwu Ojukwu, of blessed memory, the Ezeigbo gburu gburu and the then leader of the Eastern Regional Government of Nigeria declared Biafra as an independent state from the rest of Nigeria, it was dubbed as a secessionist movement. There was however, little or no emphasis by the critics of the war on the fact that the founding of Biafra by Ojukwu was inevitable, as it was forced on him by the events of the moment.
What has today become far more worrisome is the undeniable fact that these irritating events amongst which is the killing of the Igbos in Nigeria have today become widespread around the country, and perhaps has unarguably become unofficial state policy of the notorious regime of General Muhammadu Buhari.
Under this destructive regime, the Igbos are today either maimed, killed or threatened all across the country. Not even the South East is sanctuary for the Igbos anymore. There have been several of these incidents and killings of the Igbos since 2015. The Federal security agencies have rather than arrest and prosecute their killers, instead willingly connived in these heinous crimes against humanity. I have written widely on this vexatious matter and will encourage you to check goggle for more of my articles.
Enter the Eastern Security Network (ESN). In the face of total annihilation and possible land grabbing by the invading headers in the South East something had to give in. Following the inability or perhaps the unwillingness of the South East governors to confront the Federal government or at least engage Buhari in any meaningful way, IPOB rose to the occasion. The resultant effect was the ESN.
ESN no doubt was founded as paramilitary outfit. However, it was only a reactionary force. ESN came into force as a response to the activities of the monstrous and murdering elements of the Fulani headers, which the Buhari government have continuously encouraged with their silence and inaction.
Let us recall that the first widely known outing of the ESN was at Orlu in Imo State, and the operation was against these criminal headers. The IPOB reactionary wing did not immediately engage the Nigerian police, army DSS or any of the Nigerian security agencies and their personnel anywhere in the South East.
Their clash with the security agents only began when these same security agents who failed, neglected or refused to confront the Fulani headers now turned around to arrest, fight, kill and disrupt the operations of the ESN against the Fulani headers. The ESN was the only security outfit that challenged these Headers, thereby doing the job of the Nigerian security agencies, which they neglected.
IPOB was then designated as terrorist organisation. No matter what else the Nigerian government claims as the bases for outlawing IPOB/ESN, the above facts represents the true story. For this reason, bbelievers in the struggle for Biafra independence have been called names, the worst of which is the designation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organization by the Buhari led government of Nigeria. This misadventure and abuse of state power by the Nigerian state was widely condemned globally.
However, a determined Buhari and his lieutenants continued in the pursuit of this singular agenda based on nothing but hate, continued since then with state sponsored propaganda and violent agenda to dress the IPOB organization and their associates on the tattered coat of terrorism so as bring the international community on board.
Most unfortunately, for them the world knew and still knows better. They know that IPOB is a peaceful and peace loving organization. They know that members of IPOB are simply ordinary and unarmed men and women. They know that IPOB is populated by individuals whose only motivation for joining the noble course is freedom from dehumanization and operation from successive igbophobic led unitary government of Nigeria, which is currently being exacerbated under the Buhari government. The world knew and still knows that the IPOB clarion call is one not to arms, but a call for civil resistance against injustices.
Having failed to carry the world along, what then could a Buhari and his apologists do in order to further sell their evil agenda to the international community? In other words, how can IPOB and their members be sold to the world as terrorists? The answer to the above is exactly what the Buharists are peddling and hatching across the South East and the entire Biafra land as I write. The plan to convince the international community that IPOB is a terrorist organization is exactly the reason for the violence all over Biafra land today.
Now, let`s address the current UK position on IPOB. On Friday, May 6, Sahara Reporters reported that the UK government has recognized “Nnamdi Kanu’s Indigenous People Of Biafra As Terrorist Organisation, Violent Group”. This has also trended on some Nigerian media space. I have already made it clear that this trending news about UK declaring IPOB a terrorist organization have no relationship with truth and have no factual bases.
This false report no doubt arises from a recent UK Home Office Country of Origin (COI) note and analysis for the use of asylum caseworkers. The newest of this COI note and analysis as at date is version 3.0, which was released in March 2022. Precisely, the last assessment of the report leading to this current COI was made on the 16th March 2022. A more recent update to this report done on the 3rd of May 2022 made some significant inclusions. While there so many areas covered in the report and the resultant COI, we will only focus on 2.4 (C), dealing with IPOB assessment.
The Home Office notes and correctly too that “through its online platform, ‘Radio Biafra’, and other social media, IPOB have increasingly used inflammatory rhetoric to encourage secessionist aspirations and resistance to the authorities, including violence” As a principled professional and honest individual, I concur with this assessment too. I also go further to condemn it completely as I have always done in the past.
However, I must also note that the use of inflammatory rhetoric and encouragement of violence is the handiwork of a section of the movement. It a trade only supported and reinforced by certain elements in the IPOB family. These individuals, no matter how highly placed in the organization must be disavowed completely and unequivocally.
IPOB is a movement and not a name. The movement and the struggle it fuels has taking a life of its own. No one particular individual is synonymous with the freedom struggle anymore. It is important to sound this certainly obvious truism loud enough to the hearing of all. This is essentially because very many believers in the struggle have been hoodwinked in the past for personal gains, while some others have successfully established themselves in positions of leadership in the movement, but only to turn around and abuse the people`s trust.
Further on the UK position. The United Kingdom reorganises Nigeria`s sovereignty in all respect, irrespective of the rogue nature of the current leadership. As a fellow sovereign state, the UK respects Nigerian laws and territory. Consequently, the UK reorganises the fact that IPOB is “a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria and has been implicated in inciting and acts of violence against the state and other actors.” However, as already explained the acts of violence are only the act of a very vocal minority in the IPOB/Biafra movement.
For the reason of this vexatious reality, UK also reorganises the inalienable right of a sovereign state like Nigeria to pursue, arrest and prosecute such “persons who are, or are suspected of being, involved with or supporting” such acts of violence and criminality. Therefore, the UK holds the position that this “IPOB supporters or members who are fleeing prosecution or punishment for a criminal offence, including human rights violations, are not likely to be refugees” under international law.
In other words, the UK did not by virtue of its current official position on IPOB designate IPOB generally as a terrorist or violent organisation. There is no evidence of a blanket recognition of IPOB members and supporters as terrorists. There is also no official denial of the refugee status of IPOB members whom have been forced into such unfortunate condition by virtue of official policy of persecution by the Nigerian state. Therefore, UK is simply weeding the IPOB farm and separating the seeds from the chaffs.
This very clear position is reinforced by 2.4.22 of the COI note and analysis. This part of the report sets very clear parameters for how to identify a qualifying case of state persecution of the Igbo nation through the instrumentality of declaring IPOB a terrorist organisation. It says, “prosecution may amount to persecution if it involves victimisation in its application by the authorities.
“For example, if it is the vehicle or excuse for persecution or if only certain groups are prosecuted for a particular offence and the consequences of that discrimination are sufficiently severe. Punishment which is cruel, inhuman or degrading (including punishment which is out of all proportion to the offence committed) may also amount to persecution.”
In conclusion. The United Kingdom has not declared IPOB a terrorist or violent organisation. Not a single country bought what Buhari and his co-travelers sort out to sell to the international community. Not even Chad and Niger from where Buhari`s actual terrorist friends and kinsman militias have invaded Nigerians reorganized the designation of IPOB as a terrorist organization.
However, the violent nature of certain section of IPOB must still be condemned by all men of goodwill. The legitimate struggle for self-determination for Igbos under the Biafran umbrella must not be allowed to derail. The few bad eggs who have envisioned diagonal and selfish objectives must be isolated immediately. The actions of the vocal minority, which is leading to relentless bloodsheds and deterioration in Biafra land must be discouraged and discontinued without delay.
Written by Williams Ukonu Esq, Nigerian based lawyer and rights advocate, with offices in Lagos, Imo State and Abuja
