The British Government has dismissed media reports stating it has added the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to its list of terrorist groups.
This was disclosed in a statement by the British High Commission in Abuja on Friday evening.
The British government stated that IPOB is not a proscribed organisation by the UK.
What the British government is saying
They said the reports on its revised Country Policy and Information Note (CPIN) on Nigeria provide country of origin information and analysis for use by the UK Government decision-makers handling particular types of protection and human rights claims.
- It stated, “These reports are untrue. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is not a proscribed organisation in the UK.
- “All asylum and human rights claims made in the UK are considered on their individual facts in accordance with our obligations under the UN Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights, taking into account relevant background country information and case law.”
- It said the CIPN on separatist groups including IPOB provides a general assessment of risks faced by individuals belonging to these groups and acknowledges that the Nigerian Government has proscribed IPOB as a terrorist group.
- “This CPIN also acknowledges that the Nigerian government has proscribed IPOB as a terrorist organisation, some members of IPOB have reportedly used violence against the state and members of the public, and advises that persons who have committed human rights abuses must not be granted protection,” the UK government stated.
Recall that it was widely reported recently that the UK authorities in an updated asylum policy in May 2022 referred to IPOB as a terrorist organisation to be excluded from its asylum programme over alleged links to violence in the south-east.
