The United States Government has said it does not consider the Indigenous People of Biafra a terrorist organisation.

Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja gave a judicial backing the executive order of President Muhammadu Buhari, outlawing the group and its activities in the country.

The court granted the order to proscribe the group on Wednesday. It declared that the activities of the group constituted acts of terrorism

The Federal Government also accused France and the United Kingdom of aiding IPOB activities.

The spokesman for the American Embassy in Nigeria, Russell Brooks, told SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday that the US government does not view IPOB as a terrorist group.

He said this in response to our correspondent’s email which asked if the United States sees IPOB as a terrorist organisation.

Brooks stated further that the US was committed to Nigeria’s unity and would support a peaceful resolution of any crisis in the country.

He said, “The United States Government is strongly committed to Nigeria’s unity. Important political and economic issues affecting the Nigerian people, such as the allocation of resources, are worthwhile topics for respectful debate in a democracy.

“Within the context of unity, we encourage all Nigerians to support a de-escalation of tensions and peaceful resolution of grievances. The Indigenous People of Biafra is not a terrorist organisation under US law.”

The US embassy, however, declined to comment on whether the Federal Government had asked it to treat IPOB as a terrorist organisation and to block money sent to IPOB from the US.

Brooks also did not state the US’ position on the agitation for a Biafran state.

Speaking after the court judgment last week, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, said the Federal Government would proceed to gazette the order proscribing the group.

IPOB claims ownership of Radio Biafra

Meanwhile, IPOB in a statement on Saturday said that the Radio Biafra which is said to be based outside the country neither belonged to MASSOB nor its leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike.

IPOB, in a statement made available to one of our correspondents in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, explained that though MASSOB assisted in funding the radio station, the arrangement only lasted from April to July 2009.

The statement, signed by the Deputy Leader of IPOB, who is also the Deputy Director of Radio Biafra, Uche Mefor, noted that the station later went off-air and eventually shut down in December 2009.

It insisted that MASSOB, which has since transformed into Biafra Independence Movement, had nothing to do with Radio Biafra.

The statement added, “The entire humanity is hereby notified that MASSOB is not the owner of Radio Biafra. Uwazuruike is not the owner of Radio Biafra.

“Radio Biafra first operated as ‘Broadcasting Corporation of Biafra’ in the 1960s in the face of genocidal war of extermination propagated by the northern Nigerian military dictators who spearheaded their jihadism against the Biafrans.”

Also, MASSOB on Saturday called on the Federal Government to immediately release its members who were labelled supporters of IPOB, arrested and detained by security agents.

MASSOB said eight of its members were arrested by security agents on September 13, 2017, while they were on their way to Onitsha, Anambra State, to celebrate the group’s 18th anniversary.

Its National Director of Information, Mr. Sunday Okereafor, told SUNDAY PUNCH that security agencies should have known the difference between IPOB members and MASSOB followers.

Okereafor alleged that the MASSOB members were detained in Afara Prison in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

He added that his group had since its existence embraced non-violence as its method of agitation and wondered why police and soldiers would contemplate arresting and detaining them.

He listed the names of five of the eight arrested MASSOB members as Igwe Ndukwe, Onyebuchi Nmeregini, I. Ugonna, ThankGod Udeh and Ugwu Emeka.

He said, “We are calling on the Attorney General of the Federation and the Attorney General of Abia State to release them. They should leave MASSOB alone because MASSOB is not violent. Those arrested are not IPOB members. They are MASSOB members.’’
http://punchng.com/we-dont-see-ipob-as-terrorist-organisation-us

Zombies on Nairaland will not like this news

Hahaha

The world is not blind, this government must be ashamed of itself.

according to the zoo army,this cute baby in UK is a terrorist

No one sees over 60 million Igbos as terrorists except the Hausa-Fulani terrorists themselves.

We have not forgotten
"An attack against Boko Haram is an attack against the North"

We have not forgotten
"Baboon and Monkey will soak in blood"
Because a non imagined citizen was the president.

We have also not forgotten
"I will make Nigeria ungovernable"
Which is the greatest hate speech against Nigeria.

Who divided his country as 5% and 97%?
And I ask again, what exactly has he done for even the 97%? Nothing.
The only thing he did was in the negative; sending troops to a peaceful region and tagging them terrorists before going to court to get approval for the tag.
And the blockheads supporting him sees nothing wrong in it.

IPOB is a terrorist group while Boko Haram is an aid and Health NGO - Sarki 2014

US is only reiterating the obvious truth. Sincere Nigeriaans know this but Buhari's crazy and fanatic followers deny it.

They are terrorist organization

US can dictate to Nigeria

We are a sovereign state

ZUBY77:
No one sees over 60 million Igbos as terrorists except the Hausa-Fulani terrorists themselves.

We have not forgotten
"An attack against Boko Haram is an attack against the North"

We have not forgotten
"Baboon and Monkey will soak in blood"
Because a non imagined citizen was the president.

We have also not forgotten
"I will make. Nigeria ungovernable"
Which is the greatest hate speech against Nigeria.

Who divided his country as 5% and 97%?
And I ask again, what exactly has he done for even the 97%? Nothing.
The only thing he did was in the negative; sending troops to a peaceful region and tagging them terrorists before going to court to get approval for the tag.
And the blockheads supporting him sees nothing wrong in it.

Don't hide under any ethnic group

Ipob is alone in this thrash

Stop joining Igbo with that senseless group

Igbos are terrorist as far as Nigeria is concern

OjukwuWarBird:
Zombies on Nairaland will not like this news


Hahaha

That's US opinion

Nigeria is a sovereign state

Igbos are terrorist

Killer Fulani Herdsmen are missionaries

sarrki:
They are terrorist organization

US can dictate to Nigeria

We are a sovereign state

Unfortunately everyone on Nairaland already know you are a computer programme programmed to blurt out whatever was programmed inside you without feeling or conscience.

What I mean is no one takes you serious because everyone Knows what's you would say in threads like this. People don't take What they already know serious..