ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Professor Ivan Sheehan’s opinion piece published in the October 4, 2021 edition of the Washington Times and entitled “U.S. Ignores Small African Terrorist Group, IPOB at its peril” was a travesty that could endanger the lives of over 50 million Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria.

The piece was wrong and offensive in its entirety because Professor Sheehan did not present any truth that will help the world assess and evaluate the security situation in Nigeria. This has the danger of encouraging the Nigerian government to continue its raging onslaught against the defenseless indigenous people of the Middlebelt and southern Nigeria (Including Biafra), who are mostly Christians.


It was dangerous because Professor Sheehan wants to shield from world view the genocide that is taking place against these indigenous people of the Middlebelt and southern Nigerian being systematically carried out by ISIS backed Boko Haram and armed Fulani Herdsmen

Equally dangerous to American interests and Homeland Security in that it shields the growing reality of the entire West African region becoming the new epicenter of Islamic Terrorism just on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean from the US.

WIC is a Texas Corporation that caters to the interests of the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria who, due to the inclement political and security circumstances in Nigeria, live or have taken asylum in the US and other parts of the world. Igbo people number over 50 million and their ancestral home is part of the territory where IPOB and ESN function to ameliorate the unfolding genocide. The same Igbo people suffered a pogrom that claimed 30,000 lives in 1966 and a war that claimed over 3 million people in 1967/1970. Biafrans are the victims of the unfolding ethnic cleansing that the world needs to be aware of. Biafrans are the victims in the ongoing “shoot-at-sight” order issued by the rouge Nigeria government and being executed by Boko Haram in the Nigerian military and police uniforms. Biafrans are the same people against whom the recently acquired twelve American-made A-29 Super Tucano ground attack aircrafts, supposed to be used against Boko Haram are being used to strafe.


The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as the name suggests, is a group standing up against injustice and human rights abuses in Nigeria while agitating for a referendum to ensure equitable governance. They believe in the inalienable rights of all indigenous peoples of this world to self-determination as expounded in the United Nations Declaration A/61/295 of 2007.

In 2020, when it was clear that the government of Nigeria was actually sponsoring attacks on defenseless Igbo people, IPOB set up the Eastern Security Network (ESN) which functioned like guards without the capacity for real coercion. The formation of ESN became necessary when the killer Fulani Herdsmen had, with the protection of the federal government, illegally set up over 400 camps in the forests and farmlands of Igbo land from where they terrorized the villages in various despicable ways such as raping, kidnapping and ransom extortion, destruction of farm crops, maiming and outright brutal massacre. Images from these activities are too gory for this write-up but can be made available as needed.

The leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, a British citizen, was recently illegally abducted from Kenya and is being held by Nigeria’s security services without fair legal processes. This is the group Professor Sheehan dangerously called a terrorist organization. It is important to state that IPOB and ESN do not meet the three State Department’s criteria for classifying any organization as terrorists and registering them in the Global Terrorism Index.


Consequently, the US and the rest of the world have, rightly, not classified them as such. It is also worth stating that the murderous Fulani Herdsmen have met all three criteria for classification as terrorists but have always been shielded by Nigeria using fierce propaganda.

We believe that Professor Sheehan’s piece is ill-motivated and probably was induced by the propaganda machine of the Nigerian Government and has the potential to negatively impact the journalistic standards of the Washington Times and tarnish its reputation. This Op-Ed has become necessary in order to mitigate the damage the opinion piece has done. Professor Sheehan should be made to retract it.


We encourage Professor Sheehan to seek avenues to educate himself on the true situation in Nigeria so he does not endanger the lives of over 50 Million Christians at the hands of the Jihadist government of Nigeria and also damages America’s Homeland Security.

• Professor Anthony Ejiofor is the Executive Chairman of WIC

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/oct/13/ipob-not-terrorist-organization/

Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

The useful idiot called Ivan Sheehan has been warned by IPOB members. Visit his twitter page to see how IPOBians hounded him into oblivion. He has learnt his bitter pill lesson about IPOB. A people that you can never fight and succeed. The idiot's twitter handle was swamped by the great IPOb members immediately after his useful idiot garbage opinion and their message to the fool was very very clear.

The 4th most dangerous terrorist organization in the world are called bandits by the President, while those calling for self determination, equity and referendum are labeled terrorists.

At least the Washington Times, USA and the whole world knows who the terrorists and their patron is in Nigeria.

It is only in Nigeria that we have a christian terrorist organization.

It is also in the same Nigeria, under Buhari that a whole tribe became terrorist organization.


You go fear Buhari

DeadCountry:
.

Kanu that Abian from Umuahia is a British Citizen, so that gives him the audacity to come & cause chaos in Nigeria? We will teach him a serious lesson even Jewish Times can carry their report front page.

Buckeyemedia1:
Kanu that Abian from Umuahia is a British Citizen, so that gives him the audacity to come & cause chaos in Nigeria? We will teach him a serious lesson even Jewish Times can carry their report front page.

Mazi Kanu is already in Israel. Wake up from your dream. Quote me later.

DeadCountry:
The useful idiot called Ivan Sheehan has been warned by IPOB members. Visit his twitter page to see how IPOBians hounded him into oblivion. He has learnt his bitter pill lesson about IPOB. A people that you can never fight and succeed. The idiot's twitter handle was swamped by the great IPOb members immediately after his useful idiot garbage opinion and their message to the fool was very very clear.

Ok he is afraid of hungry ipobians? What he said pained you people so much you had to buy vpn to visit twitter to wail? Empty Barrels, we threatened him on twitter? Useless emus.

Watch as Buhari will send operation golden dawn to WashingtonTimes in USA

BeeBeeOoh:
Watch as Buhari will send operation golden dawn to WashingtonTimes in USA

You probably only just read the headline? It is very deceptive.

DeadCountry:

Mazi Kanu is already in Israel. Wake up from your dream. Quote me later.

Yes o, I heard cell Block 13, DSS HQ Abuja, is known as Jerusalem.

DeadCountry:

Mazi Kanu is already in Israel. Wake up from your dream. Quote me later.

I will the the happiest person on planet earth if this is true

myright:
I will the the happiest person on planet earth if this is true

Sorry.

Ipob is a peaceful organization agitating 4 d freedom of Biafra Nation...

G450:
Ipob is a peaceful organization agitating 4 d freedom of Biafra Nation...

An illusion

In Nigeria, IPOB is a terrorist group

G450:
Ipob is a peaceful organization agitating 4 d freedom of Biafra Nation...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ODV30My__8

BeeBeeOoh:
It is only in Nigeria that we have a christian terrorist organization.

It is also in the same Nigeria, under Buhari that a whole tribe became terrorist organization.


You go fear Buhari

Every IPOB member is an Igbo man, not every Igbo man is an IPOB member.

DubaiLandLord2:
Every IPOB member is an Igbo man, not every Igbo man is an IPOB member.

Did you see that in Igbo dictionary??

Surely we are peaceful people

A very well-written piece. That professor Sheehan must be a f0ol. I'm sure he was bankrolled by Lai Mohammed to write that trash. If they could pay street bums to carry pro-buhari placards at UNGA in New York, they can do anything.

Oyigboupdate
Oyigboupdate2
Udele1

alsudan:
The 4th most dangerous terrorist organization in the world are called bandits by the President, while those calling for self determination, equity and referendum are labeled terrorists.

At least the Washington Times, USA and the whole world knows who the terrorists and their patron is in Nigeria.

Even before IPOB picked up arms they were unarmed

On point Prof. Ejiofor. Tell them. I don't how anyone can designate a group like IPOB who is seeking referendum as a terrorist group while those kidnapping children in school are given money and a job with the Nigerian army. No be juju be that?

Washington times should face their own affairs

We are all know that the American media is not reliable, it is full of propaganda nowadays.


IPOB is still a terrorist organisation!! period!

alsudan:
The 4th most dangerous terrorist organization in the world are called bandits by the President, while those calling for self determination, equity and referendum are labeled terrorists.

At least the Washington Times, USA and the whole world knows who the terrorists and their patron is in Nigeria.

Aboki get sense before?

Buckeyemedia1:
Ok he is afraid of hungry ipobians? What he said pained you people so much you had to buy vpn to visit twitter to wail? Empty Barrels, we threatened him on twitter? Useless emus.

Na so Biafra matter pain you reach? Ehhyaaa, sorry you hear!

DeadCountry:
The useful idiot called Ivan Sheehan has been warned by IPOB members. Visit his twitter page to see how IPOBians hounded him into oblivion. He has learnt his bitter pill lesson about IPOB. A people that you can never fight and succeed. The idiot's twitter handle was swamped by the great IPOb members immediately after his useful idiot garbage opinion and their message to the fool was very very clear.

Abeg drop his twitter handle so I can give him a word or 2 of encouragement

Buckeyemedia1:
You probably only just read the headline? It is very deceptive.

Illiterate terrorist, read the content of the article first, and read the name of the writer.

DubaiLandLord2:
In Nigeria, IPOB is a terrorist group

Erudite SKULLar!
Salam alekum

Opinion written by a US based IPOBian.

Why can't our govt dialogue with them.

Good! We are Igbos.. We are an army of journalists! No uncircumcised idiot can write our story for us