The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has rejected comments by United States Congressman Riley Moore on Nigeria’s unity and religious persecution, arguing that decades of national cohesion have not guaranteed safety for Christians.
The group said attacks on Christian communities, especially in the North, Middle Belt and parts of the South-West, have persisted despite more than 60 years of a united Nigeria.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB described Nigeria’s insecurity as a structural failure rooted in what it called a colonial-era central system that forces together incompatible religious and political interests.
Okay News reports that the group dismissed claims that self-determination would fuel terrorism, insisting that repression and denial of autonomy, rather than peaceful agitation, create fertile ground for extremism.
IPOB maintained that its demand is not for violence but for a democratic referendum, which it described as an internationally recognised way of resolving deep-seated conflicts.
The group argued that an independent Biafra would provide a safe environment for Christians and other groups, warning that rejecting peaceful constitutional options while insisting on preserving what it termed a broken system could prolong instability and persecution.
