The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared its full support for former U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed efforts to address what it describes as “ethno-religious violence and persecution” in Nigeria.
In a statement released by its U.S. chapter and signed by spokesperson Emma Powerful, the pro-Biafra group urged Nigerians living in America to remain vigilant and resist any attempts by the Nigerian government to “deceive the international community” over ongoing attacks and killings in the country.
The statement comes in response to Trump’s recent classification of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over religious persecution. IPOB announced plans to stage peaceful demonstrations in Washington, D.C., to protest an alleged meeting between Nigerian officials and Trump, accusing the government of trying to “conceal evidence of killings, church burnings, and persecution of Christians and indigenous peoples.”
According to IPOB, its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, had long warned of rising attacks on Christian communities and indigenous groups across Nigeria but was “persecuted and imprisoned” for exposing the truth.
The group alleged that several communities across the Middle Belt, Southern Kaduna, Kwara, and Biafraland remain under siege, adding that “silence in the face of such violence amounts to complicity.”
Describing the planned protest as “peaceful but powerful,” IPOB called on Nigerians of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds, along with international human rights organizations, to join the movement.
“Unity is our shield, and the world must hear the cry of the oppressed. America must stand with the victims, not their oppressors,” the statement added.