The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly condemned the proscription of its organisation by the Nigerian government, calling the move a “kangaroo proscription” and a “blatant perversion of the rule of law.”
In a statement released on Saturday by its spokesperson, the group decried what it described as an unjust classification and insisted that it is a peaceful movement advocating for the self-determination of the Biafran people.
IPOB further stated that the decision to label it a terrorist organisation was politically motivated and lacked legal merit.
The group argued that its activities are within the framework of internationally recognised rights to freedom of speech, association, and peaceful assembly.
“The proscription is nothing but a politically engineered attempt to suppress a legitimate struggle,” the statement read.
The group also criticised what it called double standards in the Nigerian government’s handling of various regional agitations and insecurity issues across the country.
IPOB maintained its call for the release of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and urged international bodies to intervene in what it sees as a continued violation of human rights and suppression of civil liberties in the South-East.
