Federal Government has berated the United Kingdom over plans to grant asylum to members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB.
Describing the move as disrespectful, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said such it would sabotage Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and undermine its security.
Mohammed who made the statement on Tuesday, however said the matter is under the purview of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
The UK Visas and Immigration, UKVI, had released new guidelines on how to consider and grant asylum applications by members of the Biafran secessionist groups.
“As the spokesman for the Federal Government of Nigeria, I will say that if indeed the report that the UK will grant asylum to supposedly persecuted IPOB and MASSOB members is true, then something is wrong somewhere.
“Against the background of the fact that IPOB is not only proscribed but also designated as a terrorist organisation here in Nigeria, the UK’s decision is disrespectful of Nigeria as a nation.
“The decision amounts to sabotaging the fight against terrorism and generally undermining Nigeria’s security. It is not only unconscionable, it is inexplicable,” he said.
He further accused IPOB to be responsible of recent attacks on police stations, police personnel and prisons in the South-East.
“If we could go down the memory lane, what the UK has done is like Nigeria offering asylum to members of the IRA before the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement,” he added.
