IPOB spending $85,000 monthly to discredit Nigeria internationally – Presidency

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wants an independent country of Biafra, made up of the Igbo-speaking part of Nigeria, largely in the South-eastern part of the country.

The group was outlawed in Nigeria after the federal government accused it of terrorism, although most of its programmes and protests have been largely peaceful.

The government has also clamped down violently on IPOB members with some of the attacks condemned by rights groups including Amnesty International.

The leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently on exile abroad after he jumped bail from his trial for treason in Nigeria.

In a statement Sunday by President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, he accused IPOB of waging a smear camapign to accuse the Nigerian government of encouraging the persecution of Christians.

“Nigerians and the international community are advised to be wary of this divisive campaign, which available evidence shows is being funded with a monthly spending of $85,000 USD since October 2019, with no records of the source of this largesse,” Mr Shehu wrote.

– Premium Times