TheCable

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, has called on Western countries to stop “harbouring” members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

NAN reports that Mohammed spoke in Washington DC during his official engagements with some international media organisations on the just concluded 2023 polls.

The minister said IPOB remains a terrorist group as declared by the Nigerian government and should be treated as such by the Western countries.

He claimed that the group had been using funds raised in foreign countries to “destabilise” Nigeria.

“IPOB is a terrorist organisation so declared by the Nigeria government, yet some Western countries harbour them and have been dealing with the illegal body,” Lai said.

“They allow them to raise funds, some allow them to lobby their congressmen and lawmakers and whatever fund they realise they use it to destabilise the country.”

In 2017, the federal high court, Abuja, declared IPOB a terrorist organisation after the Nigerian army and south-eastern governors proscribed the activities of the group.

Although the United Kingdom government had recognised the proscription of the group, several other Western countries are yet to follow suit.

According to the 2023 global terrorism index (GTI), IPOB ranked as the 10th deadliest terror group in the world.

The report claimed that the group was responsible for 40 attacks and 57 deaths in 2022.