The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on Nigerian media outlets to stop associating its organization with the so-called Biafra Government in Exile, a separatist group allegedly operating out of Finland.
In a statement released on Tuesday, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful clarified that the Finland-based group is entirely distinct from IPOB and urged journalists to avoid conflating the two.
“A person who declared himself as the Biafra Prime Minister of a Finland-based phantom government is enough for the media to identify the group and its agenda,” the statement read. “The so-called Biafra Government in Exile is not part of IPOB, and any attempt to link them to our legitimate aspirations tarnishes the impeccable image of IPOB.”
Emma Powerful also accused the Nigerian media of misrepresentation and warned that continued association of IPOB with the group in Finland could have serious consequences.
“Media houses are enjoined to stop referencing content creators in Finland’s prison system as IPOB representatives. If they persist in doing so, we will consider them complicit in attempts to undermine IPOB and its peaceful leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” he added.
IPOB emphasized its commitment to its original mission of achieving Biafra’s independence through legitimate means and reiterated that it is not aligned with any group operating outside its established structure.
“The Finnish group has declared their independence, named their created states, and now they must reveal their base of operations within Biafraland,” the statement noted. “IPOB remains steadfast in its objectives and will not shift its ground until the United Nations formally recognizes Biafra’s independence.”
The group called on Nigerian media outlets to exercise greater diligence in their reporting and refrain from disseminating narratives that could jeopardize IPOB’s reputation and mission.
