A move by the United Kingdom to grant asylum to some members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has pitted the Federal Government and the UK.
The British government is considering asylum for members of the groups because of alleged marginalisation of the Igbo.
The Federal Government faulted the decision of the UK. Information, Culture and Tourism Minister, Lai Mohammed said it (decision) amounted to sabotaging the fight against terrorism and undermining Nigeria’s security.
The perceived crackdown on the two organisations by the police and security agencies also accounted for the asylum window being offered by the UK.
The police and military actions against MASSOB and IPOB were traced by the UK Government to past administrations from 1990s to the tenure of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari.
It cited revenge killings in Oyigbo in Rivers State in November last year and the February 2021 onslaughts against the two groups as some of the factors behind the privilege.
The UK also joined issues with the government over mass arrest and non-prosecution of the organisations.
But the asylum is not automatic as those with genuine criminal cases may be exempted.
It clarified that since 2018, there had been no pro-Biafran activity in the UK.
These details are contained in “Country policy and information note: Biafran secessionist groups, Nigeria, March 2021.”
The policy borders on “guidance used by UK Visas and Immigration to make decisions in asylum and human rights applications.”
The policy, which is on the website of the UK Government gives insights into the position of the Britain on the two pro-Biafra organisations.
It reads in part: “Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has been perceived by some as being dismissive and unsympathetic towards the people of the Southeast, particularly with regard to the appointment of senior government officials which appeared to favour his Northern constituents.
“Some Igbo complain of under-representation in federal government, marginalisation, deficient infrastructure as a result of a smaller allocation of federal resources than other regions, and a sense of historical grievance against a state that they say does not represent them.”
The UK rated MASSOB and IPOB as groups that “have largely advocated for peaceful change.”
It alleged that MASSOB and IPOB members are being persecuted.
The policy X-rayed how state security apparatchik had been deployed against the peaceful groups by successive administrations in the country including that of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari.
