A group of coordinators of the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the United States says the country should
appoint a special envoy to the Lake Chad region, alleging that Christians are
being killed there.
In a letter to Mike Pompeo, US
secretary of state, the group alleged that “Biafra Christians” are being
targeted in incessant killings in the region and other parts of the country.
The IPOB coordinators accused
“extremists” of spearheading the attacks which it said the federal government
has failed to address.
It made reference to the report
by the United Kingdom All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Religious
Freedom or Belief, a group made up of
British parliamentarians, which said Christians are being targeted
because of their faith in Nigeria.
The letter dated July 6 and
signed by Clement Okoro, the group’s national coordinator in the US, read: “We
write to you as the United States coordinators for the Indigenous People of
Biafra (IPOB), an organization that represents the social, political, and
economic interests of Biafrans in Nigeria.
“These issues have been
compounded by the Nigerian government’s inability and unwillingness to hold
violent perpetrators accountable for their actions.
“As Biafrans who live and work in
America but remain immensely concerned about the state of our homeland, we urge
you to consider appointing a Special Envoy to the Lake Chad region who can hold
the Nigerian government accountable for its harmful actions and equally
detrimental inaction.
“Our concerns have also been
echoed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Freedom of
Religion or Belief, a group of British lawmakers from across the ideological
spectrum established to raise awareness of and defend against religious freedom
abuses around the world. Last month, the APPG released a report titled,
Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide, which provided recommendations to prevent the
persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
“While the report noted that issues
like resource competition, population growth, and climate change have
contributed to the farmer-herder conflict, it highlighted extremist ideology
and government mismanagement as the main sources of conflict, emphasizing, “the
inability of the Nigerian Federal and State Governments to protect Christian
farmers, and the lack of political will to respond adequately to warnings or to
bring perpetrators of violence to justice, has fostered feelings of
victimization and persecution.”
The group said in addition to
appointing a special envoy in response to the alleged attack, the US should
also conduct a study to highlight the issues and hold the Nigerian government
accountable.
“The IPOB strongly supports this
request, as we believe the only way to prevent the Nigerian government from
allowing these attacks and human rights violations to continue with impunity is
rigorous oversight conducted by a well- respected third party, like a Special
Envoy,” it said.
“People around the world look to
the United States as a defender of human rights and democratic values, and we
strongly believe that American oversight in the region would promote stability
and save lives.”
The press statement was
distributed by Mercury Public Affairs, the US lobbying firm.
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