By Matthew Tabe
The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has withdrawn the registration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), QUEST TIMES can report.
According to a document revealed by ENigeria Newspaper, the UK government withdrew IPOB’s registration, according to a recent development. Others are responding to the news that has caused considerable internet jubilation by noting that the move is a step in the right direction for IPOB.
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By this development, the IPOB is no longer a personal or private company and is now a recognized, legal, not-for-profit group in the UK.
As a result of Nnamdi Kanu’s incarceration and alleged extraordinary rendition from Kenya, there has apparently been recent internal strife within IPOB. There were also signs that a faction inside the organization had been formed as a result of dishonest participants joining the conflict.
Recall that IPOB under the direction of British citizen Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is a nationalist separatist group in Nigeria with the purpose of re-establishing the Republic of Biafra.
Kanu incorporated IPOB as a corporation in the UK when he started the organization in 2014. As time went on, the agitation and movement began to gain international acclaim with more people supporting the independence of Biafra from Nigeria. IPOB quickly gained support, especially from Igbo speakers around the world.
According to a lot of people, Biafra’s separation would also give voice to the Oodua Republic’s call for independence.
However, when many of Nnamdi Kanu’s supporters were implicated in and accused of plotting terrorist attacks, notably in the South-East, things started to change. Many people in the area died as a result, and on September 20, 2017, the government led by President Muhammadu Buhari formally labeled the group as a terrorist organization, leading to the arrest of many group members around the nation.
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IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu is now on trial in Nigeria and has been charged with treason. The Kanu trial has, however, drawn attention on Simon Ekpa, who is thought to be Kanu’s adherent.
In response to a contested sit-at-home order issued by controversial Finnish lawyer Simon Ekpa, gunmen purportedly connected to IPOB have recently carried out fatal attacks in the South Eastern part of the country.