UK government clarifies position on IPOB

The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has reacted to report claiming that it added the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to its list of terrorist groups.

The British High Commission (BHC) in Abuja, said the British government only acknowledged Nigeria’s classification of the group, noting that only violent IPOB will be denied asylum in Britain.

In a statement by Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, a BHC spokesperson, the UK government said “all asylum and human rights claims made in the UK are considered on their individual facts in accordance with our obligations under the UN Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights, taking into account relevant background country information and case law”.

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The high commission added that IPOB members who have committed violent crimes in Nigeria will not be granted asylum.

“This CPIN also acknowledges that the Nigerian government has proscribed IPOB as a terrorist organisation, some members of IPOB have reportedly used violence against the state and members of the public, and advises that persons who have committed human rights abuses must not be granted protection,” the statement read.

The UK stated categorically that the “Indigenous People of Biafra” (IPOB) “is not a proscribed organisation in the UK”.

BHC added that the policy notes provide country of origin information (COI) and analysis of COI for use by UK Government decision-makers handling particular types of protection and human rights claims.

It added that the notes were just “a general assessment of risks faced by individuals belonging to those groups” and that “these assessments are based on an analysis of publicly available country information obtained from a wide range of reliable sources including media outlets; UK and other governments; local, national and international organisations; and non-government organisations”.