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The government of the United Kingdom has now pronounced the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), as a terrorist organisation.
In a May 2022 update of its asylum policy, the UK government left out members of the group from seeking refuge in England.
But in April 202, the UK was planning to grant asylum to persecuted members of the separatist group, as part of its refugee policy published at the time.
In its May 2022 policy update, UKVI clearly referred to IPOB as a terrorist organisation to be excluded from its asylum programme for violent crimes in the southeast.
“IPOB is proscribed as a terrorist group by the Nigerian government, and members of the group and its paramilitary wing – the Eastern Security Network (created in December 2020) – have reportedly committed human rights violations in Nigeria,” UKVI said in its policy notes.
It added that, “MASSOB has been banned, but is not a proscribed terrorist group in Nigeria. It too has reportedly been involved in violent clashes with the authorities”.
UKVI went on to tell its decision-makers that “if a person has been involved with IPOB (and/or an affiliated group), MASSOB or any other ‘Biafran’ group that incites or uses violence to achieve its aims, decision-makers must consider whether one (or more) of the exclusion clauses under the Refugee Convention is applicable.
“Persons who commit human rights violations must not be granted asylum.”