Nigeria’s presidency has accused the Indigenous People of Biafra of spreading what it described as false narratives about the persecution of Christians in the country, saying the claims are aimed at misleading the international community and advancing a separatist agenda.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the presidency said the group, widely known as IPOB, has been promoting claims of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, which it dismissed as propaganda lacking factual basis.
The statement, signed by a spokesperson to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu , said the allegations distort Nigeria’s complex security challenges and deliberately frame criminal violence as religious persecution.
According to the presidency, insecurity in parts of the country is driven largely by banditry, terrorism and communal conflicts that cut across religious and ethnic lines, affecting both Christians and Muslims.
“The attempt by IPOB to present these challenges as a targeted campaign against Christians is misleading and dangerous,” the statement said. “Such narratives are designed to inflame tensions, undermine national unity and attract international sympathy for a separatist cause.”
The presidency said Nigeria remains a multi-religious society where the constitution guarantees freedom of worship, adding that the government has continued to engage security agencies and community leaders to address violence and protect all citizens.
It also warned foreign governments and international organizations to be wary of information circulated by groups it described as extremist and unlawful, urging them to rely on verified sources when assessing Nigeria’s security situation.
IPOB, which seeks the secession of the country’s southeast, was proscribed as a terrorist organization by the Nigerian government in 2017, a designation the group has consistently rejected.
The presidency reiterated its commitment to tackling insecurity nationwide and called on Nigerians to resist narratives that could deepen divisions or threaten peaceful coexistence.
