The Presidency said this in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu and made available to DAILY POST on Sunday.
It claimed that a very deep and wide investigation carried out by one of the agencies of the Nigerian government, working with international partners, has drawn its attention to two interconnected campaigns being concurrently run by the pro-Biafra group.
The statement said that “Both [campaigns] are using the cover of Christianity – and calling for a US Special Envoy to be appointed to stop the “genocide” of Christians in Nigeria.”
According to the Presidency, the real purpose of this campaign was to drive a wedge between the Nigerian government and its US and UK/European allies.
It said that Nnamdi Kanu only claims to have an interest in Christians for reasons of convenience, adding that the IPOB leader believes that his struggle for Independence is strengthened by ‘proving’ the government of Nigeria is ‘autocratic’, engaged in a ‘silent slaughter’ of its own citizens along religious and ethnic lines.
The Presidency called on Nigerians and the international community to be wary of this divisive campaign by the IPOB and its leader, which, according to available evidence, has been “funded monthly with $85,000 since October 2019, with no records of the source of this largesse.”
“The campaign consists of producing articles in the names of the alleged Christian NGOs’ leaders (of campaign groups created at the time this PR contract with a US lobbying firm was signed) and letters to and from members of Congress to the White House,”.....
It said unfortunately the IPOB has succeeded in persuading some members of Congress to believe that there is indeed a ‘Christian persecution’ underway in Nigeria “and they are known to be taking up the case directly with the White House to appoint the special envoy.”
“The American charity secured a meeting with the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and has made presentations to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom,” the Presidency said.
It further alleged that the same campaign is also going on in the UK and Europe.
“They have founded an ‘NGO/Charity’ and a linked web-based campaign named ‘Stop the Silent Slaughter’ which is well designed and complete with video “evidence”-completely concocted,” the statement claimed.
“Members of the alleged Christian NGO have had multiple Op-Ed articles in conservative news websites promulgating their message of a ‘Christian Genocide’. Some of those articles have also been used as ‘evidence’ in the sister US campaign.
“Two of those conservative news websites were co-founded by the owner of the UK PR firm they have hired to generate their publicity as well as an OP-Ed article in the name of a British MP who may have been convinced by their campaign under false pretenses.”
Garba Shehu explained further that the IPOB has secured additional coverage in France, EU, and Germany.
“They secured an MPs debate on the ‘Christian Genocide’ in the House of Commons in which staff member of the UK PR was referenced as the ‘private secretary’ to the leader of the UK-based Charity,” it said.
The Presidency said it was clear that IPOB’s extraordinarily and dubiously well-funded campaign in the US and UK and Europe was misusing the issue of the welfare of Christians purely to further their own political ends.
He said the group is seeking to damage inter-religious dialogue in Nigeria as well as to damage the international reputation of Nigeria.
“Nigerians and the international community are hereby advised to ignore this campaign as they have disregarded similar past campaigns originated by this group which has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian State,” it added.
*Ah ah they should be able to trace the source of money nau......
Them dn start
ReplyDeleteAnd Miyetti Allah is being pampered.
DeleteIPOB will always give them hpb7
Failed APC /Govt / pa Buhari
Setting other countries against Nigeria, how
ReplyDeleteWhat have you been doing/ done about this genocide going on in the North especially the Southern Kaduna which is predominantly Christians.NOTHING!!!
Make we hear word abeg.
ReplyDeleteFoolish and gullible government.
ReplyDeleteA fidgeting Shehu Garba is a good development! What does he expect when their government declared a group that has not killed a single person a terrorist organisation? The FGN itself is a terrorist government that needs to be rejected by government all over the world!
DeleteWell done IPOB!
The fear of IPOB is the beginning of wisdom.
DeleteHaaaa,ose discovery channel.
ReplyDeleteThe will not discover those that sponsor and give bokoharam sophisticated arms,they will not do anything to curb the menace of fulani herdsmen,they will not deal with those killing Christians in Kaduna South!
Discovery channel,keep fighting those not fighting you with weapons. Don't go and right the wrongs you people have been melting out to them in the country,keep discovering.
They are using Christian religion to wedge war and what have your lots been doing all these years? Preach peace?
Your extremists Muslims have been killing Christians for years,Southern Kaduna killings,Jos killings to say a few.
Keep fighting IPOB
Ayamatanga
🤐
There's nobody on planet earth who will work against their country if they're treated well. I pity this Wild Life called Nigeria the day intellectuals decide to join IPOB.
ReplyDeleteGarba Shehu, you have spoken the truth about persecution of Christians. Truth is truth and cannot be hidden. Thank you for stringing together all the instances connected with moves to eliminate Christians. Your only grouse is that IPOB uses these truths against Nigeria, isn't it? Why must you attack IPOB here when IPOB speaks the truth? In any case, this is not purely IPOB matter, since Christianity is not restricted to members of the IPOB. Nigerians in other parts of Nigeria who are not IPOB are Christians also; and these Nigerians are targets of elimination because they are Christians.
DeleteThank you again, Garba Shehu, for helping Christians make their points about the systematic killing of Christians in Nigeria.
What is going on in southern kaduna.. is that not silent slaughter.. abeg make dem park well
ReplyDeleteNigeria is a failed state.
DeleteAttracting international community attention to it is important.
Typical of Nigerian leaders, always chasing shadows. Boko Haram and herdsmen have been killing and ravaging the north and some part of the south for years now, have you found their sponsor? It is IPOB that has been adopting peaceful agitation that you are interested in. Ndi ara
ReplyDeleteDon't mind them. IPOB and the Nigerian government deserve each other. Bunch of evil people.
DeleteDrama everywhere.
ReplyDeleteBut it is the truth na. Are there not killings going on in Nigeria and mostly targeted on Christians. What's happening in Southern Kaduna? Is it a funfare? Why are they suddenly jiltry of international sanction.
ReplyDeleteYou should have a accepted a referendum when Kanu called for it. Now don't complain because your jihad against us is also religious.
DeleteTrace which source??? Have they been able to trace the sponsors of the ethnic and christians genocide going on?
ReplyDeletePeople are being massacred everyday in Southern Kaduna predominantly Christians, your useless, religious bigot government is doing nothing about that and you people think that the so called others countries don't have the informations or they don't see the videos, those innocent blood will hunt you forever.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is that, Nigeria shud divide. Make Hausa dey their dey, also Ibo, Yoruba and other Ethnic groups wey like dey on their own too. chikena
ReplyDeleteBut no be lie nahhh, shebi if na Muslim dem dey kill, they for don find solution? Until red don enter Nigeria flag, peace no go dey
ReplyDeleteTo the Nigerian government, if christians are not being persecuted like you claimed, then where is Leah Shairibu? The Nigerian government appears complicit in Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen attacks. Abi what is happening gan gan? #wearetired
ReplyDeleteThank God for that, we need a revolution and a change of govt. Buhari has failed in Toto, he's supporting his Fulani ppl to kill and main, he's ensured no southerner is in the helms of affair in any security apparatus. He is a disaster and we are tired of bloodshed from his ppl. Ipob, ndewo nuu.
ReplyDeletethe Stephanos Foundation record shows a total of 1,785 attacks in 32 states of the country. This led to the death of not less than 28,878 innocent people. In 121 Muslim-riots in 19 states, the death of 9,451 lives were. Also Boko Haram militant groups were responsible for 701 attacks that claimed 12,812 lives in 15 states. Again, 963 attacks from Fulani Militant groups in 32 states were responsible for 6,615 deaths….And up till today, no-one has been brought to book. Instead, it is those who cried out that were subjected to state harassment. A few suspects arrested were later freed to continue with their atrocities…It was the Federal Government that was justifying the killings of the citizens by accusing some governors of making laws against open grazing. They claimed that the killings were not genocide against Christians but farmers-herders’ clash.”
Delete“…In the light of the current developments and the circumstantial facts surrounding the prevailing upsurge of attacks against the Church, it will be difficult for us to believe that the Federal Government under the present administration is not colluding with the insurgents to exterminate Christians in Nigeria, bearing in mind the very questionable leadership of the security sector that has been skewed towards a religion and region!”
Thanks for this statistics, I'll be using them henceforth. Imagine the death, the Carnage, the evils...may God punish Buhari and his evil cohorts. May ipob put enough fear into them to force them to change.
Deletewhy is the government always been Reactive instead of proactive. There is a lot of blood shed in the North been done secretly. why the pretence
ReplyDeleteWe need to divide Nigerians are tired already. Nothing to gain by been a Nigerian; no light, no good schools, no security, killings here and there, application and taxes are really high yet there are no jobs.
They will always deviate from issues affecting the country ( Boko Haram,Fulani herdsmen killing,rape, southern Kaduna killings etc) and find who to shift blames on.
ReplyDeleteSo how about the news reported here two days ago about the "silent slaughter going on in Southern Kaduna?"
ReplyDeleteIs Southern Kaduna not a christian community and didn't the news talk about "government unconcerned posturing
to the slaughter?"
Aren't Armed Fulani cattle rearers invading the south?
But aren't killings going on?
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the arms discovered in some mosques in southern Nigeria?
What happened to Amotekun and suddenly, they are silenced just after formation?
Did the Nigerian governement not threaten the western governors that they will
remove the seaport and put it in Calabar if the Amotekun persisted?
Why is the Nigerian government suddenly afraid of US and others coming to look in?
🙄🙄🙄😏
ReplyDeleteThe govt should stop crying and fix the incessant killings of Christians by these blood sucking jihadists. I say YES to Biafra and what it stands for.
ReplyDeleteShame on this government 😡😡😡
ReplyDeleteWe've been chasing shadows since 2015 and yet to catch anything. When are we going to stop so that this country can move forward, please. Nigerians are tired of being treated in the most dehumanizing way in their own country for crying out loud. Will Nnamdi Kanu/IPOB solve our numerous problems? Nigerians used to be one of the happiest nations in the world but all that is in the past now. There is so much hunger and pain with no clear cut path on the way out. Nigerians are becoming cannibals by the day, eating each other. Must everyone go abroad? What if everyone relocates abroad, who will these people govern? Face GOVERNANCE for once and ignore every other distractions so we can at least come out of this hole even if not wholly healed. At least with hope, we can get there alive.
ReplyDeleteIs that allegation not true? Go check southern Kaduna.
ReplyDeleteUseless unserious bunch of conniving overfed rulers! It’s their shadows chasing them!
ReplyDelete