By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has commended the designation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ by the United States government.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Sunday, IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful noted that a Canadian court had earlier designated Nigeria’s major political parties – All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terrorist organizations.

Thanking US President Donald Trump for taking the decision, IPOB described the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern as a moral victory for justice, truth and the sanctity of human life.

The group In the same vein urged the US government to probe ethno-religious killings in Nigeria, particularly in the South-East.

The statement reads: ”The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the able leadership of our supreme leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, warmly welcomes the recent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by the government of the United States.

“This development comes on the heels of the Canadian court’s landmark designation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terror-enabling organisations.

“The IPOB family extends profound gratitude to President Donald J. Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, and to all patriotic Biafrans and friends of Biafra in the United States who have relentlessly championed this noble cause. Their courageous advocacy has brought global attention to the evil of religious persecution, state-sponsored violence, and sectarian killings that have long plagued Nigeria — particularly targeting the Christian and Igbo populations.

“This recognition is not merely symbolic; it represents a moral victory for justice, truth, and the sanctity of human life. By calling out the Nigerian state’s complicity in ethnic and religious violence, the international community has helped save countless lives that would otherwise have been lost to orchestrated insecurity and genocidal attacks.

“However, IPOB insists that the work of the US government and the broader international community is far from complete. There remains an urgent need for an independent international inquiry into the root causes of persistent ethno-religious killings and insecurity in Igboland. Such an inquiry is essential to unmask the perpetrators, financiers, and political enablers behind these heinous acts, and to ensure that justice is done in accordance with international human rights law.

“We salute the unyielding courage and resilience of all Biafrans worldwide, especially the exceptional advocacy of American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Ambassadors for Self-Determination and Rising Sun, along with other advocates of liberty around the world who have continued to speak against tyranny, impunity, and the ongoing genocide against our people and Northern Nigeria Christian communities. History will remember your courage. Relief shall at last come to the people of the long suffering peoples of the Middle Belt region as a result of this designation.

“Once again, we commend all members of this great IPOB family for their unwavering determination in pursuit of freedom rooted in liberty for all. All of you played a part in this significant diplomatic milestone. Together, we have taken another step towards truth, justice, and the restoration of the dignity of all peoples trapped in this Lugardian contraption called Nigeria.”