Biafra: IPOB Declares Turkish Citizen As Its Rep In Middle East, Asia

Nnamdi Kanu and Abdulkadir Erkahraman

Despite the Federal Government’s proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the secessionist group has announced Turkish citizen, Mr. Abdulkadir Erkahraman as its official representative on international relations in the Middle East and Asia.

IPOB described Erkahraman, who is the President of International Nations Commercial Association based in Turkey, as an adviser to its head, Nnamdi Kanu.

Naija News recalls that Nnamdi Kanu had earlier received Erkahraman in his Umuahia home in June 2017, in order to discuss how to solidify Biafra.

Erkahraman had also earlier condemned the operation of soldiers in the South East by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Thursday decried the tagging of the secessionist group, as terrorist organization. He said it “is an act designed to alienate friends of Biafra from publicly associating with the IPOB movement for self-determination, accusing the Nigerian government of working to isolate the movement for Biafra restoration away from international supporters.”

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IPOB had also alleged that the Federal Government of inviting Erkahraman to Nigeria in a bid to make him grant a television broadcast publicly withdrawing his support for Biafra.

The group cautioned that their strategies will not work because “Erkahraman is a conscientious Muslim who understands what human rights is all about, the need to preserve same and believes that freedom for Biafra supersedes everything else in life, even his own religion.”

“When he visited our leader in his home town Afaraukwu Ibeku Umuahia, their discussions focused exclusively on areas of infrastructural development and how such partnerships can be developed to help alleviate the suffering of the people of Biafra.

“He is not a Turkish diplomat, he has never claimed to be one and our leader did not receive him in such capacity. Those on online news platforms in Nigeria referring to him as a diplomat are deliberately misleading their readers.

“Some of these publishers are nothing more than sponsored agents, in the pay of the Ministry of Information, hoping to tarnish the image of Erkahraman and Biafra”, the group said.

IPOB urged the Turkey’s government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to critically examine the activities of the government of Nigeria.