BREAKING: IPOB Mobilise For Mass Protest In Washington DC To Stop Tinubu’s Delegation “Coming To Polish Nigerian Image”
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the United States is mobilising for a mass protest in Washington, D.C., to oppose the visit of a high-level Nigerian government delegation reportedly traveling to America to “polish Nigeria’s image.
In a statement issued on Monday by Comrade Emma Powerful, the media and publicity secretary for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Biafran group said the planned demonstration would be peaceful but “unmistakably powerful.”
According to the statement, the group accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of attempting to deceive the international community into believing that Nigeria enjoys peace, justice, and religious freedom, despite what it described as “ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and mass killings” across the country.
“A high-level Nigerian delegation is reportedly heading to the United States to polish Nigeria’s battered international image and deceive world leaders into believing that peace, justice, and religious freedom exist in that country. They want to cover the blood,” the statement read.
“We say no! We will not allow the same government presiding over ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, church burnings, abductions, and mass burials of Indigenous Peoples to rewrite the narrative while the victims are still bleeding.”
The group said the protest aims to “raise our voices with thunder in the capital of the free world,” declaring solidarity with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance against “ethno-religious genocide in Nigeria.”
Powerful added that IPOB’s leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, had long warned of “a jihadist expansion, land-grabbing agenda, and systematic extermination targeting Judeo-Christian populations” before he was abducted and detained by Nigerian authorities.
“We will honour his sacrifice by taking the truth to Washington, D.C., loudly,” the statement said.
Powerful listed multiple regions across Nigeria allegedly facing violence and displacement, from the Middle Belt to Southern Kaduna, Kwara, and the South-East, warning that “if we don’t rise, we will be the next headline, the next mass grave, the next ‘never again’ story.”
Emphasising that the demonstration would be peaceful, the group called on Biafrans, Judeo-Christians, Yoruba Nation supporters, Middle Belt groups, and all Indigenous peoples in the diaspora to unite in protest.
“This is not a violent call. This is not a call for confrontation. This is a call for a mass, peaceful, unstoppable display of conscience. Bring your voice, bring your flag, bring your courage,” the group stated.
Comrade Powerful further urged all participants to begin mobilising immediately, saying details on the date, time, and location of the protest would be released soon.
“No diplomatic lies can cover mass graves. No lobbying can erase the tears of widows and orphans. No propaganda can bury the truth forever,” the statement added.
The protest, according to Powerful, is expected to draw participants from various ethnic nationalities and human rights groups in the United States.
Naija News House reported on Friday that President Donald Trump said in response to claims of genocide against Christians in Nigeria, he had redesignated the country as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
He had announced the decision on his Truth Social media platform.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — But that is the least of it,” he wrote.
The Nigerian government has denied claims of any Christian genocide in the country.
President Bola Tinubu emphasized that Nigeria’s constitution enshrines the protection of religious rights and that his administration continues to ensure equality for all faiths across the nation.
After these comments, Trump further noted that the United States military might come “gun-blazing” into Nigeria.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” he said.
Nigeria, however, denied any genocide against Christians.
President Tinubu reiterated that “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.”
He noted that since assuming office in 2023, his administration has maintained active engagement with both Christian and Muslim leaders while working to tackle security challenges affecting citizens regardless of religious affiliation.
“Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions,” he stated.
Tinubu dismissed what he described as a mischaracterisation of Nigeria’s religious landscape by external observers, saying such claims fail to reflect the country’s diversity and the government’s ongoing efforts to promote peaceful coexistence.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” the President declared.
