US, UK Reject Nigeria's Bid to Label IPOB as Terrorists

The United Kingdom and the United States have formally declined requests from the Federal Government of Nigeria to designate the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as an international terrorist organisation.

This decision, confirmed by several high-level diplomatic sources, represents a major setback for Nigerian authorities who have long sought international support to justify classifying this separatist group.

The Nigerian government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, added IPOB to its list of terrorist organisations in 2017, following increased agitation in favour of creating an independent Biafran state in the southeast of the country. The group, led by Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently detained, denies any involvement in acts of terrorism and maintains that its struggle for self-determination is peaceful, although it is accused of being linked to some armed violence in the region.

Since being designated a terrorist organisation, Nigerian security forces have waged a protracted and often violent crackdown on members of IPOB and its armed vigilante wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). This conflict has resulted in numerous casualties and widespread allegations of human rights abuses.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly pressured its key Western allies, including the United States and the United Kingdom, to support its national designation, arguing that such a move would cripple the international funding and moral support the group receives abroad.

According to sources within the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the US State Department, these requests were carefully considered but ultimately rejected.

A spokesperson for the British government said, “The UK takes a rigorous, evidence-based approach to designating organisations as terrorists.”  While we recognise the complexity of the security challenges in southeastern Nigeria, our current assessment is that IPOB does not meet the legal criteria to be banned under UK law. We encourage all parties to pursue peaceful and inclusive dialogue to resolve the underlying grievances.

A US State Department official echoed this view: “Our designation of foreign terrorist organisations is a powerful tool based on specific criteria. In Nigeria, our priority remains supporting comprehensive approaches that address security, governance, and economic issues, while ensuring the human rights of all citizens.”

Political analyst, Paul Bala, told Gazette Africa that the decision is indicative of a broader Western perspective that categorises the situation in southeastern Nigeria as a complex mix of separatist unrest, crime, and state-sponsored violence, rather than a clearly defined terrorist campaign meeting international definitions.