The Igbos in Nigeria Movement (INM) has blamed "political" Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and groups that have showed incurable bias and sympathy for terrorist organisations for the inclusion of Nigeria in the United States' blacklist for religious intolerance. 

The group said it came to this conclusion after a thorough review of the circumstances that led to the inclusion of Nigeria. 

In a statement signed by its President, Mazi Ifeanyi Igwe, the Igbo group said the U.S. was misled by the political wing of CAN and groups affiliated to terrorism. 

The INM noted that the U.S' report was extracted from NGOs and international news reports that are totally out of tune with the reality in Nigeria.

According to the group, the United States' blacklist could ultimately incite Christians against their Muslim neighbours in parts of the country that have till date remained peaceful and free of ethno-sectarian crisis

The INM, however, that the United States discards its report listing Nigeria as a country that promotes religious persecution as it is lacking in facts while it is a product of misleading reports by the political wings of supposed religious groups.

Read the full statement below:

The Igbos in Nigeria Movement (INM) taken time to review the inclusion of Nigeria on the Special Watch List for having engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom by the States Department of the United States in its 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nigeria. 

The logical conclusion we arrived at upon our review is the United States was misled by the political wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and groups that have shown incurable bias and sympathy for terrorist organizations.

INM’s decision to make this public clarification derives from the realization that the UN report contained too many fallacies that will do long term damage to harmonious relations among the diverse ethnic nationalities in Nigeria if they are not immediately challenged, exposed as false and rejected in their entirety. 

We particularly noted that the US report was largely based on the information it extracted from NGOs and international news reports that are totally out of tune with the reality in Nigeria. The NGOs and the news outlets engaged in a lot of inferences and generalization that magnified incidents in a way that fits into preconceived stereotypes they have for Nigeria.

It must be noted and documented that CAN, which the report relied heavily on for input and subsequent endorsement and marketing of its content, has in recent years metamorphosed into the NGO wing of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). It has made it a mission to frame whatever the Federal Government of Nigeria is doing from the perspective of the ethnic and sectarian prism, which has served to sow divisions where none existed prior.

INM is concerned that the manner that the US report is promoting the concept of Muslims versus Christians will dangerously incite Christians against their Muslim neighbours in parts of the country that have till date remained peaceful and free of ethno-sectarian crisis. We further fear that the report is validating a suggestion that other ethnic groups should exterminate the Fulani from Nigeria. 

We are raising this alarm because of the risks this report poses as something that will incite and inflame passion among the Igbos, first as having large Christian population and secondly as originally being from the south-east of Nigeria, in a manner that will make them take the law into their hands. This has the potential of misleading our people to commit crimes in addition to sparking off tit-for-tat reprisals that will make the whole of Nigeria a sectarian war zone. 

INM, therefore, demands that the United States discards its report listing Nigeria as a country that promotes religious persecution as it is lacking in facts while it is a product of misleading reports by the political wings of supposed religious groups. The wild categorization of Nigerians as sharply divided along ethnic and sectarian lines is something that the US also has to desist from doing forthwith because experience has shown us that these concepts of identity war that is projected into the consciousness of Nigerians amount to a kind of subtle war that is meant to make Nigerians kill themselves.

What is all this

Dis one na APC igbo group lol...Igbos in Nigeria indeed

Lol. An imaginary Igbo group which is more interested in the evil agenda of the fulanis than the safety of their fellow Igbos. The content exposes the hypocrites behind the fictitious group. I'll advice them to ask Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore to open that their evil mouth and accuse the US of been misled. The people of Agatu will corroborate their story.
Shame on the vampires from the sahel.

Aboki claiming IBo..

Sounds more like a hastily put together group paid to go against the majority. When will we all speak with one voice? We all know the truth but because of crumbs or clout chasing, some people will just decide to call white black

IGBO GROUP

Toh

Well, some Igbo guys are clearly catching out on this, when would they protest at the American embassy?

says which group

Another fake igbo group looking for govt patronage,make una no find better job.

Hehehe

One man hustler , Igbo group my ass, let him show head and let’s see .

Igbo Muric

Coward betrayal of faith, Oya have igbo presidency with this wonderful job

Igbos in Nigeria indeed.
The smell of Taqiyya is too strong that you have to be a dead person not to smell the hand of buhari's fulani regime in the group.

Hausa man forming Igbo groups. Divide and rule no deh work again

You would be very stupid to believe that's why Nigeria was banned. Very, very stupid. And wtf is 'Igbos in Nigeria' lol

Absolutely true; some unpatriotic groups and individuals with particular hatred for the president, his religion and region are doing everything they can to discredit him; including damaging the image of the country with fake news and propaganda.

How can anyone truly believe and say the ongoing herdsmen, banditry and even Boko Haram attacks are religiously motivated, let alone amount to persecution of Christians - when such attacks are directed at anyone and everyone without exception; moreover Muslims form majority of the victims.