Government of France has denied knowledge that the financial headquarters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is in its country as claimed by the Nigerian government.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed on Wednesday told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Presidential Villa that funding of the secessionist group in southeast Nigeria was coming from France.
“Let me tell you, the financial headquarters is in France, we know…You have to block the sources of finance.” the minister said.
But the French Embassy in Abuja said it was surprised by the minister’s claim and that it stood ready to examine any information which could support the statement.
The Embassy, in a statement by its Political Counsellor, Claude Abily, said it had no knowledge of IPOB presence in France and that the Nigerian authorities never got in touch with it on this issue.
France, she said, cooperates with Nigeria in the field of security and strongly supports its unity.
The statement said, “The Embassy of France was surprised by the statement made yesterday by the Minister of Information and Culture indicating that the “financial headquarters” of IPOB were in France.
“We don’t have any knowledge of a particular presence of IPOB in France and the Nigerian authorities never got in touch with the Embassy on this point.
“We stand ready to examine any information which could support this statement.
“Furthermore, we would like to reiterate that France actively cooperates with Nigeria in the field of security and that we strongly support the unity of the country.”
It would be recalled that Turkey had earlier denied supporting IPOB after a supposed diplomat of the country’s origin publicly expressed support the now proscribed and official declared terrorist organisation.
France, it has been said, would need to investigate the likelihood of the allegation by the Nigerian government over the IPOB finance headquarters in that European country rather than telling how surprised it was hearing the statement by the Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture.
