The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has reacted to the British government’s condemnation of Israel for building permanent structures in Jerusalem.

British Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, had condemned Israel’s decision to advance the E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem. Miliband described the Israeli government’s action as an “unacceptable and destructive act” that risks severing the West Bank from East Jerusalem and ending hopes for a two-state solution.

However, reacting in a statement released by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, on Friday, IPOB accused the British government of selective outrage and hypocrisy, noting that it failed to condemn the detention of its citizen, Nnamdi Kanu, by the Nigerian authorities.

According to IPOB, instead of condemning Kanu’s detention, Britain assisted the Nigerian government in flouting a United Nations resolution calling for his release.

“The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the divine and supreme leadership of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has taken note of the recent pronouncements by the British Foreign Secretary regarding real estate development in Jerusalem. While we stand unequivocally with Israel and recognize Jerusalem as its eternal and undivided capital, we are compelled to expose the rotting hypocrisy of His Majesty’s Government.

“The United Nations Human Rights Council, acting under the United Nations General Assembly, has officially indicted Nigeria for gross violations of international law and jus cogens norms in the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The United Nations declared that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was subjected to torture and extraordinary rendition – kidnapped from Kenya and forcibly returned to Nigeria in 2021 in clear violation of international legal standards.

“The UN Working Group explicitly called for his immediate release and payment of compensation for these grave violations. These are not the words of IPOB. These are the findings of the highest international human rights bodies.

“And what did Britain do? Rather than support this binding call for justice, Britain chose to assist Nigeria in defying international law. The same Britain now lecturing Israel about “international law” turned a blind eye to the torture of a British citizen. The same Britain invoking legal principles against our Israeli brothers and sisters actively helped Nigeria circumvent those very principles when it concerned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” IPOB said.

Thd pro-Biafra group described the British Foreign Secretary’s statement as entirely one-sided, noting that “it condemns Israel for building homes near Jerusalem while ignoring Palestinian terrorism, incitement, and the Palestinian Authority’s “pay for slay” policy.”

According to IPOB, the systematic policy of blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism has contributed to a massive wave of antisemitic hatred against the British Jewish community.

Stressing what it described as the Jewish people’s right to the land of Israel, IPOB declared, “We reject outright the patronizing tone of the British government’s lectures. The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the historic and Biblical land of Israel.

“Jerusalem is Israel, and Israel is Jerusalem. The Balfour Declaration formally recognized this historic right more than a century ago. Britain, which still controls colonial territories thousands of miles from its shores, has no right to lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their tiny historic homeland.

“If Britain genuinely cares about international law, we demand: Immediate public support for the UN Human Rights Council’s ruling on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. A public call on Nigeria to release him and pay compensation. An end to the selective application of international law based on political convenience.

“Israel will not be a passive victim of this policy, and neither will we. The UK Government’s decision to damage its relationships while enabling human rights abuses is deeply unfortunate. Britain must choose: respect international law for all, or be exposed as a hypocrite that uses law only as a weapon against its friends.”

It will be recalled that the Israeli Knesset raised concerns over Nnamdi Kanu’s plight during a reception for an IPOB delegation.

Also, an Israeli strategic advisor, Noga Arbel, recently called the freedom of Biafra while slamming Britain for its support for ‘colonialism’ in Nigeria during a programme aired on Israel’s Channel 14 television station.