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The American Veterans of Igbo Descent, AVID, has said the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has no moral standing to link the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to terrorism.
AVID, in a statement on Sunday, said Ribadu was wrong to accuse IPOB of being responsible for attacks on police stations and correctional centers in parts of the country.
The group, in a statement signed by Chief Dr Sylvester Onyia, described Ribadu’s claims as brazen lies and hate speech.
According to AVID, Ribadu’s action is not only subjudice but also a disgraceful abuse of public office.
AVID stressed that declaring IPOB guilty in the media was tantamount to gross interference with judicial independence – an action which it said should attract immediate sanctions from the court in any civilized society.
The NSA, Ribadu, recently attributed violent attacks on police stations and correctional centers in parts of the country to IPOB.
However, describing Ribadu’s claims as ridiculous, AVID said the National Security Adviser has no moral standing to speak on terrorism when the North-East, where he hails from, is plagued by terrorists, Fulani militia and bandits.
Parts of the statement read: “The American Veterans of Igbo Descent, AVID, an organization representing proud Igbo people who have served or are currently serving with honor in the United States Armed Forces, categorically condemns the recent reckless and deeply offensive statements by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
“His media campaign against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network, ESN, filled with brazen lies, hate speech, and incitement, is not only subjudice but a disgraceful abuse of public office.
“Let us remind Ribadu that he presides over an intelligence architecture that stands indicted by its own witnesses. On 22 May 2025, a star government witness (PW-BBB) testified under oath that the DSS – Nigeria’s secret police – is under the direct control of the National Intelligence Agency and, by extension, the National Security Adviser.
“That same Ribadu now feels emboldened to declare IPOB guilty in the media, even as the trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is ongoing, is an egregious interference with judicial independence that in any civilized society should attract immediate sanctions from the court.
“Mallam Ribadu, your statements are not just contemptuous-they are dangerous. They reveal the mindset of a regime that conflates dissent with terrorism, civil disobedience with war crimes, and regional aspirations with rebellion.
“Sir, you have no moral standing to speak of terrorism while blood from your own backyard runs freely down the streets of Sokoto, Zamfara, Niger, Borno, Katsina, and other states plagued by Fulani militia, bandits, and terrorists that your government has consistently failed-or refused to name and confront.
“How many times have you, Ribadu, addressed the media about the sacking of hundreds of indigenous villages in the Middle Belt and South by Fulani herdsmen? How many internally displaced Nigerians have died from hunger and disease in the so-called IDP camps scattered across Northern Nigeria, camps that bear haunting.”
English (US) ·