Save us from persecution before it's too late, IPOB urges Trump

The Indigenous People of Biafra has alleged that its members in Aba and Port Harcourt are being persecuted and arrested by security agencies since President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group complained about the open persecution of its religious group, Shalon Synagogue Church of Israel.

The group said its  ordeal began shortly after  Trump  pronounced Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

It enjoined Trump and Israel to intervene in the ordeal to save its members from annihilation by the President Muhammadu  Buhari-led government.

The statement read, “We, the family members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, worldwide, condemn the ongoing religious persecution, harassment and arrest of IPOB members, especially those of the Shalom Synagogue Church of Israel in Aba, Abia State, last week.

“Since President Trump announced US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the wave of arbitrary arrests and persecution of Biafrans that practise Judaism in Aba and  Port Harcourt have dramatically increased.

“Nigerian government is setting a very ugly and dangerous precedent. Those arrested for their faith must be released immediately, including all those illegally detained for expressing their legitimately held views that they are better off in Biafra than Nigeria.

Powerful added, “Arresting members of Shalom Christian Church because they are connected to the Jews in Israel is religious discrimination of the worst kind. Every religion has a root and in as much as nobody can deny that Saudi Arabia is the root of Islam, nobody can deny that Israel is the foundation of both Judaism and later Christianity.”