July 5, 2022

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has called on western countries to declare the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a terrorist group, according to Reuters.

Mohammed who spoke in an exclusive interview with Reuters, added that Nigerian security forces had not killed any innocent citizen in the country’s southeast during its campaign against IPOB, “not deliberately”.

Speaking on a wide range of issues, the minister said he would demand the return of hundreds of priceless sculptures known as the Benin Bronzes when he met with the director of the British Museum later on Monday, after Germany returned the first two of more than 1,100 last week.

“I will be telling them that time is running out to return our stolen artefacts” he said. He said he did not expect a result immediately, but that “it’s about when, it’s not if”.

On climate change, Mohammed said a new industry law that allocates money to oil-producing communities would stop attacks and blamed the European Union’s climate change policies for stifling investment in the sector.

“We believe that climate change is real and important for emission control, but there is a bit of double standard in the EU policy regarding climate change,” he said.

REUTERS