IPOB is seeking the excision of a Biafra nation from
south-east Nigeria.

In 2017, the Nigerian government proscribed IPOB and
labelled the group a “militant terrorist organisation” after the Eastern
Security Network (ESN), its armed wing, was accused of killings and violence.

In 2024, Simon Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi
Kanu, IPOB leader, said Ogechukwu Nkere, Biafra “finance minister”, met with
Cruz.

Ekpa is currently serving a six-year prison term in Finland
for inciting terrorism and participating in the activities of a terrorist
group.

“Minister Nkere briefed the Senator on Biafra’s progress
towards independence, including activities such as the self-referendum, as well
as the Nigerian government’s persecution of Biafrans and ties to Islamic
terrorist groups,” Ekpa said in an X post, alongside a photo of Nkere and Cruz.

“At the end of the meeting, Minister Nkere handed the
Senator the Biafra charter and Biafra pin.”

CRUZ, IPOB, AND RENEWED CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION CLAIMS

Cruz has been lobbying for sanctions and military action in
Nigeria over claims of an ongoing persecution of Christians in the country.

Last month, he proposed a bill that seeks to protect
“persecuted” Christians in Nigeria and hold Nigerian government officials
accountable for “facilitating the mass murder”.

In a separate investigation, TheCable found the hashtag
#biafraexitnow, featuring prominently in the online discourse around the
Christian genocide claims.

Analysis of datasets also showed that keywords supportive of
Biafra and Kanu appeared frequently in author bios.

TheCable also found that much of the data cited by US
lawmakers and other genocide claimants came from the International Society for
Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), a pro-Christian civil rights
group known for promoting sectional interests.

Cable Check, TheCable’s fact-checking arm, found the figures
quoted in the report to be false.

Emeka Umeagbalasi, Intersociety’s founder, also repeatedly
voiced support for Biafra and Kanu.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to go into Nigeria
“guns-a-blazing to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorist thugs attacking
our cherished Christians!”