Proscribed Igbo secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has rejected its recent ranking by the IEP Global Terrorism Index Report of 2022 which placed the group as the 10th most deadliest terrorist group in the world.

The ranking which was released on Wednesday by the GTI, had ranked the pro-Biafran agitators as a deadly terrorist group alongside the likes of ISWAP, ISIS, and the Boko Haram insurgents.

But in a statement on Thursday, IPOB said it rejected the ranking, describing it as a “conspiracy by the Federal Government and some other foreign agencies to blackmail and demonise the group.”

In the statement issued by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group said it was disappointing that a “reputable organisation such as IEP would descend so low to publish fictional and inaccurate accounts in their 2022 terrorism index.”

“The Indigenous People of Biafra, under the leadership of our able leader, Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu, unequivocally refute the Global Terrorism Index Report of 2022 as a conspiracy by Federal Government of Nigeria and some foreign agencies to blackmail and demonize IPOB globally,” the statement reads.

“It’s very disappointing that a reputable organization such as Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), a USA-based Institute that has been given a measurable global terrorism index, will descend so low to publish fictional and inaccurate accounts in their 2022 terrorism index report

In the IEP’s Terrorism Index Report of 2022, the current Nigerian Government was cleverly portrayed as haven improved in counter-terrorism while in reality, the terrorists have become more emboldened during the period.

“According to the report, the total number of deaths due to terrorism in Nigeria for 2022 is 448, which is the lowest level since 2011. This is a concocted falsehood.

“In one state, such as Benue State, the Fulani-sponsored terrorists have killed more than 400 civilians. The report as it relates to Nigeria showed a full script from Nigeria Government handed over to the Institute for publication.”

The IPOB spokesman also challenged the IEP to present an irrefutable evidence of IPOB being responsible for the death of civilians which led to it being labelled a deadly terror group.

“In the same report, IPOB was mentioned as the 3rd violent group that has caused civilian deaths. We challenge IEP to present irrefutable evidence of where IPOB killed any person in Nigeria.

“On the contrary, there are many verifiable evidence both on print and social media on the massacre and extrajudicial killings of many IPOB members by Nigeria Security Agencies since 2017,” it said