The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has disclosed that it has dragged the Executive Director of the School of Public and International Affairs, Baltimore University, USA, Prof. Ivan Sheehan, to court for alleged false publication against the group.

The development was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday by the group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, accusing Sheehan of publishing a “false and malicious” article against the group.

According to him, Sheehan had in a piece published in The Washington Times called on the US authorities to declare IPOB a global terrorists group.

Powerful noted that the academic don’s publication suggests that the creation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) by IPOB in Nigeria, rubbishes the groups claim to be a peaceful movement, and accused the group’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu of using Radio Biafra to issue threats and back terrorism.

He said that Sheehan had falsely claimed that the IPOB leader openly declared his support for terrorism.

The IPOB spokesperson disclosed that the group’s lawyers led by Dr Bruce Fein had dragged the professor to court over his publication.

The statement read, “The global movement and family of Indigenous People of Biafra wishes to announce to the general public that our legal luminaries in the US, led by Dr Bruce Fein, IPOB attorney in the USA, have taken Prof. Ivan Sascha Kasheen of Baltimore University, USA, to court for writing falsehood and junk against IPOB.

“Dr Ivan was paid to write a false and malicious article against IPOB and its leader which was published by Washington Times invariably asking the US State Department to designate a peaceful self-determination movement like IPOB as a terrorist organisation.

“This paid agent will testify before the court why he accused IPOB wrongly and who paid him to do the hatchet job.

IPOB stated that it would address a “world press conference” in Abuja on Wednesday (today) to address some burning issues surrounding Nnamdi Kanu’s court appearance.”