Uk, Us reject Biafra passport

A passport issued by the Movement for the
Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra
(MASSOB) has been rejected by the governments
of the United States and the United Kingdom.

This is contrary to a statement by the National
Director of Information, MASSOB, Sunny Okereafor,
who said two weeks ago that the passport was
valid worldwide, adding that the travel document
costs N5,000 while its renewal costs N2,000.

In a response by email to Punch, the Deputy Public
Affairs Officer at the US consulate, Frank Sellin,
said, “The United States does not consider
passports purporting to be from a Biafra entity to
be a valid legal document for purposes of visa
issuance.”

A passport issued by the Movement for the
Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra
(MASSOB) has been rejected by the governments
of the United States and the United Kingdom.

This is contrary to a statement by the National
Director of Information, MASSOB, Sunny Okereafor,
who said two weeks ago that the passport was
valid worldwide, adding that the travel document
costs N5,000 while its renewal costs N2,000.

In a response by email to Punch, the Deputy Public
Affairs Officer at the US consulate, Frank Sellin,
said, “The United States does not consider
passports purporting to be from a Biafra entity to
be a valid legal document for purposes of visa
issuance.”Similarly, a statement by the Press and Public
Affairs Officer, British High Commission, Abuja, Mr.
Joe Abuku, read in part, “The answer is
unequivocally ‘no’.

The UK does not recognise the
so-called Biafran passport.

“The position of the UK Government during the
Biafran War is a matter of historical record. The UK
Government’s position, which reflected the Charter
of the Organisation of African Unity, was to
recognise the borders laid down at independence.

“The Biafran War caused great suffering and the
UK supported the reconciliation work that followed
the conflict. The UK supports the territorial
integrity of Nigeria and the Nigerian Government’s
commitment to work for a secure and prosperous
Nigeria for all Nigerians.”