Governments of the United States of America, and the United Kingdom have said they do not recognise the passports being issued by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). Recall the National Director of Information, MASSOB, Sunny Okereafor, had two weeks ago said that the passport was valid worldwide, adding that the travel document costs N5,000 while its renewal costs N2,000. Okereafor had said:
“Except Nigeria, other countries of the world accept Biafran passport and allow our citizens to travel with it. In Europe, North and South America, Biafran passport is accepted. Nigeria is the only country that seizes Biafran passport.”
The Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the United States of America Embassy in Lagos, Frank Sellin has 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.”
In a related development, the Press and Public Affairs Officer, British High Commission, Abuja, Mr. Joe Abuku, released a statement which stated in parts that:
“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.”