The government of France has denied having links with secessionist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The Nigerian government had alleged that the group was being funded from France and that it would take urgent measures to block it.
But in reaction, the Embassy of France in Nigeria expressed surprise at the statement made Wednesday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
The statement signed by the Political Counsellor, Embassy of France in Nigeria, Claude Abily, challenged the Federal Government of Nigeria to provide documentary evidence to substantiate its claim that France was the financial headquarters of the separatist group.
The statement read:
“The Embassy of France was surprised by the statement made yesterday by the Minister of Information and Culture indicating that the “financial headquarters” of IPOB were in France.
“We don’t have any knowledge of a particular presence of IPOB in France and the Nigerian authorities never got in touch with the Embassy on this point.We stand ready to examine any information which could support this statement.
“Furthermore, we would like to reiterate that France actively cooperates with Nigeria in the field of security and that we strongly support the unity of the country,” the Embassy said.