Turkey Disowns Citizen Who Expressed Support For IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu

Turkey has denied supporting the secessionist agitations in Nigeria and disowned a Turkish citizen, Abdülkadir Erkahraman, who has expressed support for the Biafran agitation.

Mr. Erkahraman identifies himself as the President of the International Nations Commercial Association in Turkey. He visited Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in his home town in Isiama Afara, Umuahia, Abia State in July.‎

He announced the visit on his Facebook page.

The Turk encouraged "Biafrans" to "rise up and fight a good fight for freedom".

In response to the development, the Embassy of Turkey in Nigeria issued a release on its website.

The embassy ‎distanced the Turkish government from Mr. Erkahraman's visit to Mr. Kanu.

In the statement on Saturday, the embassy said, "Erkahraman is not a Turkish diplomat or an official representative of the Turkish government.

"Embassy of the Republic of Turkey wishes to inform the Nigerian public about the following:

"Abdülkadir Erkahraman, a Turkish citizen, has been sharing videos for some time against the Nigerian Government and presents himself as a Turkish diplomat.

"Mr. Abdülkadir Erkahraman is neither a diplomat nor a civil servant or an official representative of the Government of Turkey.

"The Government of Turkey is committed to the territorial integrity and political unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Furthermore, Turkey never supports secessionist activities against the Federal Republic of Nigeria."