The presidency has advised Yoruba Nation protesters to be mindful of the relationship with the outlawed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB).

Presidential Spokesman, Garba Shehu, gave the warning while reacting to the protest that both groups staged at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Brandishing placards and chanting protest songs, the self-determination agitators called on Nigerian leaders and stakeholders to rise up and fight for secession.

But in a statement, Shehu said while the right to protest is legitimate, it is improper for the demonstrators to associate with a terrorist group.

He said it is not unexpected for Nigerian diaspora groups to use the world’s largest platform – the United Nations General Assembly – to garner attention to their causes.

Highlighting the atrocities of IPOB, Shehu said the outlawed group had already announced a “50,000 strong paramilitary organisation”.

Shehu said IPOB regularly murders security services and innocent civilians, with a significant uptick of violent attacks this year while it is currently attempting to hold Nigerian states hostage with orders to stay at home under threat of terror.