On May 30th, 1967, the Governor of Eastern Nigeria, Ojukwu made the speech declaring the independence of the East thus: “I, Lieutenant-Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, by virtue of the authority, and pursuant to the principles, recited above, do hereby solemnly proclaim that the territory and region known as and called Eastern Nigeria together with her continental shelf and territorial waters shall henceforth be an independent sovereign state of the name and title of The Republic of Biafra.”
After 30 months of conflict, the Republic of Biafra ceased to exist as an entity but the idea behind Biafra has continued to reign. Since the return of Civilian Rule in 1999, groups have emerged pursuing the return of Biafra via peaceful means and otherwise.
These Biafra groups, their agenda, and their mode of operation are analyzed in this piece to give you a clearer understanding of how the push for Biafra is run.
Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, associated with Igbo nationalism, is a secessionist movement in Nigeria, which supports the recreation of an independent state of Biafra.
It is led by an Indian-trained lawyer Ralph Uwazuruike and was founded in the year1999 and with headquarters in Okwe Okigwe, Imo State.
The leaders of MASSOB say it is a peaceful group and went ahead to advertise a 25-stage plan on how to achieve its goal peacefully. There have two arms to the government and includes the Biafra Government in Exile and Biafra Shadow Government.
MASSOB vs IPOB – comparing their mode of operation, etc
MASSOB agitation is for a Republic of Biafra comprising the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria whilst the leader Uwazuruike has stated in his interviews that the Niger Deltans “can have their own republic.”
The group’s idealogy and mode of operation are hinged on the principle of non-violence as propagated by Mahatma Gandhi who was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist and massively supported movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.
Biafra Zionist Movement (BZN)
Biafra Zionist Movement was the first Biafra Agitation group to surfaced. BZM is a group that had the agenda of agitating for the restoration of Biafra and its independence from Nigeria.
It was led by Benjamin Onwuka, a united KIngdom based lawyer who is currently being detained by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The idealogy of the movement is for the actualization of the sovereign state of Biafra along the precolonial lines.
The mode of operation could be traced to when the movement had the backing of Igbo intellectuals in the Diaspora, particularly those residing in the United States and South Africa. The group sent an application to the United Nations for observer status for the Republic of Biafra.
The application was submitted to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Another application for an independent status was sent to the African Union with a request to convene a meeting of Heads of State and Government.
The application to the UN secretariat, dated August 6, 2012, with reference BZM/OS. The/REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA gave the grounds of the application as insecurity of lives and property and lack of religious freedom/worship.
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
The IPOB popularly known as the Indigenous People of Biafra is a Biafran separatist organization in Nigeria. It was founded in 2012 by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a British Nigerian political activist recognized for his prominent advocacy of the contemporary Biafran independence movement. They had a similar goal with the Biafra Zionist Movement, Its main aim is to restore an independent state of Biafra in the South East of Nigeria through an independence referendum.
Nnamdi Kanu Capture – Five eye-opening facts its reveals
The organization rose to a large prominence in the mid-2010s and is now the largest Biafran independence organization by the membership. Their mode of operation has been made known in recent years because it has continuously gained significant media attention for becoming a periodic target of political crackdowns by the Nigerian government. It also has various sites and communication channels serving as the only recognized trusted social apparatus educating and inculcating first-hand information and news to its target audience or citizens.
Eastern Security Network (ESN)
The Eastern Security Network (ESN) is the youngest amongst all the Biafra agitation groups. It is not fully an independent organization as it is a paramilitary organization of the Indigenous People of Biafra analyzed above but we felt that its reach and power since its inception is worthy of a mention as a separate agitation group.
We did a fuller analysis of ESN – here’s the link.
Generally, their functions include serving as the group that directly defends its members and the Igbos generally from any form of external attack either from the Nigerian army or the Fulani herdsmen.
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