31 May 2017•Update: 31 May 2017
By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria
Protesters in Nigeria’s southeast declared the marking of the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Biafran independence a success on Wednesday after people joined in around the world.
The declaration of the largely Igbo region, which includes part of the oil-rich Niger Delta, as the Republic of Biafra in May 1967 sparked civil war that led to nearly 2 million deaths from war, famine and disease.
Emma Powerful, a spokesman for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, said those who stayed at home on Tuesday to mark the anniversary were joined by Igbo in 75 other countries.
He pointed to demonstrations in Switzerland, the U.K., the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, Angola and Congo as a sign of solidarity.
“All the people of Biafra both at home and abroad complied in totality without any compulsion, which has not happened in the history of the Biafran struggle. Biafra is here,” Powerful said in a statement.
He added: “Biafrans have proven to the entire world that they need freedom and the world must know that we are not going back in the quest for independence of Biafra.”
The Igbo say they still suffer victimization compared to other groups in Nigeria and that the issues that led to the war remain unresolved.
The IPOB and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra had called on Igbo to stay at home in memory of the declaration and the loss of life that followed.
IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, who currently faces treason charges, said in a rally over the weekend that civil disobedience to Nigerian authorities would continue until a separate homeland was realized.
He also threatened to stop elections across the southeast until the government called a referendum on self-determination.
Emma Nwachukwu, a local journalist, told Anadolu Agency that there was “substantial compliance with the sit-at-home directive” on Tuesday in Awka, the capital of Anambra state, the river port of Onitsha and Enugu, the capital of Enugu state.
“Banks and schools are also shut here in Awka apparently for fear of violence,” he added.
Fyneface Fyneface, a radio journalist in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, said there was also compliance in the city, which has a significant Igbo population.
“I can tell you that many shops are closed in compliance with the protest,” he said. “There is lull in business activities. But I also note that some shops owned by Igbo are also open, which means they don't subscribe to the idea.”
Schools and banks remained open in the state, he added.
The day saw no open protests, apparently due to concerns over a potential confrontation with security forces. According to Amnesty International, security forces killed at least 60 people at last year’s demonstrations.
Osai Ojigho, the director of Amnesty International Nigeria, said more than 150 people had been left dead in pro-Biafra protests since August 2015.
