Skip to main content

Biafran Independence

A photo taken on May 30, 1967 shows Colonel Odumegwu Emeka Ojukwu reading a speech as he declares the independence of Biafra. Fifty years ago, the Igbo people of south-East Nigeria seceded, declaring an independent Republic of Biafra and sparking a brutal civil war that left about one million people dead.









In south-East Nigeria on Tuesday Shops, schools and businesses were shut. It was 50 years to the day since an independent republic of Biafra was declared, sparking a Civil war that was brutal.
In Anambra State  (Onitsha), the economic hub, the banks of the River Niger, most markets were closed and the streets were largely empty of people and traffic. Separatist sentiment persists in the region, which is dominated by the Igbo people, and the main pro-Biafran independence group has called on supporters to stay at home.

“No work today, we are Biafran, we are not Nigerians,” “No violence, it is a peaceful sit at home. We are protesting peacefully,” said Ebere Ichukwu Eli, one of the few people to venture outside, where there was a visible security presence.

A woman who gave her name only as Justine, said: “The market is closed today. I’m just going home to stay with my children.
“We want our one Biafra. It’s our land. That’s why we all sit at home today.”
The closures were either to commemorate the anniversary in support or because of fears of violence, local people said.

Nigerian police last week denounced “planned protests and order of market closures” and warned it would “deal decisively” with any breach of the peace or unlawful protest.
Last year, demonstrations marking the declaration of Biafran independence turned bloody. Amnesty International said the military gunned down more than 60 people. Since August 2015, more than 150 people have been killed in pro-Biafra protests, said Amnesty’s Nigeria director Osai Ojigho. Nigeria’s government denies the claim.

“We urge the Nigerian security agencies to conduct themselves in a manner that will ensure public order without resorting to force,” he added.
Amnesty said the security forces had arrested more than 100 members of pro-Biafran separatist groups in the run-up to Tuesday’s anniversary. Calls for independence never disappeared even after the 30-month civil war, which left more than one million dead, most of them Igbos, mainly from starvation and disease.


Many people accuse the government of failing to invest in the south-East since the end of the war in 1970, blighting development. Some see it as a punishment for the conflict. Support for secession has increased since the arrest in late 2015 of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the pro-independence Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6 Steps in Starting a Small Scale Business

In going into a business may not be easy especially when there is lack of start-up capital. Ideas flows from most individuals, there is a high business zeal/spirit. Many, who are very desperate of starting, go as much as far to the Bank to get a loan but yet none of the Nigeria Bank will be willing and want to give any individual loan as a start-up capital. It takes so much effort to even get grant from the government.     It is depressing to be loaded with great business ideas and not able to utilize it due to no capital. As a prospective business man/woman to be, there are some things you need to put into place before thinking of the start-up capital. Starting a small scale Business 1.       Discover the need of people (What they need). What do you think the people need? How can you satisfy them in terms of service and goods. If you want to go into selling products for instance, there are some goods people cannot do wi...
1 comment
Read more

Aisha Buhari makes another trip to London to see the President

Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend embarked on another trip to London to visit her husband who is currently receiving treatment in the United Kingdom for an undisclosed ailment. Buhari left the shores of Nigeria for London on May 7 for a second round of medical treatment. He had earlier spent 50 days in London before returning to Nigeria on March 10. A statement last night by Mrs. Buhari’s media aide, Suleiman Haruna, said Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari left for London, United Kingdom on Sunday, July 2, 2017, to visit her husband who is on medical vacation. She will convey to the president the best wishes of Nigerians and their fervent prayers for his quick recovery. “She is expected to stop over at Addis Ababa, to make a symbolic appearance at the meeting of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) on Monday, July 3, 2017. “She will join other members to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the organisation, an...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to prepare Okro Soup (Naija style)

Okra soup is one of the most popular Nigerian soup, I like this soup because it is very easy to prepare and likely the cheapest soup in Nigeria. I remember making a pot of (Okra) Okro soup with just two hundred and fifty Naira, (10 years ago)… more like a one dollar soup. I used frozen fish, Okra and some other ingredients to prepare the soup, then you could buy a good frozen fish with just forty or fifty Naira, I am talking about the “good old days”. Okra soup is one of the most common soups eaten by the people of Igbo, often it is combined with ogbono for best result, you can learn more here about making Nigerian Ogbolo(ogbono) soup. There are several reasons why I like this soups above other Nigerian soups, the most outstanding reason being that kids love it, I learned that the best way to introduce eba or fufu to kids is to serve with Okra or ogbolo soup, this way it would be very easy for them to swallow, I have tried it and found that it works perfect. Sliced...
Post a Comment
Read more