Biafra Agitator, Simon Ekpa, has written a memo to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), accusing the Nigerian government of denying citizens a level playing field. Ekpa stated that certain forces are trampling on others and doing as they please in the country. He lamented that innocent Biafra youths are being arrested and jailed without a fair trial, while others are extrajudicially killed.
In his memo dated April 13, Ekpa alleged that the government has violated the secular state status principle by allowing a Muslim-Muslim ticket and that terrorists arrested during the President Goodluck Jonathan administration have been released and rewarded with job positions in the Nigerian military.
Ekpa accused Information Minister Lai Mohammed of bribing, censoring, and terrorizing media houses in Nigeria, prohibiting them from reporting on the atrocities happening in the country. He stated that the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) wants UNGA to intervene and request the authorities to unconditionally release Nnamdi Kanu and all other Biafrans being held captive.
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Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was extradited from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021, where he has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his repatriation. Ekpa claimed that the court discharged Kanu’s case and that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention requested his release within six months, which expired in February 2023. However, the government has refused to release him.
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Ekpa is demanding a peaceful democratic referendum to enable a bloodless exit of Biafra. He claimed that the Biafra people have shown their willingness to leave Nigeria through various sit-at-home civil disobedience for the past two years, and the every Monday sit-at-home civil disobedience has been going on uninterrupted for two years.
Furthermore, Ekpa referred to the controversial comment made by Army Chief, Lt. Gen. T. Y. Danjuma, in March 2018, accusing the military of colluding with jihadists. Danjuma stated that the armed forces were not neutral, and that people should defend themselves.
The allegations made by Ekpa are significant and highlight the unrest in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has been accused of bias and discrimination, which has led to demands for a peaceful democratic referendum to enable Biafra to exit Nigeria. The continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu has further heightened tensions, and Ekpa’s call for UNGA’s intervention is an attempt to pressure the government into releasing him and other Biafrans being held captive.
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It remains to be seen how the Nigerian government will respond to these allegations and whether they will engage in dialogue with the Biafra Republic Government in Exile. The situation in Nigeria requires urgent attention, and it is hoped that the UN and other international bodies will take action to prevent the situation from escalating.
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