Simon Ekpa, a prominent Biafra agitator and separatist, has submitted a seven-page petition to the United Nations, the United States of America, the European Union, and the International Criminal Court.
The petition called for the peaceful exit of the Southeast region from Nigeria, following the expiration of Nigeria’s 1914 amalgamation.
As the self-styled Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), Ekpa detailed the reasons for Nigeria’s renegotiation, citing continued political exclusion, economic neglect, and other injustices experienced by the Igbos in Nigeria.
In his petition, the Finnish lawyer called on international communities to allow the Southeast region to exit Nigeria peacefully, now that the union had expired.
“We wish to inform you that the Fedrick Lugard amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates into one Nigeria, which took place in 1914 to last 100 years, has expired. The Amalgamation agreement having expired, we, the indigenous people of Biafra (Biafra Republic Government In-Exile), wish to peacefully and bloodlessly exit from Nigeria to restore our independent sovereign state of Biafra because of the gross injustice, human rights abuses, tribal supremacy, fanaticism, ethnocentrism and class bigotry, that have bedevilled Nigeria. The indigenous people of Biafra are determined to exit Nigeria,” the petition partly reads.
In 1914, Southern Nigeria was joined with Northern Nigeria Protectorate to form the single colony of Nigeria.
However, since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the Igbos have complained of political exclusion and economic neglect.
The Biafra secessionist movement began in the late 1960s when the region attempted to secede from Nigeria, leading to a brutal civil war that lasted three years.
Since then, various separatist groups have emerged in Nigeria, with the Biafra secessionist movement being the most prominent.
Proponents of the movement argue that the Igbos have been marginalized in Nigeria and that the only way to ensure their survival is by creating an independent Biafra state.
While the Nigerian government has repeatedly opposed the calls for secession, claiming that it threatens the country’s unity, Ekpa’s petition is the latest in a series of calls for the peaceful separation of the Southeast region from Nigeria.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
