Biafra Day fever grips Southeast in 30 may

Watch Out For Total Lock Down, Says IPOB
tripleclicks “We Will Declare Independence” Agitators says

Already, military fighter jets are flying the entire zone in apparent show of force against any person or group that might want to break down of law and order on that day. Meanwhile 14 pro-Biafra groups, including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), have asked indigenes of ‘Biafra’ to sit at home on May 30, as a sign of honour for fallen Biafran heroes that were killed in the struggle. Apprehension has enveloped the Southeast geopolitical zone over conflicting orders by various pro-Biafra agitators on how May 30, otherwise known as Biafra Day, would be celebrated. However, the Biafra Zionists Federation (BZF) gave a counter order, asking the people to ignore the stay at home order and troop to Enugu Government House for the hoisting of flags and declaration of Biafran Independence. The BZF, which claims the backing of United States of America and Israel, said sit at home would never be used to achieve Biafra, stressing that such observance in the past did not yield any meaningful result.

Leader of BZF, Benjamin Onwuka, told Biafran indigenes, yesterday, to ignore the sit at home, insisting that those behind it were not “sincere about Biafra cause”. Already, conflicting posters by the two opposing groups have saturated major road junctions and streets, asking people to either comply with the sit at home order or attend the Biafra declaration in Enugu. The Guardian learnt that other agitating groups involved in the sit at home are Eastern Peoples’ Congress (EPC), Igbo Youth Cultural and Restoration Initiative (IYCRI), Bilie Human Rights Initiative (BHRI) and Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria and Salvation People of Biafra (SP). Others are World Union of Biafran Scientists (WUBS), Shadow Government of Biafra (SGB), Biafran National Liberation Council (BNLC), Biafra Revolutionary Organisation (BRO), Biafran Liberation Crusade (BLC), Joint Revolutionary Organisation (JRO), Biafra Revolutionary Force (BRF), Customary Government of Biafra (CGB), Biafran Intellectual Clergy Forum (BICF), Biafran Movement for Sovereignty (BIAMOS), Biafran Central Council (BCC) and Biafran United Liberation Council (BULCO). Apparently to avoid confrontations, several schools, especially those owned by private individuals, have declared mid- term break until June 4. In a statement, yesterday, IPOB boasted that it would be total lock down in southeast, south-south regions and selected states and cities in the country on May 30, when indigenous Biafrans would sit at home in compliance with the order to commemorate heroes and heroines killed in the struggle. IPOB Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said the group would use civil disobedience to also honour other victims of sectarian violence, Fulani terror herdsmen, Boko Haram and state sponsored extra judicial killings in the country. Ohanaeze Ndigbo has asked pro-Biafra agitators to embrace dialogue, saying the path they were following “would lead to further spilling of Igbo blood for a cause that can be peacefully fought and realised”. In a statement by its President General, Nnia Nwodo, Ohanaeze declared that enough blood of the people of the zone had already been shed in pursuit of Biafra cause, adding that the organisation (Ohanaeze) was not working at cross purposes with the pro-Biafra agitators. The Police have, however, asked residents to go about their lawful duties, assuring that it was prepared to provide for their safety, even as it warned pro-Biafra groups not to take the law into their hands.