The history of Biafra: A comparative perspective of the old and contemporary struggle

BY BIN ZAK

The advent of colonialism in Africa gave birth to many new territories, annexation and extinction of the existing ones. For instance, the territory known as Nigeria today was invented by the colonial masters through the annexation of different existing territories. This geographical invention precipitated the historical distortion and geographical extinction of certain territories. Biafra among other territories lost their sovereignty to this colonial arrangement.

According to Prof. Chinua Achebe, Biafra territory was deduced from “the bight of Biafra, the vast expanse of water covering the Continental shelf into which the Niger empties before flowing into the gulf of Biafra.” In John Mitchell comprehensive map intrinsically made for resolving border disputes, it’s also elucidated that the pertinent estuaries from where the rivers flew into the Ocean is called “Ephraim town” located at 60miles from River Num presently in the South-South Nigeria today. The river is named after Nun, Joshua’s father, the tribe of Ephraim. In a nutshell, some researchers held the view that Biafra was inhabited by Ephraim descendants.

The Nigeria colonial masters successfully formed “Nigeria” from different alien territories but failed to unite her people. Subsequently Nigeria attained her political freedom on October 1st 1960 then arouse power tussle on whom to pilot the country political affairs. It’s an unhealthy political competition among the sections(the Northern, Eastern and Western regions) which Nigeria was divided into. By 1966, It’s conspicuously clear that “Nigeria” was merely a geographical expression lacking the spirit of a nation. The premium on political powers threatened to wreck the whole nation as its let loose upon the country a flood of bitterness, misery and fear perturbing the daily lives of Nigerians. The Military outsted the Civilian government, a counter coup was staged and gruesome killing of civilians in some sections of the country as political tension thickened. Several attempts were made to clean the rots of division and to bury all hatchet which have situated the country into the danger of bloody disintegration but all to no avail.

On the 6th July 1967 the conceivable inferno in the Nigeria’s realm of politics boomeranged and exploded in full horror when the Eastern Nigeria seceded. Lt. Gen Odumegu Ojukwu, the Military Governor of the Eastern Nigeria declared the region as “The Republic of Biafra” as a consequence of the predicament and injustice the Easterners were subjected to in Nigeria. However, these allegations were rebutted by Lt. Gen Yakubu Gowon, the Nigerian Military Heads of States who described the “seeking justice and salvation in independence” claim as a cover up to satisfy Lt. Ojukwu selfish interest. The word “Biafra” and its territory which had gone into extinction was resuscitated through this conflict.

In tandem with Tony Benn popular quote “all war represents a failure of diplomacy.” After dialogue failed, both conflicting parties resorted to violence; war. The war lasted for 30 months. Many lives and invaluable properties were lost. Immediately the civil war ended, Yakubu Gowon, the general who led the Nigerian government to victory over Biafra proclaimed that there was “no victor no vanguished” in an effort to repair the bruished nation and also introduced a policy of “Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation” in a pledge of reconciliation.

Twenty-nine years after the devastating war ended, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, an Indian trained lawyer reignited the spirit of Biafra with the formation of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB in 1999. Provoked by the growing acceptance for a new state of Biafra, the Nigerian government under Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo began a clampdown on the group. Uwazuruike and his followers were arrested on different occasions on charges of unlawful gathering and disruption of public peace. The FG Attempts to subjugate this group claimed many lives of its members. Also, the Biafra Zionist Movement (BZM) was founded in 2010 by a United Kingdom-based lawyer, Benjamin Onwuka who said the group was on the verge to actualize a “Biafran State.” This group submitted an application to the then UN Secretary General, Banki Moon in 2012. This application dated August 6, 2012 with reference BZM/os.REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA. It also gave the grounds for its application as thus;

“It’s now abundantly clear that the security of lives and property of the Biafran people are no longer guaranteed in the entity called Nigeria”

“It is also very clear that the Right of the Biafran peoples to peacefully practice their religion and freedom of association under the United Nations Charter of Freedom of Association is no longer safe and guaranteed in the entity called Nigeria.”

“Therefore, the people of Biafra have resolved that on 5th November 2012, we shall be re-declaring our independence and opt of Nigeria in order to guarantee and protect the Biafran Peoples’ Right to practice their religion without being killed and bombed.” With the spate of time, BZM and all its effort to actualize a Biafran state became a relic of history.

The agitation for Biafra took a new dimension few months President Muhammad Buhari ascension to the seat of presidency. It’s an agitation spearheaded by a faction of MASSOB, the “Indigenous People of Biafra”(IPOB) formed by Nnamdi Kanu with the claim that MASSOB has lost its fundamental focus. In Kanu words, he elucidated that IPOB was on the mission “to settle the issue of Biafra in a civilised and democratic manner.” The FG was dissatisfied with IPOB activities. In order to silence IPOB agenda and to demoralize its members, the FG masterminded Kanu’s arrest by the officers of the Department of State Security, the Nigeria’s secret police. Ironically, the calculated attempt went wrong as IPOB working force was invigorated. The group commenced a relentless global and local campaign for a Biafran state and staged numerous protests against Nnamdi Kanu detention. During this agitation, many IPOB members paid the ultimate price. Eventually Nnamdi Kanu was granted a bail under stringent conditions after almost two-years in incarceration.

At this juncture, it’s pertinent to relate the visibility of Biafra in this contemporary time with the 1967 and present struggle. The struggle was lost despite the unity among the old Easterners. However there was a conflict but it was well managed. Unlike the contemporary Easterners who are disunited politically and ideologically fundamentally because of the states created from the old Eastern region. Furthermore the international communities particularly the Super Powers failed to recognize Biafra as a sovereign state. Without foreign support, secession seems impossible. Nothing is unjust where the super powers play their political game even if million perish.

Till now, the international communities have not declared their support for the contemporary Biafrans. Also, It’s stated in some historical narrations that the old Western region had agreed to secede before the proclamation of Biafra. If not, Ojukwu would not have proclaimed Biafra. It would amount to a suicidal mission for a section of the country to fight the integral components in this contemporary time when the hatred for the “Biafra idea” is obviously at peak in the country. Likewise the sophistication, vibrancy, courage and experience of the Biafra warlord, Lt. Ojukwu superseded the contemporary Biafran leaders yet the war was lost. The agitators for Biafra Republic must learn from history. Biafra can only be actualized with a formidable force because the Nigerian government would always resist any attempt to disintegrate the country. The Biafra struggle had claimed many lives yet . As Nnamdi Kanu deserted the Biafran struggle by joining the race of Ralp Uwazurike and Benjamin Onwuka, it’s pertinent the renaissance Biafrans brainstorm on an alternative mechanism to safeguard their interest in Nigeria.

Binzak Azeez writes from the Faculty of Law O.A.U