Northern women to Buhari: Hold referendum on Biafra — we don’t want war

The Amalgamation of Northern Women Associations in Nigeria has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to hold a referendum on the agitation for a Biafran state.

Speaking with journalists on Saturday at the Unity Fountain in Abuja before they embarked on the demonstration, Hadiza Adamu, coordinator of the coalition, said women in the north are at the receiving end because their husbands and brothers have been allegedly killed in the south-east.

Adamu said people should be allowed to belong to a country or leave, adding that their agitation should not end in war.

“We are the amalgamation of northern women from all parts of the north, north-central, north-west and north-east. We as mothers are always at the receiving end of any war, insurrection, killings, and acts of terror,” she said.

“It is for this reason that we come together today and say we don’t want another war, another insurrection.

“When our men were killed, we were raped and our children rendered orphans, we have nowhere to run to. Nigerian history has shown that women carry the heavy burden of war and acts of insurrections and terrorism.

“We have gone through it from 1967 to 1971, our men died and left us with the children to cater for out of nothing, other men that survived simply moved on, but we never moved on.

“INEC offices and other symbols of democracy in the country are being destroyed on a daily basis, our husbands that go to do business in the south-east no longer return home safe, our political leaders who travel to the south-east on national assignments are assassinated in broad daylight.

“It is in the light of the above that we are saying enough is enough and let Mr. President allow for a referendum that will make Igbos realise their long term dream of being a Biafra nation. No more killing of northerners, no more killing of police officers, no more profiling of northerners and attacking their businesses.

“Let Igbo have their independent nation away from the rest of Nigeria.”

The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been agitating for a secession of the south-east from Nigeria.