Re-Invented Abroad: Agitation for Self-Determination by the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) Movement in South-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Fifty years since the declaration of separatist Biafra, the narrative still reverberates
across Nigeria. This is common in the south-eastern region where pro-Biafra
movements with claims to the principle of self-determination, continue to reinvent
the idea of the hitherto aborted Biafra. Relying essentially on primary data, this
paper examines the current neo-Biafran agitation within the organizational
framework of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement. Findings
reveal that IPOB is a scion of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign
State of Biafra (MASSOB) and an initiative of Nigerians in the Diaspora; that
the group amplifies her struggle using the media; that non-violence remains the
official principle of the group; and that group cohesion is very strong within
the movement. Furthermore, the perception of marginalization, exclusionary
politics, cumulative injustice, a weak economy, politics of the memory as well
as state repression are factors that strengthen the neo-Biafran agitation. The
paper suggests that strategies of inclusion, re-orientation of the Nigerian citizens,
de-militarization of the Nigerian public space, dialogue and redefining of the
Nigerian political structure are means through which the neo-Biafran agitation
could be effectively managed.