Cape Town - The Indigenous People of
Biafra (Ipob) marched to Parliament on
Tuesday to ask for help in securing the
release of its leader Nnamdi Kanu, who is
currently facing treason charges in a court
in Abuja, Nigeria.
"We need people to be aware of the
Biafran plight," said Innocent Alia, Western
Cape zonal co-ordinator of Ipob, while
handing a petition over at the gates of
South Africa's Parliament during a polite
protest.
He said South Africa, as a "leading light in
democracy", could help immensely in
resolving the decades-old dispute which
had led to the deaths of many people.
Ipob Western Cape spokesperson Gloria
Alia explained that the strife in Biafra was a
result of boundaries drawn by Britain as a
colonial power, without regard for the
preferences of people already living in the
region.
When Britain withdrew from Nigeria in
1960, it left the colonial borders in place. A
protracted civil war ensued between Biafra
and the Nigerian government as Biafrans
sought self-rule.
Biafra was reintergrated into Nigeria after
the two-and-a-half-year conflict, during
which an estimated three million civilians
died in fighting and from starvation
resulting from blockades.
Alia said that Biafrans, who are mostly
Christian, were also being pressured to
convert to Islam by supporters of
predominantly Muslim Ariwa.
Ipob has launched a global campaign to
put their campaign for self-determination
on the world's agenda and Tuesday's
march included dropping a petition off
with British diplomatic representatives.
Kanu was arrested by the Federal
Government of Nigeria in October 2015 for
broadcasting his secessionist views on a
radio station he directed, Radio Biafra.
The station operated out of the UK, but he
was arrested while in Nigeria.
About 40 people attended the march, and
the petition was accepted by a
parliamentary representative, Peter Lebeko,
who explained the lengthy process of
tabling and considering a petition.
Alia said that Nigerian asylum seekers in
South Africa were predominantly from
Biafra and would return "in a heartbeat" if
it were safe to do so.

SegunAdewole:
The burukutu-sipping tourist will soon understand the difference between 6 and half a dozen.

As a yoruba man, I respect and hail IPOB and I hail Kanu!

If we had only one Nnamdi kanu, our land in kwara won't be under fulani control today. God please give us just one Kanu in Odualand!

1after:




Shameless yeeboe man scared of using his handle cos of shame. From arodetsolaye to bayoadetunji, AdewoleSegun, Akinegba, and now Segunadewole. What a big shame.

Armaggedon:
truth is bitter