A coalition of pro-Biafra organizations has rejected the life imprisonment sentence handed to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, declaring that the ruling will not stop their push for an independent Biafra state.
The groups made the declaration Friday during a press conference in Owerri, Imo State, insisting that the conviction has instead strengthened the movement.
The coalition comprises the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Eastern Peoples Congress (EPC), Billie Human Rights Initiative (BHRI), Biafra Liberation Council (BLC), Biafra Revolutionary Force (BRF), Biafra Revolutionary Organization (BRO), and Biafra Reconciliation (BR).
In their joint statement, the coalition described the sentencing as unjust and alleged that the Nigerian government violated international treaties on human and people’s rights.
“That the collegiate leadership of the pro-Biafra organizations totally condemns and rejects the sentencing pronounced against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the statement said.
The coalition also called for unity among pro-Biafra and Igbo political groups, saying the struggle for self-determination has reached what it called a critical phase.
According to the groups, the imprisonment of Kanu in Sokoto will not dampen their commitment.
“The imprisonment of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in faraway Sokoto State will never dampen our spirit or weaken our resolve to actualize Biafra, but instead has strengthened us further,” they stated.
The coalition further accused the Nigerian state of enabling the spread of terrorist groups across the country, vowing to resist what it described as their presence in Biafra territory.
The Nigerian government has not yet responded to the claims made by the coalition.
