There have been great controversies rocking the issue of secession by the Igbo community, but more concerns have been raised on the authenticity of the founder and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB and his stance on the affairs of the Igbo people.

The Biafran struggle has been on for quite a long time with notable figures chairing its progress but with the emergence of Nnamdi Kanu, his volatile, precarious, supposed violent methodology, the spin of conspiracy theories make it wise to question his motion. Is he the savior of Biafra or another opportunist building his ego at the detriment of a naive Igbo faction?

Doesn’t it sound fishy that he is fighting for the independence of Biafra from a comfortable apartment in London, United Kingdom endangering the lives of Igbo youths in Nigeria over their persistent agitation for freedom?

Does the marginalization of Igbo people in Nigeria justify the launch of violent verbal attacks and an organized charade that places the lives of vibrant Igbos at risk?

The rise and Fall of Biafra

The Biafran war which was led by Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu lasted from July 6th, 1967 – January 15th, 1970, this period of two years, six months, one week, and two days could be considered as the only time that the Biafran nation ever existed.

Even after the war that reportedly cost the death of over two million Biafran civilians, the Biafran dream seems to be fully alive in the minds of countless Igbo people.

The war which has been considered a genocide by the Nigerian government started as a result of series of ethnoreligious clashes, the massacre of Igbos in northern regions, sustained prejudice on the Igbo extraction, dominance and an unfair control of the oil sector, produce, reserves as well as the wells in Niger Delta at the detriment of the inhabitants of the land.

The controlled system of marginalization was perceived in the military arm of Nigeria as deserved soldiers were denied their due place of promotion.

These among a long list of factors motivated Igbo people to mount resistance on the Nigerian government with Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu leading the gallant coalition of southern soldiers.

This coalition wasn’t limited to the Igbos as members of other south-south tribes and states like Akwa Ibom, and Cross River joined the fight with the notable presence of Philip Effiong who was appointed as the first vice president of Biafra and later assuming the position of the leader after Ojukwu went on exile.

His tenure as the Biafran leader didn’t last long (January 8th, 1970 – January 12th, 1970) as the war was called off a few days after his assumption as a leader.

The Biafran war would have been avoided if the Nigerian government maintained and kept to their part of the deal and decisions that were made at the Aburi Conference.

The Aburi accord was drafted after much deliberation by delegates of the Nigerian government with Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu who represented the easterners as the leader of the region.

Aburi Accord was structured to accommodate certain changes in the military council to achieve fair equity of power but major disagreements and misinterpreted pieces of information brought the accord to end in a blood bath with the federal government of Nigeria launching attacks on the east while easterners fought hard to retain their freedom.

Although the war ended with the announcement “No victor, No vanquished”, but certain actions, policies, and the imposition of unfair laws prove otherwise, mounting the impression that the war didn’t end on a fair note as we were made to believe but ended with the easterners as sore losers of the war.

The constant and continued marginalization of Igbo people awakened the buried idea of secession as Nnamdi Kanu rose to form the Indigenous people of Biafra in 2012 with the sole intention of restoring the Independent State of Biafra.

Controversies of Nnamdi Kanu

There has been a long trail of controversies that lurk the paths of the ferocious leader of the Independent People of Biafra. Some of these claims are so bizarre that it is difficult for a sane brain to believe them but with the recent happenings in Nigeria and its executive leadership, it is becoming confusing to choose a side to believe in.

These controversies include the tales that the President of Nigeria Mohammed is dead and the present leader of the federal government of Nigeria is a foreigner, Jubril from Sudan.

Naturally, these claims should be assumed as mere controversies and conspiracy theories but the lawless state of Nigeria makes it obvious that the nation is lacking a leader.

But does this justify the fact that the leader of the indigenous people of Biafra is genuine and not playing with the intelligence of Igbos?

What if he is capitalizing on the depilated state of the eastern region, the prejudice melted on the average Igbo man, the decay of the economy and absence of infrastructure and development to build himself some fame, gain popularity and ride on the elevated throne as the Igbo messiah?

The absence of a defined strategy by the leader has been another cause for concern as it seems his moves are circulating the same circle; make verbal abuses against the government, build and launch some theories, capitalize on the killings of Igbo people, and fuel the hatred for the Fulani and Hausa sect.

A great number of Igbo people have been killed in the recent agitation for secession making it justifiable to question the authenticity of this movement or will become another worthless holocaust?

There have been reports that there are financial reserves for the Biafran economy but it remains a puzzle why these funds are not used to develop the east or are these another pointless discussion?

It is alleged that members of the Indigenous people of Biafra make financial contributions to fund the fight for freedom but the accountability of these funds remains a mystery or is it another to reap Igbo people off their hard-earned money?

Numerous doubts and disbelief are lingering around the IPOB leader and until these issues are comprehensively cleared the struggle for Biafra will remain a worthless wail without a defined strategy.