Members of the Biafra Zionists Federation have said they will go ahead with their plans to celebrate Biafra Day on May 30, despite the threats from the Federal Government.
This adds to the cacophony emanating from the Southeast regarding the celebration of the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Biafra Republic Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu in 1067.
While the Indigenous People of Biafra have announced they will mark the anniversary with a sit-at-home program, Biafra Zionists insist they will celebrate the day openly with fanfare.
IPOB initially announced that the sit-at-home would hold on Sunday, May 30. But it later shifted it to Monday, May 31, perhaps to allow people in that region to attend church service on that Sunday.
Benjamin Onwuka, the self-proclaimed leader of BZF, has said in a statement that the group will go round the celebrate the Biafra anniversary on May 30.
In the statement released to journalists, Onwuka asserted that a sit-at-home order has not worked for Biafra. According to him, the people should rather come out that day for a parade.
“We cannot be sitting at home since 2013 without a result. Sitting at home will not deliver independence to Biafra. India invented sit at home, and we must know that this is not India, it won’t work anything here.
“On May 30, Biafrans will not sit at home, they will come for a Biafra parade at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, where I will take the salute. It will be a unique event,” he said.
Onwuka declared that his group has the backing of the United States of America, adding that “at the moment, Nigeria is no longer with the world powers. They have abandoned Nigeria, and that is why Biafra is no longer subjected to international isolation”.
“We are grateful to the US for its support. I have always said that what Biafra needs is international recognition. We lost the war weapons, and I don’t mean physical weapons, I mean international diplomacy and support, that is the greatest weapon, the 5 UN permanent members of the Security Council were not with us. We won’t make such a mistake again.
“At the moment, we have been able to engage with the Biden administration and we are happy for the outcome.” He said the people of the area had suffered several cases of injustice and deprivations from the Nigerian Government, stressing that “all these gave rise to all that is happening today, including the activities of the Unknown Gunmen.
“All these years, they militarized our place with security operatives, even Customs are always seen chasing people to villages, searching booths of vehicles looking for rice. Where else do such things happen except Southern Nigeria?
The extortion and oppression by the police were also at the highest level, so they gave birth to the Unknown Gunmen. “In all these, Zionists are urging our people not to be cowed down, the Biafrans will be liberated and they will enjoy total freedom.”
Onwukas threats are coming amid the Federal Government’s plans to intensify its offensive against Biafra agitators in the Southeast and the South-south.
There have been rising cases of attacks on the Army, Police, and other security agencies in the two regions, to which the government is planning to respond with an increased military presence in the area.
