BREAKING: IPOB Urges Southeast Lawmakers to Sponsor Bill for Peaceful Biafra Exit

 IPOB Urges Southeast Lawmakers to Sponsor Bill for Peaceful Biafra Exit In a New Year's Day broadcast on Radio Biafra, Mazi Chika Edozi...

 IPOB Urges Southeast Lawmakers to Sponsor Bill for Peaceful Biafra Exit

In a New Year's Day broadcast on Radio Biafra, Mazi Chika Edoziem, Head of the Directorate of State (DOS) of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), issued a direct appeal to elected political representatives from the Southeast region serving in Nigeria's National Assembly and state legislatures. He urged them to formally propose and advocate for a peaceful exit of Biafra from the Nigerian federation, emphasizing coordination with IPOB to advance the cause.

Edoziem, who has led IPOB's day-to-day operations since the detention of founder Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, framed the call as an opportunity for lawmakers to dispel perceptions of disconnection between IPOB and the region's political class. "This is a clarion call to them to dispel the notion that the IPOB movement is not coordinating with the political class in Biafraland," he stated. "They are urged to make this move and let IPOB take it up from there."

The broadcast invoked historical grievances, recalling the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War often referred to by IPOB supporters as the "Biafra genocide" and the post-war reintegration of Biafrans into Nigeria. Edoziem argued that the original defenders of Biafra sought only "equity and freedom" under the Igbo principle of *Ọfọ na Ọgụ* (justice and righteousness). He accused the Nigerian government of failing to uphold these principles, leading to renewed agitation first through the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), and later IPOB.

Despite internal challenges that limited MASSOB's success, Edoziem asserted that IPOB has "taken up the baton" to pursue Biafran independence amid ongoing "repression" by Nigerian authorities. He reaffirmed the DOS's commitment: "The Directorate of State of IPOB is not oblivious of the responsibilities or expectations which Biafrans have towards us, and we shall painstakingly deploy every [resource] at our disposal to ensure that Biafra is restored."

The appeal aligns with IPOB's long-standing advocacy for a non-violent path to self-determination, including calls for a UN-supervised referendum. The group has repeatedly distanced itself from violence in the Southeast, attributing such acts to state-sponsored elements or rival factions.

IPOB maintains that its pursuit of independence is peaceful and rooted in international law on indigenous rights. Edoziem's role as Head of DOS was solidified in prior statements, positioning him as the operational leader while Kanu remains incarcerated on terrorism-related charges.

The broadcast, updated by Family Writers Press International (FWPI), comes amid ongoing tensions in Nigeria's Southeast, where security challenges persist.