The Biafra cause as being led by United Kingdom returnee, Nnamdi Kanu appears to be losing support from some key states in Nigeria.
Nnamdi Kanu
Some states outside the five South-east states that Nnamdi Kanu said would be part of Biafra have said they should be counted out.
They include Rivers, Kogi and Benue according to the DailyTrust.
In Kogi, the Igala Socio-Cultural Group expressed disgust over their inclusion in Biafra. A spokesman of the group, Mr Barry Moses Idakwo, noted that the inclusion has made nonsense of the ancient Igala nation.
The group pointed out that Nigeria is a democratic country where citizens should be allowed to live peacefully and secured as prescribed by laws.
“The agitators for Biafra have marginalisation as the main plan for their grievances. It is therefore unthinkable to annex the Igala kingdom without consulting us,” Idakwo said.
In Benue State, a former Minister of State for Education, Professor Jerry Agada, said Idoma land should be left out of the purported Biafra territory.
He warned agitators of Biafra to stop the inclusion of Idoma people in particular and Benue State as a whole in their map.
According to him, Idoma people had never been connected with Biafra, not even Orokam where he hails from, which shares border with Enugu State.
“Idoma nation can never be part of Biafra. In as much as the Igbos’ have their fundamental human right to agitate, they should be reasonable so as not to coax people that do not have a link with their ideology or believe in their quest for power,” Agada added.
From Rivers State, a former Director-General of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall, said Port Harcourt won’t be part of Biafra.
“Gowon declared no victor, no vanquished verdict and that concept is still there. We are living happily with everybody. Port Harcourt is the capital of Rivers State. From time-to-time the issue of Port Harcourt has been an object of agitation. Port Harcourt was one of the issues the so-called Biafra demanded and this matter was discussed in Kampala. I don’t know why people are worried about Biafra and want to resurrect and create tension which is totally unnecessary,” he said.
According to him, “everybody has a right to agitate, but to agitate on somebody else’s territory is wrong.” He pointed out that if anybody wants to cede Port Harcourt, the person is looking for trouble.