Biafran Agitation and Sit-At-Home Orders: Analysis of Socio-Economic Implications in Select States in Igboland

Published: 2024-12-23
Author(s): Duru, Fidelia Amara & Adindu, Mary Chinturu
Abstract:
Background: The Biafran agitation, a movement seeking the independence of the entity known as Biafra from Nigeria, has been a recurring phenomenon in the country's political landscape since the 1960s. The movement, which led to a brutal civil war between 1967 and 1970, resulted in the loss of millions of lives and widespread destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods. Although the war ended in 1970 with the defeat of the Biafran forces, the underlying grievances and tensions that fueled the uprising have persisted, with periodic outbreaks of violence and protests. In recent years, the Biafran agitation has gained renewed momentum, following the emergence of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the arrest and extra-ordinary rendition of her leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021. The group since then, has issued series of Sit-At-Home orders in all parts of Igboland, and other forms protests and civil disobedience in demand for the release of her leader.
Objective: This study investigated the socio-economic implications of the IPOB sit-at-home orders in Igboland.
Method: The study adopted the cross sectional survey design, using questionnaire and in-depth interview for data collection. Generated data were analysed using Chi-square statistics and Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28. Results were presented using simple percentages, mean and tables.
Result: Findings indicate that the sit-at-home order has impacted negatively on the social, security and economic activities of the region.
Conclusion: The study concludes that the Biafran agitation is as a result of marginalisation of the Igbos in their own country, Nigeria. Unique contribution: The paper provides fresh insights that would guide key stakeholders and policymakers in decisions that would foster unity in diversity in Nigeria, and minimise cases of secession agitations in the country. Key recommendation: The paper recommends that political and traditional stakeholders should come-up with committed efforts with the federal government to grant the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, unconditional release and freedom. Also, the federal government should run a politics of inclusion in which Igbo people should have equal representation with other ethnic groups in Nigerian political offices to reflect a true federal character.
Keywords: Biafran Agitation, Sit-At-Home Order, Socio-Economic Disorder, Marginalization, Igboland
Issue IJSSAR Volume 2, Issue 4, December 2024
Cite
Copyright Copyright © 2024 Duru, Fidelia Amara & Adindu, Mary Chinturu

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Journal Identifiers
eISSN: 3043-4459
pISSN: 3043-4467