THE STATE AND TRANSFORMATION OF THE BIAFRA SECESSIONIST MOVEMENT IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

In recent times, separatist and secessionist movements in the southeast geopolitical zone have stepped up struggles for the actualization of the sovereign state of Biafra through protests and other forms of social mobilization. The protests have triggered tension and heightened insecurity, with the security agencies often applying excessive force to quell the protests. The extant literature is awash with narratives regarding the recent upsurge and persistent centrifugal demands by pro-Biafra secessionists, four decades after the Nigerian civil war; scholars agreed that exclusive governance has been one of the factors for increased secessionist movements in southeast Nigeria and that Nigeria state has at one time or the other applied repressive measures to quell secessionist agitations in southeast Nigeria, but none have concretely showed how lack of inclusive governance and the use of force and state repression have aggravated this secessionist agitation in southeast Nigeria. This work is guided by two research questions: Does lack of inclusive governance account for fostering secessionist agitations in southeast Nigeria? How is state repression implicated in the increased militarization of secessionist agitation in southeast Nigeria? This is qualitative research that made use of the Expo-facto research design. Data was collected through secondary sources and analyzed using content analysis and the Gellnerian theory of nation and nationalism. Our findings showed that state repression is to a great extent implicated in the increased militarization of secessionist agitations in southeast Nigeria. Our recommendation was the government should be proactive towards secessionist movements, and instead of the use of force, should adopt a non-kinetic method in tackling such cases, to avoid further militarization of these agitations in southeast Nigeria. Government should also ensure that every ethnic group is included and build the spirit of a nation-state in every citizen.

KEYWORD: Secessionist Movement, Sovereign State of Biafra, State Repression, Inclusive Governance, Southeast Nigeria.