This was seen in a letter signed by Ekpa in his newly proclaimed capacity as the Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile (BRGIE). The letter is dated May 8, 2023, and addressed to the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS Court.
Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed disciple of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has written to the ECOWAS Court over the ‘indefinite’ adjournment of a lawsuit brought before the regional court by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) to seek referendum for the Biafra Republic.
This was seen in a letter signed by Ekpa in his newly proclaimed capacity as the Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile (BRGIE). The letter is dated May 8, 2023, and addressed to the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS Court.
According to the letter, Ekpa asked the court to reveal the current status of the case, noting how the continued prolongation of the case is jeopardising the interests of Biafra and Igbo people living in Nigeria.
The letter reads: “We write to remind you of the lawsuit at the ECOWAS Court sitting in Abuja, by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) and other ethnic nationalities seeking a referendum towards a peaceful exit of Biafra and other indigenous groups from Nigeria. The lawsuit was adjourned to 20th October, 2022 by Justice Inyang Ekwo.
“The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, states that ‘every citizen in any African country has the right to say that he or she is no longer interested in remaining in that country.’
“Hence, we want to know the status of this case and when the ECOWAS Court intends to hear this suit, as Biafran people cannot wait indefinitely. Biafrans of the Old Eastern Region of Nigeria are living under existential threat in One-Nigeria, so we Biafrans demand a referendum for a peaceful exit from Nigeria.
“Biafrans are estimated at over seventy-five (75) million people, some living in Nigeria and others dispersed all over the world. Biafra existed as an independent nation from 1966 to 1970 when Nigeria and its allies fought Biafra and annexed Biafra into Nigeria in 1970.
“Biafraland is so richly blessed with human and material resources. Ninety - Five percent (95%) of the oil and other mineral resources that fuel Nigeria's economy today comes from Biafraland. As a result of the gross injustice, human rights abuses, tribal supremacy, fanaticism, ethnocentrism and class bigotry, the indigenous people of Biafra are determined to exit Nigeria. The Indigenous People of Biafra are demanding a referendum to exercise their right to self-determination and restore the sovereign state of Biafra through peaceful means.
“Biafrans have been continuously and systematically killed in Nigeria. In 2016, more than 160 Biafra youths were shot down in cold blood at Ngwa High School - Aba. The Army declared operation Python Dance 1&2, in which they invaded the home of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra), killing over fifty (50) Biafran youths. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu escaped assassination by the whiskers. The army went to Uzouwani in Enugu state, where they massacred over 100 Biafran youths and did the same at Eheamufu, Izombe and Aguleri.
“Just before the general elections in Nigeria, about forty (40) people were shot in cold blood in Aba - Abia State, when some unarmed youths marched to the street demanding the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who the Nigeria government is holding captive, even though the courts discharged him of any wrongdoing.
“The soldiers also wounded hundreds of other innocent people. On 1st January 2023, the military led siege on the town of Ihube - Okigwe in Imo State and burnt down the town.”
The letter went further to narrate the alleged atrocities committed against the Igbo people by Nigerian security operatives after the 2023 general elections.
“Furthermore, after the presidential election in March of 2023, the military and political thugs burnt down businesses of Biafrans in Lagos, Maiduguri, Abuja, Kaduna and Kano without justification. These atrocities are systematic, not isolated incidents.
“To ease off these hostilities before it degenerates into another full-blown war, we call on your court to revisit the referendum suit immediately and grant the indigenous people who wish to exit Nigeria (especially Biafrans), the freedom to exit peacefully,” the letter added.